Category: Laying on of Hands

Basic Doctrines of Christ: The Laying on of Hands – Ordination

 

 

 

 

 

Ordination is the third use or aspect of the laying on of hands. It combines everything we have already learned about this important principle and practice. It is used to identify the ordained person with the ones doing the ordaining, and through the laying on of hands blessings, grace, and gifts are imparted to the person being ordained to enable him or her to fulfill their ministry and commission from God.

Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, 16  “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17  who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” 18  So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19  Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. 20  You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. 21  And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” 22  And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, 23  and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses. Numbers 27:15-23 (ESV)

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. 1 Timothy 4:14 (NASB)

Ordination should always confirm what God has already done or is doing. It is more of a recognition of God’s hand upon a person than it is anything else. That being said, an actual impartation does take place through the laying on of hand in ordination.

Identification also is at work. The ordained one becomes a representative of the one who ordains him or her.

This is why Paul warned Timothy to avoid identifying with people we do not know well.

Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. 1 Timothy 5:22 (NASB)

Damage is done to the gospel and our ministry when we are poorly represented by ordaining people who are not truly called or ready. It is better to wait until we are sure than to hastily ordain someone. It is far easier to ordain than to decommission.

"Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. 15  "Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and present them as a wave offering; 16  for they are wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. Numbers 8:14-16 (NASB)

Identification contains in it the idea of representative service.

The commissioned one serves on behalf of those doing the commissioning. The Levites served the Lord in place of the first born sons. This was God’s choice. In a sense, whatever the Levites did in the way of service was a credit to all the first born. In modern times, when missionaries are sent out by a local church, they represent that local church wherever they go.

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2  While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3  Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Acts 13:1-3 (ESV)

The local church participates through sending and supporting workers whom God has called and commissioned and will share in the reward for their labors.

This is built into the principle of identification. Not everyone is called to go to a foreign mission field, to pastor a church, or to serve as an elder or deacon, but we all share the responsibility for that work and the reward of those whom we commission and ordain.

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Basic Doctrines of Christ: The Laying on of Hands – Impartation

 

 

 

 

 

When hands were laid on the Old Covenant animal sacrifices a transfer or impartation took place symbolically. The sins of the offerer were imparted to the animal, causing the animal to carry or bear those sins and suffer the penalty of death for them. That is what actually  happened at Calvary. The Lamb of God became sin on our behalf. Our sins and the penalty for those transgressions were transferred to the innocent One who had never committed or even known sin before that moment.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

The transfer and carrying of our sins is mentioned in Isaiah 53.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. Isaiah 53:6 (NASB) 

As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11 (NASB)

The physical laying on of hands in the Old Covenant was spiritually fulfilled in the New.

The laying on of hands also imparts blessings. Even in the Old Covenant blessings were imparted in this way.

But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head. So Joseph lifted it to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18  “No, my father,” he said. “This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” 19  But his father refused. “I know, my son; I know,” he replied. “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater. And his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” 20  So Jacob blessed the boys that day with this blessing: “The people of Israel will use your names when they give a blessing. They will say, ‘May God make you as prosperous as Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In this way, Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. Genesis 48:17-20 (NLT)

In the New, Jesus laid his hands on children to bless them.

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. 14  When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 15  I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 16  Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16 (NLT)

He laid hands on the sick to heal them and set them free from demons.

Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41  And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. Luke 4:40-41 (ESV)

We are instructed to do the same.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18  they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:17-18 (ESV) 

It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him. Acts 28:8 (ESV)

The baptism in the Spirit and spiritual gifts are also imparted in this way.

Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:17 (ESV) 

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. 1 Timothy 4:14 (NASB)

God often uses physical touch to communicate spiritual blessings.

We are human beings made up of a spirit, soul, and a body. Each part is important. Obviously God can impart spiritually without the laying on of hands, as when he healed from a distance by simply speaking a word. (Matthew 8:5-13) Nevertheless, God in his wisdom uses the laying on of hands to impart blessings. This why it is a good thing to lay hands on people when we pray for them. Sometimes people feel a tangible “touch” of the Spirit when we do that. Why not give it a try?

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Basic Doctrines of Christ: The Laying on of Hands – Identification

 

 

 

 

 

The laying on of hands is a foundational doctrine of Christ that is not often taught. Since it is listed in Hebrews 6:1-2, we can assume that it is very important. Why then do we have a disconnect between what is important and what is taught? The answer lies in the fact that today many do not understand its meaning or importance. This doctrine can be broken down into three aspects: identification, impartation, and ordination. The three are part of the whole, and each category easily crosses over into the others. I break this doctrine into three sections more for teaching purposes than for any real separation. In that respect, it is similar to the gifts of the Spirit.

Under the Old Covenant, when sacrifices were offered to the Lord, hands were laid on the sacrifice to make an identification between the offerer and the sacrifice. The animal “became” the offerer in a sense. It is probably obvious that impartation is also at work, but I will save that for the next article.

'He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. Leviticus 1:4 (NASB) 

"Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. 22  "The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. Leviticus 16:21-22 (NASB)

The Old Covenant pointed to what Christ would accomplish in the New Covenant. All the old sacrifices pointed to the one Christ would make on our behalf on the cross as God’s Lamb. When Jesus went to the cross, he was identified with our sins and us completely.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

Identification is one of the most important and consequential truths found in the Bible. It is the basis of our salvation.

For those who put their faith and allegiance in Christ the following truths are real and should become our experience. We would do well to meditate on them.

  • When Jesus died, we died. His death to sin defeated the power of sin to rule over us. (Romans 6:14) He paid the price for our sin, and, since we were in him and died with him, we have already paid the ultimate price of death for our sins. There is no double jeopardy. A bill only has to be paid once. That is why the Bible says that  Jesus died “once for all.” (Hebrews 7:27)
  • When Jesus rose from the dead, we rose with him. In John 5:24, Jesus said that those who believe in him have already passed from death to life. This is not mere poetry. It is the truth. Just as we died with him and in him, we also rose with him and in him. (Romans 6:10-11, John 11:25) Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. If we are in him, we are resurrected beings already. We are now alive to God through the new birth, which is another allusion to the newness of life that comes through spiritual resurrection. Obviously, at present, this resurrection is only spiritual. One day it will include our bodies, but for now it is a real resurrection in the spirit. (Colossians 3:1-3)
  • We are united with Christ in the Spirit, and He lives through us. This is the “secret” of the Christian life of which many are unaware. God never expects people to live in their own strength. Those who believe and are born again have Christ’s Spirit living inside. The glorious unity between our spirits and God’s gives us the life, power, and inclination or desire to love and serve God effectively.
But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 (NASB) 

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

We were identified with Adam in his sin. Now we are identified with Christ in his victory over sin, death, sickness, and Satan. Hallelujah!

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