Doctrine of the Present: Functioning with Christ’s Authority
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Remember, we are studying about the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ. The Hebrew christians were not maturing to where they needed to be. The main reason for this is because they simply were lazy when it comes to the scriptures. The author mention a progression of principles that we must accept as foundational before we can go on to maturity.
Hebrews 6:1–2 (KJV 1900)
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
He begins with Repentance from dead works and faith toward God. This is the past work of Christ in the believer. This has to do with Justification, Redemption, and the relationship of Christ toward the Sinner.
We are now studying the Present work of Christ, baptisms and the laying on of hands. This has to do with the relationship of Christ toward Saints, Sanctification.
Once you have repented from your dead works, recognition that you can’t be saved by the law.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Then, you have faith toward God. Since you cannot saved yourself, you have to accept the gift of grace that Christ obtained through His death on the cross of Calvary.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Upon this confession of faith, That Christ was sinless but died in your place was buried and rose again on the third day shall be saved.
Immediately upon that salvation, you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, another gift of grace from Jesus Christ.
During this Sanctification process, our first act of identification is the act of Baptism. You have already been washed of the Spirit but because of the baptism of the Holy Spirit happened as a one time event that was not to the individual believer but corporately upon the local New Testament Church. This identification identifies and submits to the authority of the New Testament church that was given the commission to make disciples, by sharing the gospel, baptizing, and instructing them in righteousness.
This brings us to the next process of Sanctification and deals with the Functioning with Christ’s Authority and Blessings.
This comes with the Laying on the hands.
The Laying on of the hands is a way that we can physically express a spiritual connection.
When a person put their hands on another person or group of people as part of a blessing or a prayer.
The Bible does not give rules and regulations for when Christians should lay on hands.
Understanding this important gesture can create closer bonds in the church among believers, and strengthen an individual’s relationship with the Holy Spirit.
So, what exactly is the laying on of hands?
The laying on of hands is a physical act which communicates something of spiritual significance. Outward expression of a spiritual event or movement.
It visually reveals as a transfer of something invisible, such as a blessing or an affirmation.
However, I also want to mention, when looking at the topic of laying on hands in both Old Testament and New Testament you will find that there was the laying of hands for the purpose of harm or seizure.
Genesis 22:12 (KJV 1900)
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
Genesis 37:22 (KJV 1900)
22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.
Nehemiah 13:21 (KJV 1900)
21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.
In the New Testament we see this related to the scribes and priests seeking to arrest Jesus, Luke 20:19; 21:12; 22:53),
Luke 20:19 (KJV 1900)
19 And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.
Luke 21:12 (KJV 1900)
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
This is not the meaning of laying on of hands in Hebrews 6:2
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
So, now that we understand this, lets look at the meaning of laying on of hands found in the Word of God.
We will begin in the Old Testament.
Laying on of Hands in the Old Testament
Laying on of Hands in the Old Testament
Before Jesus Christ became flesh and dwelt among us - there were two common moments where there is a laying of hands.
The first situation, where one person lays hands on another, is when blessings or curses are being conferred.
General Laying on of Hands
General Laying on of Hands
General Blessing
General Blessing
Father blesses their children.
Genesis 48:14–19 (KJV 1900)
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
Sometimes when hands were laid upon someone it was a curse.
General Cursing
General Cursing
Leviticus 24:14–15 (KJV 1900)
14 Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.
When people blasphemed the name of God in the days of the tabernacle and religious law among the Hebrew people, that person was executed, but also experienced a laying of hands where the individual who committed blasphemy had hands laid on him so he would bear the curse he invoked.
Instead of being forgiven, the person has to bear the weight of their own sin.
Other times, there was a laying of hands in
Ceremonially Laying on of Hands
Ceremonially Laying on of Hands
This was done in to ways.
Ceremonially on an nimal.
Ceremonially on an nimal.
To transfer the sin of the people onto that animal.
Every sin offering put forth in the Book of Leviticus commands that hands be laid on the animal to demonstrate how the sins of the individual or the people are being places on the animal, whose blood will atone for those sins.
Leviticus 1:3–4 (KJV 1900)
3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.
4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
Leviticus 3:1–2 (KJV 1900)
1 And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord.
2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
Ceremonially on People.
Ceremonially on People.
