Seabass said:
So From Acts 1:1-7 we can now know it was the apostles whom John was prophesying that would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So in Acts 1:9 Jesus left earth so the Comforter would come to the apostles in Acts 2.
Paul wrote to the Romans that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, but the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
And From Acts 2 it was the "hands of the apostles" Acts 5:12,18; miraculous signs were being performed. Not until about Acts 6:8 do we see someone other than an apostle performing an apostolic sign (2 Cor 12:12). The apostles, no one else, had the power to lay their hands upon another and pass that person an apostolic sign, Acts 8:17,18.
We can all acknowledge there are cases where gifts were imparted by the laying on of hands of the apostles. The problem is that you are reading 'only' into the passages where it does not exist... again.
There are several problems with your viewpoint.
1. It directly contradicts I Timothy 4:14.
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.
(NASB)
Here, the gift is given through prophecy. It's not given through the laying on of hands of the apostles. The elders laid hands on Timothy in this case.
I know some people respond to this with circular reasoning, arguing that Paul had already laid his hands on him. Another argument is that this gift wasn't a 'sign gift'. The problem with that is dividing the gifts into sign gifts and non-sign gifts and saying one set is given through the apostles and the other isn't is man-made doctrine.
2. If gifts are given ONLY through the laying on of hands of the apostles, then there are no gifted teachers, administrators, showers of mercy, exhorters, etc. The Greek word 'charisma' is used of both.
3. Acts account of Paul debunks the idea that spiritual gifts were only given through the laying on of hands of the apostles.
Acts 9
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.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
So Ananias, not one of the 12, but a 'disciple' and a devout Jew, a follower of Jesus, laid hands on Paul. Paul received the Holy Ghost. Later, we see he did miracles. He said of the other apostles he had met that they 'added nothing to me.' So we can't say they laid hands on him to receive the Holy Ghost, be baptized with the Holy Ghost, or receive the power to do miracles or impart gifts to others.
God granted that such a great gift, the gift of apostleship, be given without the laying on of hands of the apostles. So it makes sense that lesser gifts can be given, as the Spirit wills.
4. The direct teaching of scripture is that gifts are given 'as the Spirit wills' (I Cor. 12) and according to God's will: "according to His own will" (Hebrews 2.)
In the examples we see in scripture, gifts were given either through the laying on of the apostles hands, or apart from it, accordin to God's will.
5. It is extremely unlikely that Peter was laying hands on Cornelius or those present with him before they spoke in tongues in Acts 10.
6. Prophets had been prophesying, doing miracles, and raising the dead before the apostles came along, and God never stated that the imparting of such gifts would only come through the apostles hands.
The Bible clearly shows that God can empower people to do such things either through the laying on of apostles' hands or apart from it. The didacting teaching of scripture is that gifts are given 'as the Spirit wills.'
Last edited: