great fear came over the whole church and all who heard about these events: The sudden judgment on Ananias and Sapphira had a serious impact on both the Christian community and those who learned about it (see Hebrews 10:31). Christians were strongly reminded to remain pure.
For non-Christians, the integrity of Christians was restored. So once again "the people regarded them highly" (Acts 5:13). However, it also made those outside the church cautious about joining a group with such high standards (5:13). This divine "pruning" allowed for new growth to occur (see John 15:1–11; Acts 5:14; see also 6:5–7; 11:24; 21:20).