Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Timothy 5:22

"Lay hands hastily on no man, neither be partaker of other men`s sins: keep thyself pure." — 1 Timothy 5:22 (ASV)

Lay hands suddenly on no man.—This command refers primarily to the solemn laying on of hands at the ordination of presbyters and deacons. It no doubt also includes the “laying on of hands” customary, apparently, even in the Apostolic age, on the absolution of penitents and their readmission to church fellowship.

Neither be partaker of other men’s sins.—By thus negligently admitting unfit persons into the ministry—by carelessly and without due caution readmitting persons to church fellowship, which by their evil life they had forfeited—Timothy would incur a grave responsibility. He would, in fact, be a partaker in the sins and errors committed by those men, some of whom he had carelessly placed in important positions in the church, others of whom he had restored to communion before they had given sufficient evidence of their repentance.

To limit, however, the reference of St. Paul’s command here to the laying on of hands in the ordination of presbyters and deacons would imply a greater corruption in the church at that early date than is credible. Surely, the number of “unfit” persons seeking the high and holy, but difficult and dangerous, posts of officers in a proscribed and hated community would hardly by themselves have warranted such grave warning words as Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins.

Keep thyself pure.—The word “pure” here has a broad and inclusive meaning. It denotes, of course, the urgent necessity for one holding Timothy’s high and responsible office to be pure and chaste in word, deed, and thought. But here it also presses on the chief presbyter of Ephesus the imperative necessity of keeping himself, by ceaseless watchfulness, pure from all reproach in the matter of selecting candidates for the ministry or in restoring lapsed sinners to church fellowship.