sign in sign up
<<
Home , Laying on of hands

A Principle

of the

Gospel

Edited and Published by The Laying on The Board of Publications Church of Christ (Temple Lot) of Hands P.O. Box 472 Independence, Missouri 64051

2003 Edition

Apostle B. C. Flint THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

ye therefore, and teach all na- tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the THE LAYING ON OF HANDS Son, and of the Holy Ghost: for Teaching them to observe THE OF ALL things whatsoever I have THE commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the This is one of the principles of the end of the world. Amen” Mat- doctrine of Christ that is perhaps thew 28:18-20. (Emphasis ignored, and given as little attention as mine, B. C. F.) anything that was instituted by the Lord as a part of His plan of salvation. We have emphasized the word “all” We find it enumerated among the six in the above text because we under- fundamental principles of the doctrine stand by that, that since ALL power is of Christ in Hebrews 6:1, 2. It might still in the hands of our Master be- be well, then, for us to examine it and cause He says so, yet He was commis- see just what significance is attached sioning His disciples to go out and to it in the sacred writings of the represent Him, and they were to teach Scriptures. “ALL” things whatsoever He had commanded them. So, if the imposi- In other tracts we have noted the tion of hands was the ordinance by place that the principles of Faith, Re- which the gift of the Holy Ghost, or pentance, and Baptism in water hold the baptism of the spirit, was to be ob- in the plan that Christ gave His life on tained, then it MUST of necessity be the cross to make effective for our sal- among the “ALL” things that His dis- vation. We have held that the only ciples were to teach; and to teach way to apply the blood of Christ to our “less” than the “all” things would be to lives is for us to yield implicit obedi- misrepresent Christ, and if by thus ence to the plan that Christ gave as a misrepresenting Him we have failed saving means, and we find Him ad- to give to the honest inquirer the cor- dressing His disciples, just before His rect answer to the question, What must ascension into heaven, on this wise: I do to be saved? are we not driving “…All power is given unto one nail after the other into the cross of me in heaven and in earth. Go public opinion, upon which Christ,

-3- -4- THE LAYING ON OF HANDS THE LAYING ON OF HANDS represented by His gospel, is being is exactly what Christ realized might crucified today? How can we escape happen when He gave that last com- that conclusion? Weare told in the last mission to His disciples. He KNEW chapter of the book of Revelation, and that men would do just that thing, for consequently the last book in the we find HIM saying: Bible, that man must not “add to” nor “But in vain they do wor- “take from” the commandments of ship me, teaching for doctrines God. If we do there are penalties at- the commandments of men” tached. Let us read: Matthew 15:9. “For I testify unto every And again, speaking of the neces- man that heareth the words of sity of heeding and doing all He com- the prophecy of this book, If manded, He says that: any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him “…He that…climbeth up the plagues that are written in some other way, the same is a this book: And if any man thief and a robber” John 10:1. shall take away from the It reasonably follows then, that if words of the book of this the laying on of hands was a part of the prophecy, God shall take away plan we are to teach there will be suffi- His part out of the book of life, cient scripture to support that position, and out of the holy city, and so we will adjust ourselves to the task from the things that are written of doing just that thing. in this book” Revelation 22:18-19. In the first place, however, it may be well to discuss this idea of a “baptism It will be noted that it isn*t the book of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus says: itself that is not to be added to nor taken from, but the things that are “…Verily, verily, I say unto written in the book. Obviously, we thee, Except a man be born of cannot limit God nor confine Him be- water and of the Spirit, he can- tween the lids of any book. The com- not enter into the kingdom of mand is “that man” (not God) shall not God” John 3:5. “add to” nor “take from” the “things” The process then seems to resolve that are written in the book. And that itself into something like this. We

