In the Bible we read, "Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. But in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him" (Acts 10:34-35).
This was said by the apostle Peter after he saw how the Holy Ghost filled the Gentile believers the same as He filled believers in Israel. But is God no respecter of persons only when it comes to the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Some might think so in light of certain other biblical passages.
Let's consider the case of a man named Ananias and a woman named Saphira whom the Lord killed for lying to Him. We read, "But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part. And laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, 'Ananais, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.' Ananias, hearing those words fell down and gave up the ghost (died)" (Acts 5:1-3, 5). If you read just a little further in the same passage, you'll see how Ananias' wife also lied, and was struck dead by the Lord. Actually, we don't know if the Lord killed them or sent one of His angels to take their life. The point is they died under His authority for what they did, which was lie to Him.
It certainly makes sense to say it's a grave mistake to lie to the Spirit of God. It resulted in the death of these people. And if we consider that the Lord hates a lying tongue (Proverbs 6:16-17), we're not necessarily astonished at God's reaction to them.
But now let's take a look at when someone else lied--perhaps not directly to the Lord--but in the Lord's very presence. The individual in this case was not killed. God told the elderly Abraham and his barren wife Sara they would have a child in their old age. We read, "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure? And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sara laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child...? Sara shall have a son. Then Sara denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid" (Genesis 18:12-14, 15).
If God is no respecter of persons, why did He not at least punish Sara for lying in His presence regarding His promise to the couple that they'd have a son? He killed Ananais and his wife for lying to Him. They lied to God through lying to his servant Peter in whom God lived. What was different about Sara's lie? Why was she shown mercy, and allowed to live while two other people who lied to God were struck dead?
Let's take a closer look at the difference in these two situations of people lying in God's presence. We will then see that He truly is no respecter of persons, though He may appear to be partial at first glance. In the case of Ananias and his wife Saphira, there was craftiness. The couple lied to cover up their dirty deeds. Sara, on the other hand, feared. We know this is true, because we read, "She was afraid." Her fear made all the difference. Remember that right in the passage where Peter says he perceives God is no respecter of persons, he says, "But in every nation he that FEARETH Him...is accepted with Him" (Acts 10:34-35).
Ananias and Saphira did not fear. They simply thought they'd try to pull a fast one. But they made the mistake of not knowing that in doing so, they were lying to the very Spirit of God, which cost them their lives. The case with Sara is totally different. She also lied. But she lied, because she feared the Lord. Therefore, He had pity on her. We read, "The Lord pitieth them that FEAR Him" (Psalm 103:13).