Laying On of Hands: Why Study It? - GraceLife Church of Pineville

Introduction

Now for the weird one.

That’s a reference to this sermon topic, not the preacher.

If you haven’t been following our Oracles of God series, you might wonder why we’re talking about laying on of hands. And even if you have been following along, laying on of hands may seem out of place among the other topics in this larger sermon series.

Most recently, we studied baptisms; before that, we studied repentance from dead works and faith toward God. All four of these principles—along with resurrection from the dead and eternal judgment—are among the six foundational, “elementary principles of the oracles of God” mentioned in the book of Hebrews:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. … Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. (Hebrews 5:12; 6:1–2)

Why does laying on of hands make this list? Everything else makes sense: Repentance, faith, baptism, resurrection, and judgment—they all sound theological and important. Laying on of hands might seem like the lightweight among the six.

Why study laying on of hands? Interest in the other five oracles seems reasonable. People tend to want to study more about eternal judgment and “last things,” or the mysteries of the resurrection, or debates over repentance and faith. And there was even a measure of interest in our series on baptisms, especially as we saw that there are multiple sorts of baptism in the Bible.

So, again, why study the laying on of hands?

Well, why study anything? Or to ask an even more philosophical question: Why study?

The short answer is because you are a human being with a rational soul; this distinguishes you from animals. To exercise the mind, especially to exercise the mind Godward, honors both yourself and your Creator.

You are a human being with a rational soul … To exercise the mind, especially to exercise the mind Godward, honors both yourself and your Creator.

You probably already buy into that explanation on some level since you’re paying attention to this sermon. You’re studying already. (If you’re seeking mere inspiration or entertainment, look elsewhere.)

Why Study Anything?

You can study for a variety of reasons.¹ One reason is that you enjoy the topic—you’re interested in it. Thankfully, we’re all interested in different things. Enjoyment of a topic is a good enough reason to study something.

However, not enjoying or not being interested in a topic isn’t a good enough reason to avoid it. Imagine a construction worker who enjoys studying aspects of construction, but because of his lack of interest in soil science, he avoids any consideration of where he builds. (I’m pretty sure there’s a biblical example of that.)

Perhaps we can sum up all the other reasons to study a topic with this: Because it has some measure of importance. A topic is important if:

Learning about it helps us avoid pain or displeasure (i.e., helps us maintain our enjoyment, our interests).
It’s a prerequisite to something else (i.e., without knowing something about this topic, I can’t move on to the next topic that I may be even more interested in).
It’s recommended by an authoritative source (and told you “You need to understand this”).

We see an example of those reasons in the second and third bullet points in Hebrews, where the author begins to talk about Melchizedek. He then stops and says, in effect, “I have a lot to say about this, but I can’t yet because you don’t understand these other foundational things that are prerequisites for understanding deeper things.”

To summarize, if we’re asking ourselves whether something’s worth studying, we can ask:

Does it help me avoid pain?
Is it a prerequisite?
Is it recommended by an authoritative source?

Are the Elementary Principles Worth Studying?

Let’s look at how these three questions line up with what we know about the six elementary principles mentioned in Hebrews.

Concerning him [Melchizedek] we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity … (Hebrews 5:11–6:1)

The passage goes on to list the six elementary principles. Notice the three motivation-to-study questions are answered. Studying the elementary principles:

Helps us avoid pain by avoiding becoming “dull of hearing” (Hebrews 5:11). This isn’t just a painful insult to the readers; the process of living in a state of being dull of hearing is painful (whether you’re aware of it or not). It’s less enjoyable than the alternative—being sharp of mind, loving the Lord with all our souls and minds.
Helps us avoid the pain that comes from being trapped by evil; instead, we can have our “senses trained to discern good and evil” (5:14).
Is a prerequisite—a necessity on the path to Christian maturity (6:1).
Is authoritative because it’s in Scripture. Anything and everything in Scripture is worthy of some consideration. Someone should take seriously even the long lists of names in the Old Testament—they’re part of the Word of God. That doesn’t mean we give every part of Scripture equal time in our studies; even the writer of Hebrews says there’s a time to move on to some other things. But every part of the Bible is worth studying to some extent.

In Hebrews 6:1–2, we have an authoritative list, a foundational list, of things that should be known, studied. And the fact is, laying on of hands makes the list. So we’re back to the original question: Why study the laying on of hands?

Why Is Laying on of Hands Foundational?

