When Ananias and Sapphira kept for themselves part of the money with which they sold their, their punishment was death! One always pause here and wonder: isn't it too hard of a punishment? why didn't God give them a second chance? why this seems contradictory to the mercy of God in both Old and New Testaments? Contradictory to the hope the Holy Gospel gives, and the love of God?, etc.
More often, the answers we get are not satisfying because they typically claim one or both of reasons that confirm the concerns of our wonder: God did so to teach us a lesson, and/or they rejected chance to repent. We don't like these answers because we don't see evidence of a chance of repentance, nor do we see God's love or mercy in using people's life, and salvation, as a lesson to others. And honestly, today's people of church lie on daily basis and they don't die, Did God fail on his purpose of teaching us a lesson?!
Well, the holy book didn't really state that God killed them so that the church receives a warning, rather, it said that s great fear was upon everyone when they heard what happened. It was a result, natural, but not a purpose. Let us bring to our attention the facts that (1) there is no small sin and big sin, and (2) the sin of Ananias and Sapphira was not only lying, it was mostly of betrayal!
Following the first church in the book of ACTS, one sees that God The Holy Spirit was leading the church through the oneness of spirit. All Christians - back then - used to do everything together. Through this unity, the oneness of spirit, God's grace and power manifested in the believers' lives as in changed lives. God power was also demonstrated to non-believers through miracles. In Ananias and Sapphira's act of keeping something for the SELF instead of sharing with the whole - an act that would otherwise be not wrong - thy committed a clear breach to this unity. In other words, they withdrawn themselves from the church, the body of Christ. And if one withdraw from source of life, one is dead.
To elaborate in this more, imagine the whole people of the world are sinking in a lake of mud, slowly. There is no one on the solid ground to pull anyone out, except for Jesus Christ. Only Him, can save those sinking. Jesus is stretching out His Holy hands to save. So should anyone hold His hands, they are saved, i.e., they are alive. If anyone lets go with Jesus hands, they are sinking again, i.e., they are dead. Whenever we sin, sin separate us from God and we are dead again. Whenever we repent, we hold Jesus' hands again and we are alive.
Therefore, when Ananias and Sapphira sinned, they became dead already. So, no cruelty if they fall bodily-dead in front of St. Peter. The question then is whether they their fair chance of repentance or not. And for that, we know that God is the Just, we - by faith - are certain that God does not end anyone's life unless they receive all their fair-share of chances to repent. At least, they had one visible chance to repent when St. Peter asked them if that was the real price the got for their land. But definitely there were other chances as well.
