Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
1 Timothy 2:7-8
It is necessary to understand what the Holy Spirit was saying when the apostle Paul penned the words in verse 8. There has become confusion even among those who wear the Baptist name concerning the practice of lifting holy hands. I believe without any reservation that our line of faith and system of doctrine can be traced back 2000 years, beyond the book of Acts, into the gospels that reveal the work of Jesus our founder. When Jesus said in Matthew 4:19,…Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men, He was calling out from among the disciples of John the Baptist the materiel He would call His church in Matthew 16:18. Jesus himself took the same group and commissioned them twice, in Matthew 10 to go to Israel, and Matthew 28:18-20 for them to be continuously going throughout the world to make disciples of Him.
The apostle Paul’s purpose in writing this letter to Timothy is found in 3:15,…how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. The subject of 2:8 is prayer, the inner posture of prayer. In America, the source of this confusion is comparatively recent. Lifting up holy hands originates from charismatics. A charismatic is not a denomination but more of a philosophical position. They can be found among the Catholics, Episcopalians, Pentecostals, and Baptists by name. In the charismatic circle the lifting of hands is often accompanied by clapping, speaking in tongues, shouting, dancing, and the laying on of hands. Also, charismatic circles children are taught in classes how to speak in “angel talk” and “prayer language”. As I have observed, no obedient child needs to be taught how to talk to their loving Father.
In the mind of Timothy, he understood when the men of the church prayed, lifting up holy hands, it meant they were to be pure, honest, and without any concealed agenda as they approached God. Paul further stated that men were to not have any wrath or doubting in their heart but to pray boldly and confidently. The one and only time in the New Testament that refers to lifting up holy hands, the context was the posture of the heart and not the position of the hands.
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.
Tags: Accountibility, Baptists, Beliefs, Bible, Christianity, Church Growth, Church Planters, Doctrine, Eternal Life, Expository Preaching, Faith, Family, Family Values, God, Godly Faithfulness, Landmark Baptists, Godly Responsibility, God’s Word, Pastors, Pastor’s Wives, Preachers, Religion, Scripture, Separation, The Cross, The Cross of Christ, Theology, Worship
For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (NKJV)
- Philippians 1:8-11
In the Bible, love is not based upon a feeling but rather the knowledge of God. In this passage, Paul says he wants the church at Philippi to grow in their knowledge of God so that they can choose the best way to live. God doesn’t want us living by feelings. God provides the saved with spiritual discernment which is the believer’s capacity to judge situations correctly. Unfortunately, not every Christian will cultivate discernment and consequently fail to practice good judgment.
To live in the will of God, it is imperative for a person to have a discerning spirit. God longs for us to walk in the way that brings Him the greatest glory. Believers don’t need to search blindly for this road; our Lord will reveal the path to anyone who asks Him. Only with spiritual discernment will we be able to judge what is Godly and what is not. There are situations that look like it is of God and truly is out of His will.
Also, much information expressed as true is in reality false. In order to remain in the Lord’s will believers must be able to distinguish between truth and error. We would be unwise to unquestionably accept as accurate everything we hear on the telephone, radio or television. What we hear from a human origin and even the pulpit must be evaluated against the only reliable measure for spiritual discernment: the standards of Scripture.
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.