Romans 16:16

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.

Thoughts for This Week:

The kiss is still today a form of greeting. It's a symbol of respect and friendship. Five times in the New Testament, Christians are told to greet one another in this way. By Paul's instruction, it's a "holy kiss," while Peter speaks of a "kiss of love." The expression "one another," when used with the kiss, is always in the masculine gender. For example, 1 Thessalonians 5:26 (KJV) expressly instructs: "Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss." In our passage today, Paul is not speaking about the potentially suggestive kissing between women and men, but rather the heartfelt greeting of friends.

In our country, the customary form of greeting is the handshake. When Christians greet one another with a hand shake, they fulfill the spirit of Paul's exhortation. The thought behind our passage today is this: Christians should always remain in a spiritual condition that allows us to greet one another with sincerity.

Questions to Ponder:

When you shake hands with one of God's people does it symbolize respect and friendship? Are you holding back any resentment, animosity, or other negative feelings? What does our passage today say about this attitude? How should we treat other brothers and sisters in Christ?