Part 1 of 2 Parts:
“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1 Tim. 4:1)
Over the past few decades, and into the 21st Century, I believe that Christians have been seduced and deceived into a false belief and doctrine of the “impartation of theanointing”, which began in the Charismatic movement three decades ago. This doctrine and belief has infiltrated into most churches, and has been over-emphasised through a number of revivalists and their revival centres, such as Toronto Airport Church, Holy Bromptom Church in England, or the Brownsville Assembly of God, and now Lakeland’s, Florida revival, who have promoted an alleged movement of God and revivals through great “signs and wonders”.
The false doctrine has been taught over the past years that the “Spiritual Gifts” are transmitted, or imparted through the laying-on-of-hands.
Biblically, when a Christian is born again, their “spirit” is filled with the Holy Spirit, and if they “desire the Spiritual Gifts” (see 1 Corinthians 13:27-31 & 14:1) then our Lord Jesus Christ will impart those Gifts, divinely. There is nothing written in His Word in regards to the “impartation” or the “laying-on-of-hands” for such divine anointing.
“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:13)
Therefore, if we have the Holy Spirit at conversion, then what has another person to “impart”to others?
Biblically, we assume that each Christian has all of the Holy Spirit that they have, therefore, there is nothing that another person can impart through the laying-on-of-hands.
Through my own personal experiences, when hands were laid upon me, I have occasionally felt a power flow from a few mature Christians, but still became very wary on what else they may be imparting upon me.
On a number of occasions, there was a power that was so great, I fell to the floor, forward, and not backwards, as per the specific rituality that is played out in most churches. I wasn’t faking it, as I have seen some others do. It was a literal, real experience of something greater than my body could physically stand up to. On one occasion I wasn’t even being prayed for, and the Holy Spirit came upon me. And that is another story in itself.
I have seen many get up on the platform with those high-flying, TV evangelists, draped in “gold” and “expensive clothing”, and seen them floored by a power greater than they could withstand. What was this power? There is no easy answer, but what I saw is for certain, that it wasn’t the power of the Holy Spirit flowingfrom the ministering evangelist, who was conducting their well rehearsed rituality.
My “charismatic”teaching of the past taught me that this was the power of the Holy Spirit flowing into me, or I was receiving an anointing for some new part of my personal ministry. It made some sense in those early days of my renewal.
“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established” (Rom. 1:11)
This verse is an example of Paul exercising his “Spiritual Gifts” and in doing so he would bless the Romans. This verse wasn’t saying that Paul was going to bestow, or impart “Spiritual Gifts” of teaching, healing or prophecy. This is the only time that the term “impart” has been used in the NT in regards to “Spiritual Gifts”, and in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” of the KJV and NKJV.
In the translation of the Greek term for “impart” (metadidomi), it means, “to give over”, that is, “to share, give, impart”.
In Romans, Paul “desires to impart” to the Rome believers some Spiritual Gift (pneumatikos charismakos) so that the early Christian’s church may be established. Even in Acts we find that when the Holy Spirit came in power, it was always due to the direct ministry of an Apostles, or their indirect ministry, such as Peter preaching at Cornelius house and while Peter preached the Holy Spirit came upon them, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.” (Acts 10:44).
The ability “to impart”, “to share”, “to give” charismatic gifts was the sole realm of an Apostle. We see Simon preaching to the Samaritans but when the time came fro them to receive the Holy Spirit, Simon had to allow Peter to do this ministry by saying, “’Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you’” (Acts 8:19-22).
From this we can see that Simon wasn’t an Apostle, he was being presumptuous, and he thought that he could buy this ability.
Furthermore, as you read the letters from the Apostles, there is no doctrine detailing the “impartation of gifts or anointing”, because they all knew that this was an apostolic duty. We also need to realise that “signs and wonders” were never part-and-parcel of the Christian life or experience of those days. The only ones who worked great miracles in the NT were either the Apostles, or those they had imparted gifts unto according to the will of God, as per1 Corinthians 12:11 below. “Signs and wonders” were not an everyday occurrence in those early days.
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to (imparted to) each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” (1 Cor. 12:7-11)
to another minister by laying hands. R.W. Shambach, I hear, has “imparted” his “anointing” to Rod Parsely. Since every believer is already anointed by God (
