JOSEPH, A LEVITE from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.1
5:1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”
5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
9Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
10At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
Original Meaning
THUS FAR WE have seen the church in a positive light, faithfully and effectively facing crises and challenges both from within and from without. Now Luke gives us an instance in which sin manifested itself within the church; he tells us how the church dealt with this situation.
The Generosity of Barnabas (4:36–37)
AFTER DESCRIBING THE spirit of sharing in the church (4:32–35), Luke gives good and bad examples of this sharing. The good example is Barnabas, who must have been singled out because he will play a key role in the unfolding events of Acts. His willingness to give up his land harmonizes with his unselfish style of enabling others, which we see elsewhere in Acts.
Joseph, a man from Cyprus, was given the nickname Barnabas, translated in the NIV as “Son of Encouragement” (4:36). It was common in Semitic languages to use “son” (bar) to indicate a person’s character.2 The exact meaning of Barnabas, however, is not easy to arrive at. It seems to mean “son of prophecy” (bar means “son of” and nabi means “prophet”). The NIV translates the Greek word paraklesis as “encouragement,” a word that can mean encouragement but also consolation or exhortation. Perhaps we should translate Luke’s definition as “Son of Exhortation.” Barnabas “probably earned his new name through effective preaching and teaching.”3
Being a Levite from Cyprus, Barnabas was from the large groups of Hellenistic Jews who migrated back to Jerusalem. He must have been from a wealthy background, for the mother of his cousin Mark had a house large enough to accommodate a prayer meeting for “many people” (12:12). Since, according to the Old Testament, Levites were not to own land, the plot he sold may have been his burial place.4 Or perhaps “the Pentateuchal regulations prohibiting priests and Levites from holding landed property seem to have become a dead letter by this time.”5
The Deception of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1–11)
THE BAD EXAMPLE of sharing is that of Ananias and Sapphira, who sold their property but kept back some of the money for themselves (5:1–2). “Kept back” (Gk. nosphizo) literally means pilfer, embezzle. It is interesting that Luke uses this word, for what this couple technically kept back was part of their own money. Nosphizo appears again in the New Testament only in verse 3 and Titus 2:10 (where it is translated “steal”). The LXX uses this word for Achan, who kept some of the booty from the spoils of war that had been devoted to God (Josh. 7:1). There, as here, the sin met with a severe punishment. The rarity of the word in the New Testament suggests that Luke deliberately drew on the language of the Old Testament.6 In any case, wrong use of our possessions is a serious sin in God’s sight.
But Peter discerned what was happening. Was this through the expressions of guilt on the faces of these two, as some have suggested? More likely it was a direct prophetic revelation from God.7 Five important truths emerge from Peter’s words to Ananias in 5:3. (1) Satan had so filled and controlled Ananias’s heart that he was carried away in his actions.
(2) Satan’s activity does not remove culpability from Ananias. Verse 3 attributes the act to Satan’s infilling, but verse 4 places responsibility for his action squarely on Ananias.
(3) The most serious thing Ananias did was to lie to the Holy Spirit, not keep back part of the money. Later Peter said that he could have done whatever he wanted with his money (v. 4).
(4) When we lie to the church, we lie to the Holy Spirit. We see the developing theology of the church here. In 5:11 we find the first of twenty-three times that the word ekklesia appears in Acts.8 Saul/Paul finds out later that when he persecuted the church, he was persecuting Jesus (9:4). Later he expresses the treasured teaching that the church is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 4:12; 5:23).
(5) Since giving everything was not mandatory (v. 4), the particular desire that Satan had filled Ananias and Sapphira with was the desire for recognition by the church. They lied to win the same sort of esteem that Barnabas had won in the church.