The question of why to study the laying on of hands is really a question of Why is this an elementary principle?

There’s some disagreement over why it makes the list. One commentator writes, “The reference is so brief and general that it is impossible to be certain [about the emphasized association of laying of hands].”² In other words, he’s not sure why it makes the list and he’s not sure if we need to be sure why it makes the list.

My take is this: Contextually speaking, consider that the audience (Hebrews) was tempted to abandon the Christian faith in favor of returning to Old Covenant practices. So the general reason why laying on of hands was included was because there was great confusion over the role of rituals and the nature of faith; included in that confusion was a lack of clarity over the role of authority as it relates to ritual and faith. That’s why the first three elementary principles are what they are. The author mentions repentance from dead works and faith toward God; then we get into instructions and teachings about baptisms and laying on of hands—both of which involve authority, ritual, and faith.

The general reason why laying on of hands was included was because there was great confusion over the role of rituals and the nature of faith; included in that confusion was a lack of clarity over the role of authority as it relates to ritual and faith.

Interaction Between the Physical and Spiritual

All six of the oracles wrestle with the mystery of the interaction of the physical and spiritual. And underneath all of this is a need for clarity regarding the interaction of the physical and the spiritual as it relates to doctrine and worship—or even as it relates to that divide discussed in the previous sermon between doctrine, discipleship, and deliverance.

All six of the oracles wrestle with the mystery of the interaction of the physical and spiritual.

Pretend you’re sitting and listening to this sermon being preached. I stop and say, “Let’s pray.” What’s your reaction? (What do you do?) Most people will immediately bow their heads. Why? Because we believe in some meaningful interaction of the physical and the spiritual.

For the elementary principles, there is a general need to understand whatever the greater spiritual significance is of studying this physical subject. No physical ritual that we engage in as Christians is merely physical. Whether it’s bowing for prayer, eating and drinking at the Lord’s Supper, or being baptized, all of these physical activities point to some spiritual truth about God.

No physical ritual that we engage in as Christians is merely physical. … [It] point[s] to some spiritual truth.

3 Reasons to Study Laying on of Hands

Here are three key reasons for knowing something about the laying on of hands. Specifically, it will help you:

To understand authority and rule within the church
To understand church history
To understand the substitution

I will discuss these ideas in a general sense in this sermon and some of them more specifically in future sermons. But as we progress in our study of laying on of hands, I don’t want you to lose the why.

Don’t dismiss the first two ideas in particular—“authority, rules, regulations, church history … meh.” Some may issue a curt dismissal of interest in these two subjects, revealing some measure of either hypocrisy or hedonism: (1) Hypocrisy because you have to have some measure of interest in church history because you are participating in it (by watching/reading this sermon, by showing up to church, etc.). (2) Hedonism because you’re willing to participate in church history on some level, but if you do so without regard to authority and rule, you’re just subject to whatever authority and rule you deem pleasurable in the moment (and that’s dangerous for the whole church, including you).

Most importantly, don’t dismiss—or rather, don’t leave without understanding—the third idea: substitution. If you don’t know what the substitution is, that’s exactly why we’re studying it. If you do know what I mean by it, my goal is for you to gain depth of understanding and, in doing so, increase your capacity to worship.

Again, don’t lose the why of this series. As we look at different occasions for laying on of hands, the three key reasons for studying it will provide the why. As we study, don’t grow dull in hearing like the audience of Hebrews, and you will gain a larger understanding of this physical ritual. You will, in turn, better know who Christ is, who you are in Christ, and who you are in Christ’s church.

Don’t grow dull in hearing like the audience of Hebrews … [and] you will … better know who Christ is, who you are in Christ, and who you are in Christ’s church.

Of the three key reasons for studying laying on of hands—all of which are separate ideas—the first two deal with the church (authority and rule, church history) and are very much interconnected. Here’s a summary statement that clarifies our goal for understanding both church history as well as authority and rule within the church: The goal is to understand the purposes and actions of God in the:

Establishment of the church;
Expansion of the church; and
Endurance of the church.

God has built a church and grown His church, and through His faithfulness, He will sustain the church.

An Understanding of Authority and Rule within the Church

We’ve looked at the Great Commission at the end of Matthew’s Gospel in connection with baptisms. Let’s look at it now in the context of understanding authority and rule within the church:

But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16–20)

We see here the themes of establishment, expansion, and endurance of the church:

“Go and make disciples”: establish the church.
How many disciples? “Disciples of all nations”: expand the church.
How long will the church last? “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”: the church will endure.