The duly appointed priests “lay hands” on a sacrifice to ceremonially place God’s righteous curse on the animal, instead of on the sinful people. For instance, on the Day of Atonement, the climactic day of the Jewish year, the high priest
Leviticus 16:20–22 (KJV 1900)
20 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
This special (or ceremonial) laying on of hands is likely what Hebrews 6:1 refers to when mentioning six teachings, among others, in the first covenant (“the elementary doctrine of Christ”) that prepared God’s people for the new covenant: “repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” (Hebrews 6:1–2).
While the majority of Old-Testament mentions involve priests and first-covenant ceremonies (passing the curse to the substitute), two texts in particular (both in Numbers) anticipate how “the laying on of hands” would come to be used in the church age (passing a blessing to a formally recognized leader).
Authoritative Laying of of Hands
Authoritative Laying of of Hands
In Numbers 8:10
Numbers 8:10 (KJV 1900)
10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:
God’s people lay their hands on the priests to officially commission them as their representatives before God,
and in Numbers 27:18
Numbers 27:18 (KJV 1900)
18 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;
God instructs Moses to lay his hands on Joshua to commission him formally as the new leader of the nation.
This act distinguished the Levites and Joshua as the leaders, separating them for God’s purposes.
Laying on of Hands in the New Testament Gospels and Acts
Laying on of Hands in the New Testament Gospels and Acts
When we come to the Gospels and Acts, we find a noticeable shift in the typical use of “the laying on of hands.”
We now have the Son of God himself among us, we find a new positive use of the phrase, as Jesus lays his hands on people to heal and to bless.
Jesus to Heal and Bless
Jesus to Heal and Bless
Jesus’s most common practice in healing is touch, often described as “laying his hands on” the one to be healed (Matthew 9:18; Mark 5:23; 6:5; 7:32; 8:22–25; Luke 13:13).
Matthew 9:18 (KJV 1900)
18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
Mark 6:5 (KJV 1900)
5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
Mark 8:22–25 (KJV 1900)
22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Jesus also “lays his hands” on the little children who come to him, to bless them (Matthew 19:13–15; Mark 10:16).
Matthew 19:13–15 (KJV 1900)
13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
Mark 10:16 (KJV 1900)
16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
Acts to Heal and Authorize
Acts to Heal and Authorize
In Acts, once Jesus has ascended into heaven, his apostles (in effect) become his hands. Now they, like their Lord, heal with touch.
Ananias “lays his hands” on Paul, three days after the Damascus road encounter, to restore his sight (Acts 9:12, 17).
Acts 9:12 (KJV 1900)
12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
Acts 9:17 (KJV 1900)
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
And Paul’s hands, in turn, become channels of extraordinary miracles (Acts 14:3; 19:11),
Acts 14:3 (KJV 1900)
3 Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
Acts 19:11 (KJV 1900)
11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
including the laying of his hands on a sick man on Malta to heal him (Acts 28:8).
Acts 28:8 (KJV 1900)
8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
What’s new in the Gospels is Jesus’s healing through “the laying on of hands,” but what’s new in Acts is the giving and receiving of the Holy Spirit through “the laying on of hands.”
As the gospel makes progress from Jerusalem and Judea, to Samaria, and then beyond, to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), God is pleased to use the apostles’ laying on of hands as a visible marker and means of the coming of the Spirit among new people and places — first in Samaria (Acts 8:17) and then beyond, in Ephesus (Acts 19:6).
Acts 8:14–17 (KJV 1900)
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
At Ephesus
Acts 19:6 (KJV 1900)
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
This had to do with the signs of the authority of the Great Commission given to the Church and the Christ given Authority to the Apostles.
Laying on of Hands In the Church Today
Laying on of Hands In the Church Today
Finally, in the New Testament Epistles, as we begin to see what is normative in the church today, we find two remaining uses from Acts which echo the two mentions above in Numbers (Acts 8:10 and Acts 27:18), and set the course for Paul’s references in 1 and 2 Timothy.
Numbers 27:18 (KJV 1900)
18 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;
In Acts 6:6, when the church has chosen seven men to serve as official assistants to the apostles,
Acts 6:6 (KJV 1900)
6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
Here again, as in Numbers, we find a kind of commissioning ceremony.