Ananias first and then Sapphira fell down dead following Peter’s forthright condemnation (5:5, 10). One can imagine how surprised the bystanders must have been as they saw Peter, probably not a rich man, rebuking the rich giver of a large contribution. But whoever the person and however big the gift, sin is sin, and it has to be dealt with decisively. We are not told the biological cause of these two deaths. Some scholars do not accept the biblical record that they died immediately. They claim such an event is not in keeping with the spirit of Christianity. Rather, so these scholars say, the first deaths in the Christian community came as a shock to the believers, since they thought no one would die in the new age that had dawned. Thus, this story was created to conclude that these deaths were a judgment of God. But there is not a single hint in the text that this was what happened. Whatever the cause, the important thing is that the church saw it as God’s judgment on the couple for their deceit.
The result of the death of Ananias is that “great fear seized all who heard what had happened” (5:5b). Luke repeats this affirmation at the end of the story (5:11). In other words, the fear resulting from judgment is a key aspect of the story. This was a fear of displeasing God that comes from a knowledge of his holiness and the consequences of our sin.
Bridging Contexts
LUKE, UNDER THE inspiration of the Holy Spirit, includes this episode so as to show to his readers God’s response to serious sin in the life of the community. Of the many sins that presumably surfaced in the life of the church, Luke chose this one since it was the sin on which God performed such a drastic judgment. We do well to pay close attention to what happened and to look for warnings and instructions for our lives.
A perfect church? The first thing that strikes us is that the church in Acts was not a perfect church, which has been true of the church throughout its history. But the early church, under Peter’s leadership, immediately dealt with the problem they faced. Because of that, this episode did not hinder its growth. Immediately following this episode is one of the many summaries of the life of the early church (5:12–16), describing a vibrant group of people with the apostles performing miracles, believers being held in high esteem, and the church increasing. Clearly, then, how the apostles responded to this crisis should be a model for us to follow.
The use of possessions. The wrong use of money is a serious sin in God’s sight. William Willimon observes that “a surprisingly large amount of the Book of Acts deals with economic issues within the community.”9 When we add to this the many references in Luke’s Gospel that have to do with the use of money,10 we realize how important this issue is for Luke. Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24). Paul said, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:10). If money has so much power to lead us astray, then we should be teaching and preaching much about the dangers of wealth.
The specific sin relating to possessions that Ananias and Sapphira committed was lying about their use. This area remains a pitfall to many today. A key to the answer to this problem is what was talked about in the previous section: being one in heart and mind even about possessions (4:32). That is, we should be open about our possessions within the Christian community, in order to help us avoid many of the pitfalls relating to the use of money.
Can Satan fill our hearts? Satan “filled [Ananias’s] heart” (5:3). There is nothing to say that Ananias and Sapphira were not believers. D. J. Williams points out that many of Satan’s activities in the Bible are with believers.11 This filling is not the same as demon-possession, where people have little control over their activities. Peter Wagner lists the following alternate ways of describing this filling: “demonic oppression,” “demonic affliction,” or “demonization.”12 The term demonization is gaining popularity today, referring to Satan’s influence on both believers and unbelievers.13
Demonization is what happened when “Satan entered Judas” prior to his betrayal of Jesus (Luke 22:3). This word also leaves room for varying degrees of satanic influence on different people. According to Tim Warner, “spiritual ‘possession’ clearly implies ownership and would seem to include the control of one’s eternal destiny. In either case it would be impossible to be owned and controlled by Satan and have a saving relationship with Christ at the same time.”14 By contrast, “demonization” denotes the occurrence in the lives of Christians when Satan gets them so obsessed with an idea or course of action that they get carried away and are blinded to the consequences. That seems to be what is happening here.
Lying to win esteem. Ananias’s goal was to win the esteem of the church. The danger of doing that is real today. It is serious because it causes us to be dishonest with ourselves. A key to receiving God’s grace is acknowledging our need of him; an attitude of pride can close the door that permits God’s grace to enter our lives.
When Jesus gave his kingdom manifesto in the Sermon on the Mount, his first four Beatitudes say virtually the same thing: “The poor in spirit,” “those who mourn,” “the meek,” and “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matt. 5:3–5) are united in not hiding their helplessness and in accepting their need for God. In Christianity all power comes through grace—undeserved, unmerited favor. The one thing that can hinder grace is pride—the sense that we deserve the blessings we get and the refusal to accept our faults. If we try to put on a show of being what we are not, we destroy our chances for growth by blocking the grace of God.
