Acts 2:1-4 “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole temple where they were sitting. (3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
We have seen earlier that God uses two methods to baptize the saints with the Holy Spirit, i.e. directly from heaven or through the laying on of hands. In the same manner the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to the saints using those same two methods, i.e. directly from heaven or through the laying on of hands. The first method which we will discuss is the Holy Spirit imparting spiritual gifts directly from heaven. In the above quoted passage of scripture we have the account of the saints receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit directly from heaven on the day of Pentecost. On this occasion however not only did the saints receive the gift of other tongues, but they also received the spiritual gift of discerning of spirits. We know that to be the case because this passage tells us that they saw tongues of fire appear on each other. The gift of discerning of spirits is the supernatural ability to see into the spirit realm. And so we know that the saints were operating in that gift, for if you read the full account you will see that it was only the saints that saw the tongues of fire, and not the Jewish onlookers that were standing around them, thus indicating to us that the tongues of fire were only visible in the realm of the spirit.
Acts 19:6 “And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”
The second method we will discuss is the Holy Spirit imparting spiritual gifts through the laying on of hands, which by the way, is also the most common method that the Holy Spirit uses to impart spiritual gifts. We have already looked at the above quoted passage of scripture in the section where we discussed the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless in this section we want to discuss this same incident because it highlights three different truths to us about how the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to the saints. The first truth that we learn from this passage is that spiritual gifts can be imparted through the laying on of hands, for we see that through Paul laying hands on these saints, that not only were they filled with the Holy Spirit but they also received the gift of prophecy. The second truth that we learn from this passage is that in order for one to be used by the Spirit to impart spiritual gifts, that the individual must themselves, already have that same gift. We know that the apostle Paul had the gift of prophecy, because one of the qualifications required to stand in the office of an apostle, is to have all nine of the spiritual gifts operating through one’s ministry (2 Corinthians 12:12). It is because of this particular truth, that the Holy Spirit uses His apostles more frequently in the area of imparting spiritual gifts through the laying on of hands. And so as one who already had the gift of prophecy, Paul could be used by the Holy Spirit to impart that same gift to these disciples. The third truth that we learn from this passage is that even though the Holy Spirit uses men to impart spiritual gifts through the laying on of hands, it is still the Spirit of God who decides which gift is imparted to which saint. When Paul laid his hands on these new converts he was expecting to fill them with the Holy Spirit, but in this instance they also received the spiritual gift of prophecy. Paul did not ask the Lord to give them this gift, but rather the Holy Spirit gave them the gift of prophecy as He willed. This third truth is important for us to understand because there are some false prophets in the church today that declare that they can impart whichever gift they want to whomever they want. That is completely unscriptural however, for it is only the Holy Spirit who imparts spiritual gifts to the saints as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11).
1 Timothy 4:14 “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.”
In the scripture quoted above the apostle Paul clearly confirms to us the truth that spiritual gifts are imparted through the laying on of hands. In this account we see that Timothy received a spiritual gift through the laying on of hands of the eldership, and that the gift was named through the prophetic word given at the same time. Prophecy is divine utterance given by the Holy Spirit on the spur of the moment. And so the person prophesying in this instance, would have found out the same time that Timothy did, regarding what spiritual gift was being imparted by the Holy Spirit. And so this passage confirms the truth to us that man is simply the vessel used by the Holy Spirit to impart His gifts, and that men do not decide which gifts are given to whom.
Romans 1:11 “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture we again see the same two spiritual truths confirmed to us, i.e. that spiritual gifts are imparted through the laying on of hands and that it is the Holy Spirit who decides what spiritual gift is given. The apostle Paul knew that the Holy Spirit used him to impart spiritual gifts, which is why he made this comment to the church at Rome. But I want you to notice that Paul said, “That I may impart to you some spiritual gift”. In other words Paul did not know what spiritual gift he would impart to them; he only knew that the Holy Spirit used him in that manner. And so in this section we have seen a number of spiritual truths, i.e. the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to the saints directly from heaven, the Holy Spirit also imparts spiritual gifts through the laying on of hands, the one used in the laying on of hands must already have the gift themselves before they can impart that gift to others, and the Holy Spirit decides who gets what gift and men are only used as His vessel in this area.
Michael E.B. Maher
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