Ananias and Sapphira

“Then 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? Didn’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.’” Acts 5:3-4
In Acts 5:1-11 we read the account of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. There was a movement going through the church where people were selling their properties and giving all the money to the church, living a communal lifestyle (Acts 4:32-37). So Ananias and Sapphira also sold a field that they had, and gave some of the money to the church.
Their sin was not keeping some of the money. As Peter said, the field was theirs, and the money was theirs to do what they liked with it. Their sin was acting to have given it all (see Acts 5:8). The only reason they would have done this was to be noticed by people, possibly competing with Barnabas (Acts 4:36-37). The motivation for this was pride – about which Jesus says, they received their reward in full (Matt. 6:1-2).
Here’s the question: do we do the same thing? God doesn’t care what percentage of our income we give to Him. We are not under an obligation to give a tenth, as in the Old Testament. Rather, the condition is that we give cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7), honestly, and without making a fanfare.