-5- -6- THE LAYING ON OF HANDS THE LAYING ON OF HANDS have had faith in God. We have re- from the above text it is clear that pented of our sins. We have been bap- through obedience to the gospel, by tized in water for the remission of our being baptized in water for the remis- sins. Now we desire to be born of the sion of our sins, we MAY have the spirit. What for? Well, John the Bap- Holy Ghost as an ABIDING COM- tist says: FORTER. It is here where the imposi- tion of hands by the ministry of Christ “I indeed baptize you with is necessary for this power to be re- water unto repentance: but he ceived. that cometh after me is might- ier than I, whose shoes I am Then we are again told that, not worthy to bear: he shall “…No man speaking by the baptize you with the Holy Spirit of God calleth Jesus ac- Ghost, and with fire…” Mat- cursed: and that no man can thew 3:11. say that Jesus is the Lord, but Added to this, we have this from the by the Holy Ghost” I Corinthi- Master Himself: ans 12:3. “And I will pray the Father, Then again we are told, and he shall give you another “In whom ye also trusted, Comforter, that he may abide after that ye heard the word of with you forever; Even the truth, the gospel of your salva- Spirit of truth; whom the tion: in whom also after that ye world cannot receive, because believed, ye were sealed with it seeth him not, neither that Holy Spirit of promise” knoweth him: but ye know Ephesians 1:13. him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” John Its purpose is given as follows: 14:16-17. “These things have I spoken We grant that the Bible teaches that unto you, being yet present the Holy Ghost is that power that with you. But the Comforter, “lighteneth every man that cometh which is the Holy Ghost, into the world,” and it is that Spirit that whom the Father will send in “enticeth and inviteth to do good,” but my name, he shall teach you

-7- -8- THE LAYING ON OF HANDS THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

all things, and bring all things deed one complete “New Birth,” and to your remembrance, whatso- we are now prepared to “walk in new- ever I have said unto you” ness of life,” we must continue to John 14:25-26. “abide” in the doctrine of Christ, and not “transgress,” because we are told, This seems to make the plan, so far as man*s development in this life is “Whosoever transgresseth, concerned, complete. By the and abideth not in the doctrine of water and the Spirit he is equipped of Christ, hath not God. He to meet life and its problems with full that abideth in the doctrine of assurance. The only thing that need Christ, he hath both the Father hinder a full rounding out of his life in and the Son” II John, 9th Christ Jesus will be his own weakness, verse. and his proneness to wander from the Hence, we must not become im- path, because there is no guarantee bued with the thought that because we that God will take from him his agency now have ALL of the gifts of God for and make him be good against his will. man in our hands, and we can by this Paul says: wonderful measuring stick make a “Wherefore let him that proper evaluation of the good and the thinketh he standeth take heed bad, as it meets us in life, and we can lest he fall” I Corinthians learn to choose the good and pass by 10:12; the evil; that we CANNOT sin, as some today teach, because we can, and also wherein he recognizes the and there isn*t a bit of scripture that weakness of the human in these says otherwise; and in order to attempt words: to find such, we are merely “wresting “But I keep under my body, the scriptures” to our own hurt. We and bring it into subjection: know there are scriptures that say, “ye lest that by any means, when I are not your own,” “ye are bought with have preached to others, I my- a price.” These are made to say that self should be a castaway” I we have lost our agency, which very Corinthians 9:27. idea in itself would put us above God, because He exercises agency, and we So while we, having the baptisms of are to be like Him. the water and the Spirit which is in-

-9- -10- THE LAYING ON OF HANDS THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

There is perhaps no more intriguing them Peter and John: Who, topic in the whole when they were come down, than this that deals with the Holy prayed for them, that they Ghost and its operation. We could might receive the Holy write indefinitely, but in this paper we Ghost:… Then laid they their wish to consider briefly the title of this hands on them, and they re- tract, and its connection with this sub- ceived the Holy Ghost. And ject. when Simon (one of the con- verts,B.C.F.)sawthat THE LAYING ON OF HANDS through laying on of the apos- AND THE HOLY GHOST tles* hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, n the 8th chapter of the Acts of the Saying, Give me also this IApostles we read a wonderful story power, that on whomsoever I of a large group of people being con- lay hands, he may receive the verted to Christ. A certain Evangelist Holy Ghost” Acts 8:14-15, named Philip, we are told, went down 17-19. to the city of Samaria and “preached Christ unto them.” It also says that be- Oh, says someone, I know lots of cause of this there was “great joy in people who have received the Holy that city.” It further says that when the Ghost without the laying on of hands. people believed the things Philip Perhaps so, but we are also told in the preached, “concerning the kingdom of Bible that there are “many spirits gone God and the name of Jesus Christ, they out into the world and that we shall try were baptized both men and women.” the spirits.” So since the laying on of This is interesting because it shows hands is indicated in the preaching of what followed the preaching of the apostles as a result of their com- “Christ,” in that day. mission from Christ as being THE RULE whereby this gift may be ob- However, here is something else in tained, I would prefer not to take any this same story: chances with a substitute, or by “try- “Now when the apostles ing” to get it in some other way, than * which were at Jerusalem heard that given of Christ. I don t want to be that Samaria had received the classed as a “thief and a robber” for word of God, they sent unto “trying” to climb up some other way. -11- -12- THE LAYING ON OF HANDS THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

