Ordination is presented as one of the specific purposes for which the laying on of hands is practiced, alongside its use in conferring blessings, imparting the Holy Spirit, and accompanying prayer for the afflicted. As a symbolic act, the laying on of hands sets individuals apart and signifies the imparting of spiritual blessings, authority, and power. When applied to ordination specifically, this ceremony demonstrates the setting apart of individuals for service within God's church. The example given for ordination comes from Acts 6, where seven men became deacons when the apostles prayed and laid hands on them, as recorded in verse 6. This instance illustrates how the laying on of hands functioned not merely as a blessing or a means of receiving the Holy Spirit, but as a formal act through which individuals were appointed to specific roles of service and responsibility within the early church. This practice of ordination fits within the broader pattern established throughout Scripture regarding the laying on of hands. In the Old Testament, this act often conferred a blessing, as seen when Jacob laid his hands on Ephraim and Manasseh to pass on blessings from God, according to Genesis 48:13-20. In the New Testament, the same physical gesture took on additional significance, being used for newly baptized believers to receive the Holy Spirit, as demonstrated in Acts 8:17-18, where God's ministers laid hands on repentant converts after baptism, resulting in their receiving the Holy Spirit. This same connection between the laying on of hands and the Holy Spirit appears in Acts 19:5-6 and II Timothy 1:6. Additionally, the laying on of hands accompanied an elder's prayer for the afflicted, as shown in Acts 9:17, where Ananias laid his hands on Saul so that he might receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Taken together, these varied applications, including ordination, reveal a unifying principle: the laying on of hands serves to show that God works through His ministers. Whether conferring a blessing, imparting the Holy Spirit, praying for healing, or ordaining individuals to service, this ceremony consistently demonstrates God's method of working through human instruments to accomplish His purposes. The significance of this practice is underscored by its inclusion among the basic doctrines of God's church, as Hebrews 6:2 lists the laying on of hands as one of these foundational teachings. Ordination, therefore, is not an isolated ceremony but part of a broader biblical pattern in which physical touch symbolizes and facilitates the transmission of spiritual authority and divine purpose through God's appointed representatives.