Laying on of hands...slowly
Image via Wikipedia 1 TIMOTHY 5:22–23 “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands , nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure” (v. 22). Disciplining the elders in Ephesus and even removing some of them should it be necessary is not the only step that Timothy must take in order to correct the errors in the church there (1 Tim. 1:3–4; 5:19–20). If leaders are removed, they will need to be replaced. We have already read about the kind of men that should be ordained in 1 Timothy 3:1–7, but when the church needs officers, there is always the possibility that it will choose hastily and thus unwittingly pick men for elders who later prove to be ill-suited for the task. So Paul issues a word of caution in today’s passage to prevent Timothy and the generations of Christians after him from making a costly mistake. We are encouraged not to engage in the laying on of hands too quickly. Laying on of hands, of course, is commonly done when new church officers are set apart...