"Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure." (1 Tim. 5:22)
The particular part of this verse that may at first sound a little strange occurs in the middle few words "neither be partaker of other men’s sins", but the whole verse is relevant in providing the context. So let us examine the whole verse in some detail so that we can fully understand its import, taking each phrase in turn.
The Greek word translated "lay" means to "put" or "place" and the Greek is used most frequently in the New Testament to describe the laying on of hands in the healing process or the giving of the Holy Spirit by the apostles. It is obvious that it would not be used in the context of the above verse in any threatening manner. The warning of the Spirit, through Paul, to Timothy is therefore in connection with the ordination of individuals to the work of Yahweh or the passing on of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with 1 Tim. 3:10 "And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless". "...lest ye be consumed [destroyed] in all their sins"The remainder of the verse confirms this view, as we shall see. "Partaker of other men's sins" is better translated using the word "fellowship", as this is what the Greek 'koinoneo' actually means, therefore "neither fellowship other men's sins". The root word from which 'koinoneo' is taken means "partaker". The Spirit, through Paul, is instructing Timothy to not have fellowship with the sins of others, as would be the case if he ordained those whose behaviour was not acceptable. We know from other Bible references that it is possible to suffer because of someone else's sin. For instance, see Numbers 16:26 "And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed [destroyed] in all their sins". This is precisely the reason for Timothy being commanded to keep himself pure, as Strong's concordance puts it "properly, clean, i.e. (figuratively) innocent, modest, perfect: chaste, clean, pure". The same defilement would result regardless of whether the individual was wrongly laid hands on by Timothy or whether the defilement was from any other brother or sister with whom Timothy shared fellowship.