The Doctrine of Nonaccumulation

One passage of Scripture often used in an attempt to refute the doctrine of nonaccumulation is the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1–11. After they had sold some land and brought part of the money to the apostles, this couple lied and said they had brought all of the money. Peter’s response in verse 4 indicates that they should not have lied because, after all, it was their choice whether they sold the land or not. And once it was sold, it was their choice as to how much of the money they would bring to the apostles. Because of this statement by Peter, some say the doctrine of nonaccumulation must be false. Luke 12:33 must not be binding on us. The command to sell and give must have been meant for some era other than the one in which we are now living. However, Peter didn’t say that the Luke 12:33 command had somehow been nullified. On the contrary, he was still doing his best to follow Christ’s injunction in Matthew 28:20, where He says his followers are to “teach them to observe all things that I’ve commanded you” (including the command in Luke 12:33). So what was it that Peter was saying by this statement? He was merely affirming the voluntary nature of the gospel of Christ. Every part of the gospel, including Luke 12:33, is to be a product of the hearer’s free will. Repenting is to be done voluntarily. Confession is to be done voluntarily. Receiving baptism is an exercise of the free will. And obedience to Christ’s commands is to come from a heart of joyful, willing submission to our King. The apostles were not forcing anyone to sell and give. Because Luke 12:33 is part of Christ’s gospel, we can be sure that they promoted it, preached it, and practiced it. But it was carried out by the willing hearts of the new believers, not by the apostles imposing their wills on others through force or coercion. And the people’s response (according to Acts 2:41–47 and Acts 4:31–37) was loving, heartfelt obedience to Christ. Not only was the question of whether to obey Luke 12:33 left in the hands of the people, but also the question of to what extent they should put it into practice. Some of the people sold most of their possessions immediately. Others no doubt began selling off property as the opportunities arose in the real estate market or as needs arose in the church. But no one seemed to believe that Luke 12:33 could simply be ignored if one wanted to call oneself a believer in Jesus. This point is reinforced by the fact that even Ananias and Sapphira, with their covetous, hypocritical hearts, knew that obedience to Luke 12:33 was a definite part of being a follower of Christ. Therefore, they did their best to at least appear to be obedient to this command, even if they had to lie to do it.