Ananias and Sapphira

Ananias and Sapphira, a married couple, were part of the early Jerusalem church. After selling a piece of property, they claimed to have given all their proceeds to the apostles. In reality, however, they had kept a portion of the sale for themselves. Though Peter made it clear that Ananias and Sapphira were not required to give anything, the couple sinned by lying about their gift. After Peter confronted Ananias and declared that he had lied to God, Ananias immediately died. When Peter later questioned Sapphira about the gift, she repeated Ananias’s lie. Peter accused Sapphira of testing the Spirit of the Lord, and she, too, fell dead. (Acts 5:1–11)