Hi, Nick_29,
It seems to me that these examples that you have referenced…of the laying on of hands by the apostles…were to remedy the baptisms of John the Baptist, who had baptised in the name of Jesus Christ ONLY, rather than in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as taught/commanded in The Great Commission, and which applies to us today, also.
See below...
Matthew 28 KJV
(19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
It appears that this situation would only be an issue for the church during the first century.
I don’t see this as being applicable to Christians today.
Also, my new searches for passages containing “confirmation†resulted in the following two verses.
Philippians 1 KJV
(7) Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
Hebrews 6 KJV
(16) For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
After some discussion with others, I don’t see these two passages above, or even your passages referenced earlier, as speaking to the issue of “confirmation†as it relates to Anglicans, Catholics or Eastern Orthodox.
If I am understanding things correctly, “confirmation,†in the context of those churches, is to somehow validate the unscriptural, as I see it, rite of “infant baptism.â€Â
I will only say that I see this as wrong on more than one level.
Discussing Catholic issues will probably result in this thread being locked, so I will leave things as they are at this point regarding "confirmation".
However, if you wish to further discuss "two baptisms," I would be interested to know your views on the Gentile baptisms of Acts 10 and 11, as well as any others.
In Christ,
Pogo