“Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 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’” (Acts 8:18-20).

What an amazing scriptural passage!! What is this all about? Is the “laying on of hands” merely a quaint custom of the early New Testament church? Or, is it an important Biblical doctrine or teaching that perhaps most people today know very little about?

Notice the answer to that question, as explained in the Book of Hebrews, chapter 6, and verses 1 and 2:

“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”

What does Almighty God teach us through the application of this rather unusual doctrine – the Biblical doctrine of the laying on of hands?