"Broken Vows"

"No one told Ananias and Sapphira that they had must sell their property in order to remain in Christian fellowship. No one compelled them to offer the proceeds to the general fund of the infant Christian Church. Their maximum inducement was the power of godly example and exhortation. They saw others making a financial sacrifice, so they thought of a way whereby they might gain like approval without making the full sacrifice.

Likewise, the acts of consecration made by Christians today are all voluntary. No one is told that he must spend so much time in prayer in order to remain in fellowship. Neither is any one told that he must give a tenth or more in order to be recognized as a Christian. Nor is any one told that he must witness to so many people each week in order to prove that he is a believer. These things are done, but on account of godly example and exhortation rather than by compulsion.
Another noteworthy fact is that Ananias and Sapphira were unaware of the seriousness of their offence. They appeared to be unaware of any offence against God at all. The Apostle Peter told the husband, "You have not lied to men but to God!" one cannot imagine that Ananias and Sapphira sat together in conference and planned to tell a lie to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was far from their thoughts. The Apostle asked them how they had schemed such a thing in their hearts, but it does not seem likely that either husband or wife fancied themselves in a battle of wits against the Holy Spirit. They were unaware of His involvement.

So it is with Christians today. They scheme and plan and cheat and deceive in ways that involve the Holy Spirit, who cannot ignore broken vows. But the offenders are generally unaware of their offence. They think that it concerns themselves alone, and that failure is their own affair.

"How is it," asked the Apostle, "that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?"

Ananias and Sapphira made an agreement together to sell their land and keep back part of the price, but it seems unlikely that they discussed the matter to the extent of saying, "Let us see how far we can provoke the Holy Spirit in this way!" The Holy Spirit was not in their thoughts.

And today many Christians, by keeping back part of the price of consecration, by making vows that are speedily broken, are guilty of provoking the Holy Spirit. No wonder they are making little or no progress in spiritual things. The fact that they have not suffered severely is but evidence if the long-suffering of God in times of spiritual decline."

Orr, James Edwin. Full Surrender. Chapter 1, "Broken Vows."