1. Peter required them to account for their actions and they lied to him. They didn’t say to Peter, ‘It’s my own business what I give and what I keep’ because they knew that wasn’t the deal. They didn’t go ‘Mind your own business Peter’ because they knew that it was his business. They both accepted his authority to ask such questions of them. By lying they showed they knew they had done something wrong in keeping part back, and that Peter was the authority figure they had to fool. Peter clearly shows in his actions that the expectation was that the whole amount would be turned over.
Now Peter’s statement to Ananias says that Ananias had full control over the money he got from the sale, IE: he could not blame somebody else for the full amount not being given. If this was a voluntary gift as you portray it and not a prerequisite for anything, then there was no reason for him to try and make Peter think it was the full amount of the sale.
2. They lied to the Holy Spirit by lying to Peter who was called of God to do this work.
And I do not seek to impugn Peter over their deaths, I’m pointing out that accounting to somebody called of God over what one has given to the church is not unBiblical.
Now there is a lot of detail lacking in Acts 4-5 over why they were doing this, how it started, how it was run etc. You’ve made certain assumptions about that but they are not assumptions I would agree with.
We believe that those early Christians were living a form of the United Order. That this was an organized community ran in a specific way by the apostles. Members of the community entered it by selling what they had and turning the whole of the proceeds over to the apostles who were the organizers of it. This couple held part back, contrary to what was required to enter the community, and Peter rightfully held them to account for it.
Tithing is a lesser law to prepare people to live the United Order so in that sense the passage is very relevant from our POV.
UBIE; is there an alley behind your place?
If so; this may be right up it!!
I'm now a 'hostile witness' toward this dubious twisting so I will recuse myself from further exchanges with deception's child.