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💡Big Idea
Takeaways and Next Steps
📖Bible Passage
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. [[2 Cor-13#v13|]]
Points
- It may seem strange in our culture to greet each other with a kiss, but this is only because we do not understand the culture and history.
- Believers are commanded to greet each other in the epistles 5 times including in:
- 1 Peter 5.14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to all of you who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
- 1 Corinthians 16.20 All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
- Acts 20.37 They all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him,
- The Holy Kiss was common throughout the early Church.
- Greeting with cheek kiss is very common in places where the Roman Catholic church dominates.
- A Holy Kiss is a kiss that is set apart for the Lord.
- It expresses sincere and Godly love for another human being.
- It is not a sensual, seductive, perverse kiss.
- It is a kiss of kindness,
- It is a kiss of friendship
- John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” [[John-13#v35|]]
- Romans 16:3-5[[Rom-16#v4|]][[Rom-16#v5|]]:
- Paul uses the word greet 16 times in the first 6 verses of this chapter.
- Greet means to draw someone to yourself
- To greet someone is to show them respect and honor.
- By greeting others we show love to them.
- Paul is giving us a holy example so that we would greet others with love and respect just as he did.
- Non-discrimination:
- Our text says “all the saints greet you”. This means all the rich and poor, charismatic and outcasts, strong and weak. No saint is excluded here.
- Even those who are less lovely, we ought to greet them, just as our Savior greeted and loved us when we were less lovely.
- 1 Peter 5:12-14[[1 Pet-05#v13|]][[1 Pet-05#v14|]]
- Even those who have offended you.
- What follows the kiss of love? peace.
- A handshake, a kiss, a holy embrace, preserves friendship and unity.
- 1 Samuel 10.1 Then Samuel took the vial of oil and poured it on his head, then kissed him and said, “Hasn’t Yahweh anointed you to be prince over his inheritance?
- It took grace for Samuel to kiss and anoint Saul
- 1 Samuel 10.1 Then Samuel took the vial of oil and poured it on his head, then kissed him and said, “Hasn’t Yahweh anointed you to be prince over his inheritance?
- A handshake, a kiss, a holy embrace, preserves friendship and unity.
- The Holy Kiss must be sincere and genuine. Here are some case studies:
- 2 Samuel 20:9-10 Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So he struck him with it in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and didn’t strike him again; and he died. Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. [[2 Sam-20#v10|]]
- Joab greeted Amasa but it was not genuine. It was deceitful.
- Judas and Jesus: Matthew 26:47-49 While he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he who betrayed him had given them a sign, saying, “Whoever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him.” Immediately he came to Jesus, and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. [[Matt-26#v48|]][[Matt-26#v49|]]
- Judas kissed Jesus, but it was not genuine. It was betrayal.
- Matthew 26.50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
- Jesus exposes that Judas used a gesture of a friend in a way that only an enemy would.
- Proverbs 27.6 The wounds of a friend are faithful, although the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
- David and Absalom: 2 Samuel 14.33 So Joab came to the king [David], and told him; and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.
- David knew that Absalom, his son, was a rebel and was already planning to kill him and over throw him. And yet David still kissed him.
- The Prodigal Son and his Father: Luke 15.20 “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
- Despite His son’s abandonment and betrayal, still the Father kissed His prodigal son.
- The woman who washed and kissed Jesus’ feet: Luke 7:37-38 Behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was reclining in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. [[Luke-07#v38|]]
- This was a genuine kiss of love. She loved Jesus so much that she washed His feet with her tears and her hair. She anointed Him with fragrant oil.
- Should we not do the same for our Savior who has given us so much at so great a cost? Yes of course we should greet our Lord Jesus Christ with a Holy Kiss.
- This was a genuine kiss of love. She loved Jesus so much that she washed His feet with her tears and her hair. She anointed Him with fragrant oil.
- Psalm 2.12 [Kiss] the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish on the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
- 2 Samuel 20:9-10 Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So he struck him with it in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and didn’t strike him again; and he died. Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. [[2 Sam-20#v10|]]
- The Holy Kiss also signifies fellowship:
- This fellowship is first of all among God’s saints.
- Paul commanded all the Corinthians to greet each other in fellowship.
- ⭐ It is sad today that in many churches, Christians do not embrace each other in fellowship, but duck out, avoiding fellowship.
- Philippians 4.21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.
- The greetings among the saints was proof and evidence of their fellowship.
- Let us greet one another with a warm handshake, not a fake reluctant limp handshake.
- 1 Corinthians 16:19-20 The assemblies of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you much in the Lord, together with the assembly that is in their house. All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. [[1 Cor-16#v20|]]
- Acts 20:36-38 When he had spoken these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. They all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all because of the word which he had spoken, that they should see his face no more. Then they accompanied him to the ship. [[Acts-20#v37|]][[Acts-20#v38|]]
- The people loved Paul and mourned that he would soon die.
Application
- Greet your fellow saints with a holy kiss, with friendship and embrace.
- Our culture and society is characterized by individualism which leads to Loneliness.
- We do not take the time to encourage and care for one another.
- Take an interest in one another because God has taken an interest in you.
- Our culture and society is characterized by individualism which leads to Loneliness.
- If you do not know Jesus, as the lover of your soul, then I urge you to come to Him today.
- He loves you more than you could ever imagine. He delights to embrace you with the kisses of love.