ACTS 5:3-4 – The Lie Taught to Mankind
The one variety of the “trinity doctrine” teaches the Father is God, Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God and yet there are not three gods but one God. So when the challenge first arose to prove the Holy Spirit is God, Trinitarians had to find something in Scripture to support their erroneous belief. Acts 5:3-4 is the ONLY passage that could be found to make such a false argument.
Acts 5:3-4 — “But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why have you conceived this thing in thine heart? you have not lied unto men, but unto God.”
Since verse three says Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit and verse four says he had not lied to man but to God, it is claimed that the Holy Spirit is God. But this is Eisegesis and what I call red fire engine logic. That is, fire engines are red, my car is red, therefore my car is a fire engine! Eisegesis is the process of misinterpreting a text or portion of text in such a way that it introduces one's own presuppositions, agendas, and or biases into and onto the text.
In Acts 5:9, Peter asked “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” Some translations lay this out very much in black and white by saying, “the Lord’s Spirit,” “The Spirit of Yahweh.”
Lying to the Spirit of the Lord is to lie to God Himself because it is His Spirit. My Spirit belongs to me in the same way as Paul reveals below. So if you lie to my spirit you have lied to me, not someone else! God's Spirit revealed to Peter that Ananias had lied and so he had not lied to man but to God as it was God Himself through His spirit that revealed the lie.
As Paul said, “no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” — 1 Corinthians 2:11
Ananias lied to God's Spirit which was within Peter which is the same as lying to the Almighty God Himself as it is His Spirit.
“Peter asked, “Was it not thine own?” thus showing that no undue influence had been brought to bear upon Ananias and Sapphira to compel them to sacrifice their possessions to the general good. They had acted from choice. But in pretending to be wrought upon by the Holy Ghost, and attempting to deceive the apostles, they had lied to the ALMIGHTY.” — Ellen White, Spirit of Prophecy, volume 3, p. 285.1, 1878
“In giving us HIS SPIRIT, God gives us HIMSELF,” — Ellen White, 7T 273.1, 1902
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THEY HAD LIED TO THE ALMIGHTY GOD THE FATHER! — From Ellen White, [THE REAL] Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, 1878, p. 284-286
“But a HOLY GOD HATES HYPOCRISY AND FALSEHOOD. The apostles were impressed by a sense of the true state of the case, and when Ananias presented himself with his offering, representing it as the entire proceeds of the sale of his property, Peter said to him, “Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? THOU HAS NOT LIED UNTO MEN, BUT UNTO GOD. And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down, and gave up the ghost; and great fear came on all them that heard these things.”
“Peter asked, “Was it not thine own?” thus showing that no undue influence had been brought to bear upon Ananias and Sapphira to compel them to sacrifice their possessions to the general good. They had acted from choice. But in pretending to be wrought upon by the Holy Ghost, and attempting to deceive the apostles, THEY HAD LIED TO THE ALMIGHTY. “
“And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, HOW IS IT THAT YE HAVE AGREED TOGETHER TO TEMPT THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD? Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost; and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.”
“This signal manifestation of THE WRATH OF GOD upon the dissemblers was a check which Infinite Wisdom knew was needed. The church would have been disgraced, if, in the rapid increase of professed Christians, there were persons professing to serve God, but worshiping mammon. There are many Ananiases and Sapphiras in our day, whom Satan tempts to dissemble, because of their love of money. By various plans and excuses they withhold from the treasury of God the means intrusted to them for the advancement of the cause of God. Should the punishment of Ananias and Sapphira be visited upon this class, there would be many dead bodies in our churches requiring burial.”
“This marked judgment upon two avaricious hypocrites, whose sin had been detected by the evidence of THE SPIRIT OF GOD to the apostles, excited the reverential awe of all the new converts. From that time there was greater caution manifested by them, and a more thorough self- examination, testing the motives of their actions. In any great religious movement there is always a class who are carried away by the current of feeling, but who soon reveal selfishness and vainglory. Such persons can never be an honor to the cause they advocate.”