1 Timothy 5:19-24 “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. (20) Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. (21) I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. (22) Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins; keep yourself pure. … (24) Some men's sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.”
And so, we see the same principles under the new covenant, in that we are to treat sin as a virus and sin can be transferred through the laying on of hands. Under the new covenant we no longer destroy the carrier of the virus, but rather we quarantine them from the rest of the body so that the infection cannot spread. In the passage of scripture quoted above, the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul, warns believers not to be hasty in laying hands on others. That warning seems to contradict what the bible teaches us about laying on of hands, for our Lord taught us to lay hands on the sick so that they could be healed (Mark 16:18). In that passage however, our Lord was speaking primarily about believers laying hands on unbelievers so that they could see the sign of healing and thus believe the message of the gospel. The context of the above quoted passage however, where the Holy Spirit warns us not to act hastily in laying hands on others; is referring to believers laying hands on fellow believers, and not unbelievers. And He is specifically speaking about sin in believers affecting the person who is laying hands on them, for Paul warns Timothy not to share in other people’s sins but to keep himself pure.
Michael E.B. Maher
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