Is Acts 8:18 Saying The Holy Ghost Was Given Through The Apostles Hands ONLY?

Acts 8:18 reads “And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money.” Many say that means only the apostles had this power to lay hands on someone to impart miraculous gifts. But are we justified in adding the word “only” to this text to make it say the gifts were imparted via the apostles only?

First, most true Christians can see adding the word “only” to verses like Rom 5:1 (“justified by faith”) is incorrect because of verses like James 2:24 which teach we are not justified by faith only. Similarly, might Acts 8:18 be saying apostles could impart the miraculous gifts but not trying to say the apostles only?

This truth is more easily seen once you realize Acts 8:18 is not talking about the twelve apostles, but specifically two apostles, Peter and John (verse 14). Verse 18 says Simon “saw” something. What did he actually see? He didn’t see that the gifts were bestowed by the twelve apostles (they weren’t all there), but what he actually saw was that the gifts were bestowed by the apostles Peter and John. So if we add the word “only” to this verse, that would say the gifts could only be bestowed through the hands of Peter and John, as they are the only apostles verse 18 is referring to.

To illustrate, suppose all the living Presidents were gathered for an important fundraiser, and I said “The Presidents enjoyed their meal.”  Would I mean all 46 presidents enjoyed a meal, or just the Presidents that were there? Acts 8:18 does not say “twelve” apostles; it is referring to the two apostles Simon “saw” laying on hands.  It would be correct to refer to Peter and John as “apostles” would it not?

And if we consider other texts, can we not see passages where someone other than an apostle was able to impart spiritual gifts? Examples:

· Doesn’t Acts 9:17 teach Ananias was sent Saul so that Saul could be “filled with the Holy Ghost”? How could that be true unless Ananias could somehow/someway bestow the Holy Ghost upon Saul?

· Doesn’t I Tim 4:14 teach Timothy received a miraculous gift through the “laying on of the hands of the presbytery” (the eldership), not necessarily through the laying on of the hands of the apostles?

Perhaps there are other ways of explaining these two passages that I have overlooked, but what harm does it do just to take them at their face value?

What we need to realize is I Cor 13:8-13 and Zech 13:1-4 tell us the duration of the miraculous gifts; they would cease when the New Testament revelation was completed. The Bible does not say they would cease when the last person whom the apostles laid hands on died. (that argument already ignores the fact that some received the Holy Spirit directly, such as the apostles, Cornelius’ household, and perhaps others) The chances that last person died would be at the same time as when the New Testament law was completed might be one in a zillion (hyperbole). God did not intend to leave the timing of the cessation of the miraculous gifts to chance. Those gifts had a specific purpose – to reveal and confirm New Testament law (Heb 3:3-4), and so the gifts would be needed up until and ending when that was completed (I Cor 13:8-10).