Untruthfulness also hinders fellowship in the body—a key theme in 4:32–5:11. John said, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7). Thus, lying is a deadly cancer that can destroy the life of a body. When people are untrue, they cannot be genuine. The result is that spiritual superficiality sets in.
Dealing decisively with sin. As one who spends a considerable amount of time and energy raising funds, I encounter Peter’s action with mixed feelings. Would I do the same as Peter did if I knew that a big donation coming our way was tainted by sin? This text tells me that I should. God’s holiness and the fact that holiness is most important in people’s lives tell me that I must deal decisively with sin. That is a key lesson we glean from this story (actually this is an aspect of the fellowship spoken of in 4:32). If we are to be of one heart and one mind, then we must confront sin when it appears in the body.
Does God judge like this today? Why does God not judge sin today in the way he did with Ananias and Sapphira? What we see here is a typical example of the full expression of the powers of the new age, which are usually reserved for the final day of the Lord.
Let’s look at an analogous situation. Today we face sickness, though after the day of the Lord there will no longer be sickness. Yet sometimes in the present age God acts miraculously and shows his power over sickness by ways beyond what we know to be natural. In a similar vein, today when Christians sin against the body, they lose their peace, the body loses its power, and the blessing of God is withheld. But God does not always show his full feelings about it publicly. He did do that, however, during key revelatory periods. At the start of Israel’s life in the Promised Land, he showed for all time—through the judgment that followed Achan’s sin (Josh. 7)—what he thinks about deception. At the start of the life of the church, he again showed—by his judgment on Ananias and Sapphira—what he thinks about deception. We may not see such judgment today, but God has told us once and for all what he thinks of such sin.
We must note too what the Bible says about the judgment at the final day: “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (Rev. 20:12). On that day there are going to be a lot of surprises, for Jesus says, “What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs” (Luke 12:3).
Does this mean that those who are saved will be lost because of what they have done since their conversion? The church has struggled with this issue for nearly twenty centuries. But biblical people on both sides of this divide accept certain truths. (1) Paul teaches that one who has built on the wrong foundation may be saved on the last day but will have all his or her work burned up and will just barely make it into the kingdom, “only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Cor. 3:12–15). (2) Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). If those who do not enter the kingdom did not lose their salvation, then they were never saved at all. But they were in close contact with the truth; therefore, the judgment on them will be severe—certainly more severe than for those who never heard the gospel (cf. Luke 12:47–48).
Fear in the community. The fear of God and of the consequences of sin is a major theme of this story (5:5, 11). Paul told Timothy that elders “who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning” (1 Tim. 5:20). Public rebuke gives people a sense of the seriousness of sin, and that in turn acts as a deterrent to sin. The New Testament often talks about living with a fear of the consequences of sin and of displeasing God: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’ ” (Heb. 12:28–29). A sobriety should mark our behavior as we heed the words of Paul: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).
Contemporary Significance
FACING IMPERFECTIONS IN church. A man is said to have come to Charles Spurgeon, seeking his help in finding a perfect group of God’s people. Spurgeon told him that if he found such a group, he should not join it, for if he did, it would no longer be perfect.15 We saw that even the vibrant church of Acts had its share of problems. There is both a comfort and a challenge to us as we face trouble within the community.
In a situation of sin, we sometimes ask, “How could this happen in our community after we tried so hard to be biblical in our body life?” We can take comfort from knowing that the first church (and even Jesus’ inner circle of the Twelve) faced such problems. The challenge comes from the fact that the early church dealt with the problem immediately. We are often tempted to ignore such problems and hope that they will clear up or at least not come to the surface. But when we do that, we let a deadly cancer into our community life that will eat into its spiritual vitality. We must deal with our imperfections the moment we face them.