Establishment, expansion, endurance … but what about the business of authority? Whose is the authority? It’s Christ’s. And in His authority on heaven and earth, He authorizes the apostles to begin the work of the church. All of this in Matthew 28 occurs at the end of Jesus’s time on earth. He’s about to ascend back to the Father. But in another book of the Bible (Acts), we get an inside look at some of the things that happened between Jesus’s resurrection and ascension.³

Luke tells us more details about this period of time than Matthew. Right off the bat in Acts 1, he says he’s writing this second letter—like his first one (which we know as the Gospel of Luke)—to Theophilus:

The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1–3)

According to Luke, there was a 40-day period of Jesus instructing and ordering the apostles about what they should be doing in regard to the church. He goes on in verses 6–8 to say:

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

In these verses from Matthew 28 and Acts 1, we see authority in heaven that rests with the Father (Acts 1:7). We also see authority in heaven and on earth that has been given to the Son, Jesus (Matthew 28:18). Furthermore, at the end of Jesus’s time on earth, when He’s about to ascend to the Father, He says there’s going to be power from heaven that will spread across the earth as the disciples (referred to as “apostles and prophets” throughout the New Testament) baptize (Acts 1:8). This power (authority) that will come on the disciples will come from the Holy Spirit.

An Understanding of Church History

When I say that laying on of hands will help our understanding of church history, I’m referring to church history specifically in the book of Acts. If you take any class on church history or read any book on church history, you’ll likely spend little more than a week on Acts before you quickly move on to all that unfolds after the apostles are all dead—the so-called Church Fathers, councils and rulers and schisms and debates. Is it interesting? Sure. Is it authoritative? Hardly.

When we talk about laying on of hands to understand church history, I am specifically pointing to the establishment and expansion of the church in Acts.⁴ Let’s look at a couple of instances of this.

Acts 8:9–24—which we examined when studying baptisms—says:

Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.” But Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

This passage references all of the first four elementary principles from Hebrews: repentance from dead works (which Simon was in need of; 8:22), faith toward God (he and others “believed”; 8:12, 13); baptism (8:12, 13, 16); and laying on of hands (8:17–19).

Notice, too, the mention of the Holy Spirit. How is He received?

Is it by prayer? That seems to be what verse 15 suggests: “… prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.” But did the Spirit then immediately fall on them as in other places in Scripture? No. He seems to come by the laying on of hands, according to verse 17: “then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.”

Who was doing the laying on of hands? Philip was preaching the message, and it seems as though the apostles were laying their hands on the Samaritans (verse 18). This invites the question, was this practice only for the Samaritans? In Acts 2, before the church expanded to include the Samaritans, we didn’t see laying on of hands; there, the Spirit just came straight from heaven.

Let’s take a look at some more examples.

Here’s one from Acts 9:

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened. (Acts 9:10–19a, emphasis added)

In this passage, we see the Holy Spirit being given to Paul, a Jew, via the laying on of hands by Ananias; Ananias was not among the Twelve but was someone you could claim had apostolic or prophetic status.

Another example (which we also looked at in the context of studying baptisms):

It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. There were in all about twelve men. (Acts 19:1–7, emphasis added)

One more, short example:

God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. (Acts 19:11–12)

What a strange interaction between the physical and the spiritual! What is going on here and in the other examples?

Our tendency with Acts 19 is to focus on verse 12 (how handkerchiefs or aprons were carried from Paul, and people were healed if they touched them). Some ministries even trade on this sort of thing—“For a small donation, we’ll send you this handkerchief!” Although verse 12 is fascinating, everything in the passage is built on verse 11: “God was performing extraordinary miracles” (by the hands of Paul).

Imagine you live in the first century AD, you fear God, and you desire to know His truth, to submit to His authority, to live according to His plans. You’re trying to figure this whole thing out. You know there are disciples of Jesus who claim to have seen Jesus alive, but they themselves are a mixture of worship and doubt. There are reports of an event in Jerusalem of the Holy Spirit of God descending upon the crowds so that their language was understood by all even though they spoke different languages.

Then you hear that this evangelist named Philip is preaching to the Samaritans, and there are all these miracles happening, but there is no Holy Spirit until the apostles arrive on the scene and pray and lay on their hands.

