Is it legitimate to call upon all Christians to raise hands in worship based on these references?Īt this point, many might say, “This is nit-picky-why are you concerned about this? Just let people worship the way they want.”Īs Christians, we want to accurately interpret and apply Scripture.How is the lifting of hands related to OT blessing?.What is the nature and purpose blessing others in the OT?.These two examples give rise to several questions the serious student of the Bible needs to address: In 1 Timothy 2:8, Paul draws on the OT practice of lifting hands in prayer (#1 in the summary above).īased on the OT evidence, the best case or justification for raising hands in worship can be found in Psalm 134:2 and 141:2 (from # 2 in the summary above). To set about to accomplish some important matter, like fulfilling a vow: Genesis 41:44 Psalm 10:12.To swear: Genesis 14:22 Exodus 6:8 Nehemiah 8:6 See Revelation 10:5–6 for a NT equivalent.To bless others: Leviticus 9:22 Psalm 63:4 134:2 141:2 Luke 24:50 is probably a NT example.The Old Testament, however, contains several references to the raising of hands. Therefore, no examples or commands for all Christians to lift their hands in worship can be found in the NT. One can find three other instances, none of which appear in the context of church worship (Luke 24:50 Rev. The New Testament rarely addresses the issue of raising hands. It’s ironic that so many apply this passage to raising hands while singing, but rarely to a man while praying. What does this passage mean? In ordering worship for the church, men should lead in prayer, raising their hands when they pray, be holy, and not be angry or quarrelsome. This text is simply not a call for the whole church to raise their hands while they worship. The Apostle also requires that these men be holy and not angry or quarreling (which appears as a common feature of the false teachers Paul addresses in 1 Timothy). Since this passage is specifically addressed to men, Christians should not employ it to call everyone to raise their hands.įurthermore, this command for men relates to a specific activity: prayer (more on this below). In this passage, Paul clearly delineates some of the differences in male and female roles in the church (2:9 begins Paul’s instructions for women). What should not characterize their praying-”without anger or quarreling”.The broader context addresses, “how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God” (1 Tim. These verses specifically apply to worship (in this case prayer) in the church. I hope to show why this common interpretation and application is fallacious.ġ Timothy 2:8 says, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling” (ESV). When discussing the issue of lifting hands in worship, people generally point to this passage for biblical justification. Why this has become so common in worship.Ībout twenty years ago, I attended a worship service where the senior pastor repeatedly exhorted the congregation to “raise holy hands.” He pointed to 1 Timothy 2:8 to support his instructions.What the Scripture says about lifting of hands.The misapplication of 1 Timothy 2:8 to support raising hands in worship.Why is raising of hands in worship such a common practice (at least in America)? In this blog post I hope to address the following: The emoji for “praise” pictures two lifted hands. In my search, nine of the first ten images depict multiple people with their hands raised. Perform a Google search on the word “worship” and examine the “images” category.
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