2293.—Laying on of Hands.
Please explain the passage in Acts 19:6, and others which speak of laying on of hands. It seems to me plain in these passages that this ordinance is right in the church. H. A. B. Certainly, we know of nothing against it. There were times when the Spirit of God was given to His believing children thru the laying on of hands. That seems to have been the case in the setting apart of men to special service, as in the case of the deacons, and that has been followed in the Christian church to the present time. There were times also when the Spirit of God came upon persons without the laying on of hands. It would seem that the Lord is willing to give it with or without that, as, for instance, Acts 10:44-47. How much and how fully it should be practised must be determined by the Spirit of God and the light that is given to men in His word. We certainly have instances of the Lord's pouring out His Spirit without it; we also have instances of where the Spirit of God moved upon His servants to impart the Spirit thru the laying on of hands, and in the matter of ordination of His ministers and special workers that seems to have been the regular course taken.