Recovering the biblical attitude toward possessions. I think I am correct in saying that if a survey were taken about all the possessions-related preaching from evangelical pulpits today, we will find more teaching on the promise of wealth than on the dangers of wealth. That goes against the entire tenor of the New Testament. Certainly the Old Testament contains teachings about the promise of wealth. The biblical attitude is for the righteous to regard their wealth as a blessing from God, provided, among other reasons, for their enjoyment (1 Tim. 6:17).
But we must remember that some of the promises of prosperity in the Old Testament have been given as part of the covenant blessings to Israel (e.g., Deut. 28). Craig Blomberg says this about such wealth, “Frequently that wealth is tied up with the land or the temple in ways that do not carry over into a New Testament age that knows no sacred piece of geography or architecture (John 4:24).” He also observes that many of the Old Testament promises of wealth to the righteous and industrious are from the wisdom literature (Ps. 112; Prov. 12:11; 13:21; 21:5). But the wisdom literature also says that it is better to be poor than rich through ill-gotten gains (Ps. 37:16–17; Prov. 15:16–17; 16:8; 17:1). “These contrasting emphases caution against absolutizing any one particular proverb; wisdom literature after all provides only generalizations of what is often true, and some statements are descriptive rather than prescriptive.”16 Moreover, both the Old and New Testaments contain numerous warnings about the dangers of wealth and advice on how to use wealth responsibly and charitably. That should be the primary emphasis in Christian teaching about wealth.
William Willimon cites the point made by Ernest Becker that “as belief in God and other traditional sources of immortality eroded in Western culture, money assumed a god-like quality in our lives, our ticket to enduring significance in the face of death.”17 Willimon shows how even though we say that we cannot take our possessions with us, we try to perpetuate our name. “We endow a chair at the university or have a pew named for us at church.” Becker has called money “our ‘immortality ideology,’ our modern means of insuring that even if I must die my name, my family, my achievements, my power will continue after I have gone.” Jesus, on the other hand, told the story of the rich fool (Luke 12:13–21), “the one who assumed that his possessions gave him god-like security against the invasions of mortality.”18 It is sad to see that the church has unashamedly brought over this ideology and pandered to it in its preaching.
One reason why the dangers of this are not seen is that we have ceased to insist on the way of the cross as the only way for a Christian to live. Countless Christians have forsaken the path of the cross. In Jesus’ words, “they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature” (Luke 8:14). In their desire for more wealth they may adopt unethical business practices or may not treat their employees in the way that they would have others treat them (Matt. 7:12). They may not share their possessions, as the Jerusalem and Macedonian Christians did (2 Cor. 8:1–5). They may rob God of his tithes and offerings (Mal. 3:8).
Not only do we fail to urge them to repent, we sometimes even ask them to take leadership in the church because of their high position in society. We need more teaching, preaching, and practicing in the church of the biblical attitude to wealth. It is the way of the cross, and that is the only option for Christian living.
The core sin of Ananias and Sapphira was their pride and deceit about the use of funds. Sadly this remains a major problem in the church today. Many of the recent scandals in the church have been about use of funds. It is easy, especially for Christian workers, to hide the truth about their financial situation. Sometimes this becomes outright deception. We may give people a wrong impression about our needs by not telling the whole truth about what we earn. We may receive help based on a wrong perception of our true needs. It is possible to raise funds for the same project from different sources without people knowing that many have been approached. Thus more funds may be received than are needed for the project, resulting in those extra funds being diverted to something else without the donors’ knowledge. Or funds can be used for purposes other than that for which they were given.
It is equally possible for Christians to lie about money in their dealings in society. We can falsify tax returns, for example. I once sold some land using a Buddhist real estate agent. I told him that we must put the exact price of sale in the deed of purchase. He was surprised and told me of eminent clients of his who did not do this. It is common to undervalue the deed and pass some money “under the table” so that less tax is paid. Later I found out that a well-known Christian leader was among his clients. I told him that my God would not be pleased if I did that. Ultimately that is the reason why we must be truthful. Our holy God wishes us to be truthful even though society may think it unnecessary.
One of the best ways to avoid the pitfalls relating to possessions is to have people to whom we can be accountable about our use of money. It is wise for us to share with our accountability partners even significant personal gifts we have received. They can be a check to us that will help us avoid the snares of materialism and deception that are always looming near to us. Most of the recent funds-related scandals in the church could have been avoided if those involved had been completely open to a responsible person about their income and use of funds.
The demonization of Christians. We must be careful lest we let Satan fill us as Ananias and Sapphira did. This is how people we least expect end up having extramarital affairs. They never intended to have an affair. But they gave into the first steps of temptation, and after that they had little control over themselves. Obsessed with desire, they lost sight of reality and risked their happiness, their family, their ministry, and their reputation. Proverbs 7 talks about a young man who is seduced by a woman. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He gave into those first steps of seduction. After that he lost control over himself: “All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life” (Prov. 7:22–23).
This happens in areas other than sex. It can happen with our obsession to hide a truth about ourselves, with our plans to teach a lesson to someone who hurt us, with our desire to clear our name, with our ambition to succeed in our career, or with our passion to put on a show of being something we are not (cf. Ananias and Sapphira). A drug addict who is wonderfully converted may, in a time of discouragement and spiritual weakness, give in to his old habit “just once.” But that one opening triggers a process that sends him spiraling down to his old life.
When people are demonized, others are surprised to find them acting in ways so uncharacteristic of themselves. Who would have thought that Peter would be cursing and swearing that he did not know Jesus (Mark 14:71)? But Jesus had warned him: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31). It is believers whom Satan is after. So we must always seek to “be self-controlled and alert,” for we know that our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
When a person acts in a seriously unbalanced and uncontrolled way, it is appropriate to ask whether there may be spiritual, physical, and psychological explanations for their behavior. When we do so, we are not denying the reality of Satan or of the person’s responsibility for his sins. What Satan does is to exploit those spiritual, psychological, or physical states to get hold of the person. When we minister God’s healing to those people, we need to deal with these issues as well. The former drug addict may have been neglecting his devotions. The person who suffers from an uncontrollable temper may have a chemical imbalance that needs treatment. The person in an extramarital affair may be a victim of childhood sexual abuse, which has left wounds that need emotional healing. Similarly, if the person has been demonized, we may need to pray with that in view.
Rooting out untruthfulness. We have talked of the dangers of deceit in the body—a theme that must constantly occupy the mind of a leader. In Youth for Christ we work primarily through young volunteers who have met Christ through our ministry. Most of them are from other faiths. They do not know Christian etiquette well, they have a lot of zeal, and they sometimes lack in wisdom. Consequently, their actions can give YFC a bad name. When I visit our different centers, I usually teach the volunteers and staff as my top priority. One of the things I try to emphasize on every visit goes like this:
In YFC we do not expect the volunteers not to make mistakes. We are willing to pay the price of those mistakes. Even though they may give us a bad name, we do not regard them as serious. But there is one thing we regard as deadly serious: lying. When people are not truthful with themselves, there is a hindrance so that God cannot work with them to help them. They are on a dangerous path.
I think this emphasis on the need for honesty has helped keep our movement relatively free from integrity problems. Unfortunately, we have found that people who have lied to and deceived us can survive for unexpectedly long periods without their deception surfacing. But sooner or later it will surface, and at that time people either have to change or leave.
The sin of trying to show that we are something when we are not is a major problem today because our society places such a high value on appearance. We want things to look good whether or not they are. Seeking recognition, we may choose to adorn our testimonies with exaggerations and lies. People are “blessed” by the testimony, so we keep using it, even if there may be doubts about its truthfulness. I remember a situation when a spectacular Christian autobiography became a best-seller. Then it became known that much of the book was in fact fictional. The publishers, being committed to Christian standards of integrity, recalled the book, at considerable cost to themselves. But later another publisher took on this book and published it as a fictional biography! Appearance can make us lose our hatred for sin, and market forces can cause us to be blinded to the holiness of God.