However, we are not all through In this story there are some very in- with scriptural texts on this question. teresting sidelights. First, how came Over in the 19th chapter of the Acts of these people to be baptized, as they the Apostles we find another story supposed, by “John*s baptism?” Who similar to the one about Philip and the was it that had done the work? Did he Apostles Peter and John at Samaria. have authority to baptize? If he did, This time it is the Apostle Paul who is why did Paul baptize them again? doing missionary work. He came to Was this a re-baptism? Or had they Ephesus and there he found certain merely gone through the form, and a disciples, and he asks the question, “new birth” had failed to materialize? This last statement we believe gives “…Have ye received the the clue to the whole thing. If they had Holy Ghost since ye believed? been baptized by proper authority, And they said unto him, We they WOULD HAVE received the have not so much as heard birth of the water and the Spirit, and whether there be any Holy there would have been none of the Ghost. And he said unto them, questions asked by Paul. So since they Unto what then were ye bap- hadn*t even “heard whether there be tized? And they said, Unto any Holy Ghost” they had never been John*s baptism. Then said really baptized at all, because a mere Paul, John verily baptized going into the water and coming out with the baptism of repen- again does not necessarily constitute a tance, saying unto the people, birth of the water, and immediately that they should believe on raises the question of authority. him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. It is easy to solve this by reading a When they heard this, they story of the 18th chapter which just were baptized in the name of precedes the above story. Here we the Lord Jesus. And when learn that a certain Jew of Alexandria Paul had laid his hands upon in Egypt had heard of the work of John them, the Holy Ghost came on the Baptist, and believed it, for we are them; and they spake with told that he knew “only the baptism of tongues, and prophesied” Acts John.” This man then TOOK IT 19:2-6. UPON HIMSELF to go and do some preaching and baptizing, and so, of

-13- -14- THE LAYING ON OF HANDS THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

course, there were no results; so Paul the baptismal water, we are did NOT rebaptize these converts of disposed for the Holy Spirit Apollos, this Alexandrian Jew; he under the hands of the angel of simply BAPTIZED them, and then the church” De Bapt. Chapter two disciples who DID understand the 8. whole thing properly took this man Mosheim: Apollos and “expounded unto him the way of the Lord more perfectly.” See “After baptism they by Acts 18:24-26. and the laying on of hands were solemnly recom- We feel that this is sufficient scrip- mended to the mercy of God, ture to establish the truth of the posi- and dedicated to his service” tion we are taking. Wewill introduce a First Century, part 2, chapter few statements from the Bible com- 4, verse 13. mentators. Matthew Henry*s Commentary: Tertullian, A. D. 200: “Af- ter baptism, the hands are im- “Paul solemnly prayed to posed by , and calling God to give them those gifts and inviting the Holy Spirit, signified by the laying on of who willingly descends from his hands upon them, which the Father on the bodies that was a gesture used in blessing are cleansed and blessed” De by the patriarchs, especially in Bapt. Chapter 6. conveying the great trust of promise as in Genesis 43:14. Further on, upon this, in chapter 8, The Spirit being the great he says: promise of the New Testa- “It is the fleshy or outward ment, the apostles conveyed it act of baptism that we are by the imposition of hands” dipped in water; the spiritual Vol. 3, page 858. effect that we are freed from Cyprian, a writer of the third cen- our sins. Then follows laying tury, says: on of the hands, the dispenser inviting the Spirit of God by “Our practice is that those prayer, and being cleansed by who have been baptized in the

-15- -16- THE LAYING ON OF HANDS THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

church should be presented… Spirit by measure unto him” that by prayer and the imposi- John 3:34. tion of hands they may receive This should give us a very good the Holy Ghost” Epistle 73. clue as to who are the ones exercising Mosheim and Gahan, church histo- proper authority. It is he that rians, say that the laying on of hands “speaketh the words of God.” Can a for and reception of the man, even though a , be sent Holy Ghost was practiced in the third of God who will tell you that ANY of century (Gahan*s Church History, the ordinances of the gospel taught by page 93). Christ or His apostles are of no value, but are mere carnal ordinances? And Others testifying along this same there are in the world today approxi- line are Martin Luther, Chrysostom, mately fifteen hundred so-called Augustine, and Eusebius Pamphillius. Christian sects, each one telling a dif- However, before we leave this part ferent story. ALLmay he wrong, but it of the subject we would like to notice a is evident that ONLY ONE can be little more in detail the matter of au- right, because, “he that is sent of God thority to minister in any of these ordi- speaketh the words of God.” Who will nances of the gospel. We have noted contend that God is then the author of that Paul refused to recognize the au- this religious confusion? Added to thority of Apollos to baptize. We will this, such a position would charge God discuss this matter along the lines of with being more lax than man, be- what constitutes proper AUTHOR- cause man is very insistent on the mat- ITY; Paul says: ter of authority in his affairs. For instance, this country is made up of “And no man taketh this citizenry from all of the countries of honour unto himself, but he the world. How do they become citi- that is called of God, as was zens of this country? Why, by becom- Aaron” Hebrews 5:4. ing naturalized, as we call it. They also says: must go before the PROPER AU- THORITY, someone AUTHORIZED “For he whom God hath by our government to induct them ac- sent speaketh the words of cording to the rule. It would be ridicu- God: for God giveth not the lous for any one to take the position

