The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 191

Vers. 3, 4-.-The conviction of Ananias. St. Peter was. by natmal disposition and the general consent, spokesman and interpreter for the Church. He could uot have uttered these words to .Ananias without a painful rec:illing of his own sin in the three- fold denial of his Lord, and his own conviction of his sin at the sound of the cock- crowing. Ilut compare St. Peter's sin with that of Ananias, and show why recovery was possible in his case, but only overwhelming judgment in the case of .Ananias. \Ve rnu;;t also understand that the Holy Spirit gave St. Peter special knowledge of Ananias's deception, a.nd guided him in what was said and done. Compare Joshua's dealing with Achan. I. 'l'HE CO}<""VICTION AS EXPRESSED BY ST. PETER. He urges : 1. That evil, in the shapo of temptation, had been unresisted. The question "\Vby ~" implies that resistance to the temptation had been possible. Had he resisted the tempter, he would have fled from him (Jas. iv. 7). 2. That Ananias we.s under no kind of compulsion. He wm1 not bound by any rule of the Church. If lie bad brought, and called it, part, or if he had brought nothing, he could not have been blamed. If be was moved to sell be should honestly set forth what be bad done with the money. Man from his fellow- man at least looks for sinceiity and truthfulness. 3. And that while Ananias had only purposed to deceive the apostles, be had really been trying to deceive God, who d11·elt, by bis Spirit, in the apostles and in the Church. "Or, to state it as Peter stat.ed it three hours after to the wo:nan, this couple put God, the all-knowing Spirit, to the proof, tried him whether he would let himself and his Holy Church be taken in with a lie." II. 'l'EE COl!.-vICTION AS FELT BY .ANAl!.'1.AB. Throughout he must have borne an uneasy conscience, and in response to St. Peter's words it smote him hard. Shame and guilt overwhelmed him, and may even in part be allowed to explain his sudden death. Dr. Plumptre says, "In such a case we may rightly trace that union of natural causa- tion and Divine purpose which we express in the familiar phrase that speaks of' the visitation of God' as a cause of death. 'l'be shame and agony of detection, the horror of conscience not yet dead, were enough to paralyze the powers of life." III. THE C0NVICTI•Ji;" AB CONFIBJmD BY Goo. In the death of Ananias, and in the death ta.kin~ pl:i.ce in such a sudden and awful manner. "In this case it is plain that the death of Ananias is an event supernaturally arranged by a higher power, hecauso it is connected with the penal sentence of the apostle, which was spoken in the power of the Spirit." It may be pointed out that the Divine judgment here conc6rns only the sudden death, and the veil is not lifted to show us the eternal judgmcnt, the secret Divine dealings with this so sadly erring disciple. Compare the teachings of such passages as 1 Cor. v. 5; 1 Pet. iv. 6, Impress that, however our sin may be covered over and hidden from our own view now by self-delusions, the time of conviction must come sooner or later. A man must presently see his sin as it is, and see himself as be is. 'l'he conviction may comu wholly by Divine inward leadings, it may come through pro1Jidential circumstances, or it may be started by the word of some teacher or friend. Happy, indeed, is he who is brought to conviction in ti7™!--in time to seek pardon and eternal life in that living Saviour who is" exalted to give repentance and remission of sins."-Il. 'l'.