I also know of situations where people have known that a leader was guilty of sin. He denied it, for if it was true, it would have required the church taking unpleasant measures. So the church chose to ignore it, and the leader remained in the church. Such a hindrance to revival can cause spiritual death in the church. But in a culture where appearance is so important, a church like this can exist and even thrive. Yet it thrives as a child of its culture, not as a representative of the kingdom of God.
Our reluctance to deal decisively with sin. If there is true fellowship in a Christian community, then when sin appears in the body, it will be confronted. If we feel somebody is lying, we must question him or her about it.
However, Peter has been criticized for being uncharitable and missing the spirit of the gospel in the way he treated Ananias and Sapphira. These critics say that he did not treat people the way God treated him after he denied Christ. This is typical of the way some people react to church discipline. “Is there no forgiveness in Christianity?” they ask, and they condemn the church that disciplines its members.
In addition, other churches are ready to welcome and use those who have been thus disciplined. This can act as a deterrent to disciplining: Church leaders know that if they discipline their members, they may lose many to the church down the street! The story of Ananias and Sapphira teaches us what God thinks of the priority of purity in the body of Christ.
If sin has not been dealt with decisively, the chances of healing for the one who has sinned are greatly reduced. It has been my sad experience to encounter many Christian workers who fell into serious sin with sex or money. Some of them did not make a total confession and therefore did not go through the humiliating process of church discipline. Sometimes this was because another group took this person on and short-circuited the recovery process. These people went back into ministry, and some of them seemed to resume effective ministries. I know of one such person through whom many miracles were performed. But then they faced the same temptation again—and again they succumbed.
Many factors make such people susceptible to another fall. The freedom of forgiveness and walking in the light is not there to protect them. Though they have been serving the Lord, they do not have the joy of salvation that David so eagerly sought (Ps. 51:12). Thus, the joy of the Lord is not there as a deterrent to sin; the person has become used to living without it. The memory of the pain that takes place through disciplining is not there either; that too acts as a deterrent. Paul said of an offender within the church: “Hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5). Once you have experienced the pain and humiliation of thoroughgoing discipline, you will do everything to avoid going through it again. When temptation hits you again, you will resist it like the plague!
Fear in a “feel-good age.” The idea of going through life fearing both God and the consequences of sin seems unattractive in our age where people are so devoted to good feelings. Fear is considered a bad feeling, and therefore people think it is wrong. If the Bible views living in fear favorably, we must reflect on it if we are going to convince people of the relevance and attractiveness of the Christian way in today’s society. Actually, fear is a friend that alerts us of the danger of sin. But we live in a world where many think that enjoyment is possible primarily through what the Bible calls sin (e.g., through sex outside marriage or through enjoying violence). People who think in this way consider fear as a spoiler of fun and of good feelings.
They are wrong. The only way to truly enjoy life is to live it in the way ordained by the Creator of joy. Joy is a key theme in the Bible, and just as the world pursues it, Christians can indeed legitimately pursue joy within the context of our relationship with God. But the pleasures of sin are fleeting (Heb. 11:25). We cannot fight against the way we were made to live and truly enjoy life. When we violate our humanity, we condemn ourselves to a life without true joy, in spite of any temporary joy that is available through sin.
Some might say that temporary joy through sin is better than a life of fear and trembling. I respond that this fear and trembling is the gateway to lasting and truly satisfying joy. When we fear the holiness of God and the consequences of sin, we avoid sin. But we do not turn from sin into a vacuum; we embrace life to the full (John 10:10). We do not spend the rest of our days wishing that we could have had the experience of the sin we avoided. We are glad that we escaped that enslavement and are now “free indeed” (John 8:34–36). We are glad that God freed us to enjoy him, for he is not only holy, he is also loving. The Bible says that God delights in us (Ps. 147:11) and that we delight in him (43:4). When we run away from sin, we run into the arms of one whom we love and delight in and who loves us and delights to give us joy. We say with David, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (16:11).
Thus, the fear of displeasing God and of the consequences of sin does not take away the enjoyment of life. It is rather the gateway to true enjoyment. Fear, then, is our friend.