The most frequently repeated one another command is love one another. It probably does not come as a surprise that nine times we are called to love one another. It may, however, come as a surprise that the second most frequent one another command is to love one another with a holy kiss.
It’s written by two apostles, in five different letters, encompassing dozens of congregations, in several different countries. Four times Paul urges his readers to “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” He has to tell the Corinthian church in both of his letters to them. I guess they weren’t a very warm and welcoming congregation. In Peter’s first letter written to the churches of Asia Minor he calls them to greet one another with a kiss of love.
Yet we feel free to totally ignore this command. We’re not a liberal congregation that picks and chooses which parts of the Bible we follow. We believe the Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God. So why do we dare ignore this teaching? What is a holy kiss or a kiss of love anyway? What is the real intent of this command, and how do we faithfully fulfill it in the church today? We will try to answer these questions from Romans 16.