-17- -18- THE LAYING ON OF HANDS THE LAYING ON OF HANDS that just anyone who felt an urge to second coming there would be such preach would thus be clothed with au- religious confusion as we see every- thority to go out and pretend to repre- where about us today. In the time of sent God and officiate in the Christ and the apostles there were ordinances of His Gospel. marvelous spiritual gifts (as promised by Christ in His last commission to No wonder Jesus issued the warn- His apostles) enjoyed in the Church of ing: Christ. Nine such gifts given by the “But in vain they do wor- Holy Ghost are mentioned in the 12th ship me, teaching for doctrines chapter of I Corinthians. They are the commandments of men” Faith, Wisdom, Knowledge, , Matthew 15:9. Healings, Tongues, Prophecy, Inter- pretation of Tongues, and Discerning Or where He prophesies about His of Spirits; and it says that all of these coming and the end of the world: came by the Holy Ghost, and accord- “For many shall come in my ing to the rule, that was received name, saying, I am Christ; and through the Laying on of Hands by shall deceive many” Matthew those who had authority. 24:5. Other uses for the Laying on of The only logical conclusion to be Hands: drawn from this is that every man, re- Blessing of Children. gardless of his church affiliation, who Healing of the Sick. comes to us in the name of Christ, tell- Ordaining of the ministry. ing us that Jesus is the Christ, yet tell- ing us that we can be saved by ANY First, The Blessing of Children: OTHER MEANS than the simple plan “Then were there brought of salvation as given by Christ Him- unto him little children, that he self, with all of its ordinances, is a de- should put his hands on them, ceiver. That man certainly has no and pray: and the disciples re- authority to officiate in the ordinances buked them. But Jesus said, of the gospel. Is it any wonder that Suffer little children, and for- God promised to restore the gospel in bid them not, to come unto me: the latter days by sending an angel for of such is the kingdom of with it. He knew that at the time of His

-19- -20- THE LAYING ON OF HANDS THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

heaven. And he laid his hands Healing of the Sick: on them, and departed thence” “Is any sick among you? let Matthew 19:13-15. him call for the elders of the In this we see that Jesus did not church; and let them pray over sprinkle water on them and call it bap- him, him with oil in tism as it is done today by some of the name of the Lord: And the these unauthorized ministers; and in prayer of faith shall save the this position we are supported again sick, and the Lord shall raise by the commentators: him up…” James 5:14-15. Poole*s Continuators: Now while the “laying on of hands” is not specifically mentioned in this “We must take heed that we text, we learn that it was the rule from do not found infant baptism other texts: upon the example of Christ in his text, for it is certain He did “And he could there do no not baptize these children. mighty work, save that he laid Mark also saith ‘He took them his hands upon a few sick folk, up in his arms, laid his hands and healed them” Mark 6:5. on them and blessed them*” Also: Annotation on the place, in Matthew 19:14. “And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of Taylor: a fever and of a bloody flux: to “From the action of Christ*s whom Paul entered in, and blessing children, to infer they prayed, and laid his hands on are to be baptized, proves him, and healed him” Acts nothing so much, as that there 28:8. is a want of better arguments; to the Ministry: Christ blessed infants, and so dismissed them, but baptized “Now there were in the them not; therefore, infants are church that was at Antioch not to be baptized:” Liberty of certain prophets and teachers; Prophecy, page 230. as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius

-21- -22- THE LAYING ON OF HANDS

of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Bar- nabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away” Acts 13:1-3. Again: “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presby- tery” I Timothy 4:14. Thus we see that the principle of the laying on of hands is as vital to full obedience to the gospel as is that of any other of the principles of the doc- trine of Christ. ALL MUST be given their proper prominence, else we will surely suffer the consequences of hav- ing ignored the law of Christ.

-23-