Then you hear that the chief enemy of the church gets blinded by a light from heaven, and while none of the 12 apostles show up for this event, there’s a guy named Ananias who’s told to go lay hands on Saul to heal him from blindness and give him the Holy Spirit. That man, Ananias, is hearing directly from Jesus; Ananias is saying back to Jesus, “Lord, don’t you know what sort of authority this man Saul has?” And God says, “I do; he is My instrument. And I’m going to use him—of My own authority—to take the gospel to the remotest part of the world.”

And then you hear that the Gentiles—some ranked ones—have received the Holy Spirit straight from heaven with no laying on of hands by apostles or water baptism involved. Not only are you shocked to hear about this, but you hear that Peter, who some might call the chief apostle, didn’t even see all this coming. It surprised him that even the Gentiles heard the good news and believed in Jesus.⁵

Then, you hear that the former terrorist (of the church) named Saul (a.k.a. Paul) is now claiming to be an apostle of sorts. This apostle Paul has encountered this group of people who are believers, but he doesn’t even know if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. And they don’t even know there is a Holy Spirit, so they get baptized in water, but Paul has to lay hands on them for them to receive the Holy Spirit.

The Questions These Examples Raise, Then and Now

So here you are, first century God-fearer, seeking the Lord, and you want to answer some questions for yourself:

What is the standard expectation for an encounter with God?
What is the normative, authoritative, genuine experience of the Christian?
Who can tell us?

That’s not just a first-century problem. The church throughout the ages has wrestled with these questions. We wrestle with them today. It’s why we’re studying the laying on of hands—to answer questions like:

What does it take to be a Christian?
Are physical acts necessary to create or to prove my spiritual actuality?
Is my spiritual authenticity granted by another spiritual authority?
Who has authority in the church?
Who has authority to speak and act on behalf of God?
How much do the authorities themselves even understand of what’s going on?
If they have authority, how much is their authority limited? Is it limited in scope? By geography? By time?
How do they get their authority in the first place? Is it granted by proper lineage? By public office?

We study laying on of hands so we can better understand the history of the church and the authority and rule within the church. I didn’t say “completely understand.” There are some debatable matters here. But a better understanding will allow us to establish some principles where they can be established and avoid unnecessary confusion.

We can at least say this: We see the laying on of hands in Acts by different people, for different reasons, with different results. So we should exercise some caution when it comes to drawing conclusions.

We see the laying on of hands in Acts by different people, for different reasons, with different results. So we should exercise some caution when it comes to drawing conclusions.

To recognize authority and power where they do not exist, or to deny authority and power where they do exist, is perhaps the fundamental failure in understanding our relationship to God and our relationship to one another. Indeed, this problem is the fundamental failure we’ve had since the Garden of Eden.⁶

To recognize authority and power where they do not exist, or to deny authority and power where they do exist, is perhaps the fundamental failure in understanding our relationship to God and … to one another.

If you think laying on of hands is strange in the New Testament, it’s at least a lot cleaner than what we see in the Old Testament. And here is where we address the last of our key understandings.

An Understanding of Substitution

We’ve talked about church history and authority and rule, and there is no church without the doctrine of substitution. This is the third area of understanding that we’ll gain from studying laying on of hands.

We’re going to look at two contrasting passages, one in the Old Testament book of Leviticus (chapter 4) and one in the New Testament of Hebrews (chapter 10).

Here is the passage in Leviticus:

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord a bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the Lord, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slay the bull before the Lord. Then the anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before the Lord in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. He shall remove from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys (just as it is removed from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings), and the priest is to offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering. But the hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head and its legs and its entrails and its refuse, that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to a clean place outside the camp where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and they commit any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty; when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a bull of the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting. Then the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be slain before the Lord.’” (Leviticus 4:1–15, emphasis added)

Contrast the above passage with what we see in Hebrews:

He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us … (Hebrews 10:9b–15)

The offering in Hebrews 10 is an offering not of bulls but of the body of Christ. It’s an offering that is once for all. By one offering, He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

It is the One who is seated at the right hand of God whose is the authority and the rule in the church. He is the One who authors its history. And He is the One who has rewritten yours—because He has removed your name from the pages that called for blood. God substituted Himself into the story.

He has removed your name from the pages that called for blood. God substituted Himself into the story. … He continues to substitute His name for yours.

Having defeated the power of this world by His own blood, He continues to substitute His name for yours. For you are raised up with Him, seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

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