Commissioning as Ceremony
Commissioning as Ceremony
The visible sign of the laying on of hands publicly marks the beginning of a new formal ministry for these seven, recognizing them before the people and asking for God’s blessing on their labors.
So also, when the church responds to the Spirit’s directive,
Acts 13:2–3 (KJV 1900)
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Like Acts 6:6, this is a formal commission performed in public, with the collective request for God’s blessing on it.
In 1 Timothy 4:14, Paul charges Timothy, his official delegate in Ephesus,
1 Timothy 4:14 (KJV 1900)
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
For our purposes here, the point is not precisely what gift Timothy received (though both the previous and following verses mention teaching), but how the elders commissioned him into his formal role. Timothy was sent off for this specific assignment with the public recognition of the recognized leaders — not only by their words, but through the visible, tangible, memorable laying on of their hands. This public ceremony may be what Paul refers to in 2 Timothy 1:6 when he mentions a gift of God in Timothy
2 Timothy 1:6 (KJV 1900)
6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
The last key text, and perhaps most instructive, is also in 1 Timothy. Again Paul writes,
1 Timothy 5:22 (KJV 1900)
22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.
Now the subject is not Timothy’s own commissioning, but his part in commissioning others.
Commissioning of Authority
Commissioning of Authority
The charge from Paul comes in a section about elders, honoring the good and disciplining the bad (1 Timothy 5:17–25).
When leaders like Paul, Timothy, and others in the church formally lay their hands on someone for a particular new ministry calling, they put their seal of approval on the candidate and share, in some sense, in the fruitfulness and failures to come.
Laying on of hands, then, is the opposite of washing one’s hands like Pilate did. When the elders lay their hands on a candidate for ministry, they both
Commission him to a particular role of service and they Commend him to those among whom he will serve.
The laying on of hands asks for blessing on forthcoming ministry. In 1 Timothy 5:22 publicly commends the candidate to the church for an official ministry.
Laying on hands sets apart a qualified leader for specific ministry and signals fitness to bless others.
Laying on of hands, then — like anointing or fasting or other external rituals for the church — is not magic and does not, as some claim, automatically confer grace.
Like baptism or washings, the laying on of hands is a kind of inaugural sign and ceremony, an initiating rite — a way of making an invisible reality visible, public, and memorable, both for the candidate and for the congregation, and then through the candidate and congregation to the world.
It serves as a means of grace to the candidate in affirming God’s call through the church and in providing a tangible, physical moment to remember when ministry gets hard.
It’s also a means of God’s grace to the commissioning leaders, who extend and expand their heart and work through a faithful candidate. And it’s a means of God’s grace to the congregation, and beyond, in clarifying who are the official leaders to whom they will seek to submit to (Hebrews 13:7, 17).
7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
And in it all, the giver and blesser is God. He extends and expands the ministry of the leaders. He calls, sustains, and makes fruitful the ministry of the candidate. And he enriches, matures, and catalyzes the congregation to love and good works, to minister to each other, and beyond, served by the teaching, wisdom, and faithful leadership of the newly appointed elder, deacon, or missionary.
Building on the foundation of Jesus Christ through the Church, His building, His body, and His bride.
Are you building on His foundation?
Are you functioning under His headship?
Are you engaged to Christ?
Should We Lay Hands on Other Today?
Should We Lay Hands on Other Today?
There is no mandate to lay hands on other believers in the Bible. In fact, the Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy,
22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.
“Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22). It is to be done cautiously, especially for ordination into a position within the church. It is a spiritual affirmation, and one that activates the Holy Spirit, and is a testimony to the entire church body, globally, of this person’s character.
For people who have boundaries and do not feel comfortable being touched or touching people, it is not required, and that caution will prove prudent over the course of their life. In the Bible, Jesus does touch people, and for some people touch is an important part of feeling connection. Ultimately, while it is not required for people to participate in the laying of hands, it is a practice the church should not let fade; it was one of the Savior’s methods of reaching others, and is part of exchanging friendship, blessings, and the affirmation of the church. It is a tradition of the church, not a mandate, but one worth keeping.
The laying of hands can be a powerful moment of love between believers, and should be encouraged among churches, though people who are not comfortable with it are not under obligation to do so. It is the outward expression of greater spiritual truths such as the connection among the church, the power of the Holy Spirit, and anointing.