3.
Is the Holy
Spirit received by the Laying of Hands by the Apostles or the Church Elders?
In the afore-mentioned incidences one of the things
mentioned is the laying of hands by the Apostles, after
which the Holy Spirit was received; therefore it is also
said, once again wrongly, that the Holy Spirit is received through the laying
of hands by the Apostles or the Elders of the Church. This
related fact of the Bible, ‘laying of hands,’
has many meanings. In context of our discussion the
important thing is that except for the above three examples, it has never been
associated with the receiving or giving of the Holy Spirit. Therefore
to ascribe this as being the one and only meaning to it and teach this as the
sole meaning is incorrect in light of God’s Word. ‘Laying
of hands’ is a big topic in itself, that has different
applications in the Old and the New Testaments. In the New Testament it has
been used for blessing (Matthew 19:13, 15), providing
healing (Matthew 9:18; Luke 13:13; Acts 9:12, 17), being commissioned
for a special God ordained responsibility (Acts 6:6; 13:3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2
Timothy 1:6), and it also shows conveying
solidarity by making the person a co-worker in the ministry and of
accepting the person (1 Timothy 4:14; 5:22).
In context of the receiving of the Holy Spirit in the
above three incidences, the implication of ‘laying hands’
is to convey to those people that they were accepted as one in the Lord, i.e., by the laying of hands those Jewish
Believers and Apostles conveyed to those people, that they
too are one in the Lord along with the Apostles and Elders in the assemblies of
the Christian Believers; by virtue of being in the Lord
they are now just like everyone else (Acts
15:7-9). Take note, Peter did not even have to lay
hands on anyone in the house of Cornelius; as soon as they
believed the gospel given to them by Peter, the Holy
Spirit spontaneously came upon them (Acts
10:44; 11:15). An interesting fact is that later on the brother of the
Lord, James, speaks of asking the
Church Elders to apply oil and pray for the healing of physical illnesses (James 5:14-15), and writes that the
prayer of faith would bring healing as well as forgiveness of sins. But neither James, nor anyone else at any
other place in the New Testament, has ever said that the
Christian Believers should ask the Church Elders to lay hands and pray and they
will receive the Holy Spirit. This teaching too is nowhere in the Bible, and those who give this teaching misinterpret and misuse the
teachings of the Bible.
- To Be Continued
Next:: Is Tarrying required to receive the Holy
Spirit? Part (1)
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