Kissing, as a greeting, was and is common in the Middle East; it was no more Christian than pagan. It was part of family meetings, business meetings, social meetings – so why does Paul tell them to greet each other with a holy kiss?

The problem was that the church in Corinth, had been far from holy. Relations had been severely disturbed by false teaching, immoral conduct, selfish use of God's gifts, and a reluctance to give. They had become proud, tolerating wrong behaviour. They were at war with each other and self-indulgent in worship; and Paul had to urge them to be reconciled to God. Yes, they were believers in the Lord Jesus - but they had drifted so far from their spiritual moorings that they risked shipwreck. Nevertheless Paul asked them to greet each other with a holy kiss.

This instruction has been misunderstood, abused and ignored; but it must have significance because it is also found in Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:26, and in a slightly different format in 1 Peter 1:22. That latter scripture helps us understand the meaning of 'holy' in this context, because it says, "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart." The apostles saw genuine fellowship as an essential part of faith in Jesus Christ. In Acts 2:42, fellowship comes second in the list of Christian disciplines to which the believers were devoted, before prayers and communion. Real fellowship comes from a devotion to the Lord and the apostles' doctrine, so that believers know how to obey the Lord. When Christ's people choose that lifestyle, it stimulates sacrificial love for each other that must be expressed.

Why should Paul commend this greeting? A holy greeting, however it is demonstrated in your culture (such as a kiss, handshake, embrace) must come from a godly motive and without malice, duplicity or sensuality. It is a physical expression of genuine Christian love, which is prepared to make sacrifices for the other. It conveys honour and willingness to serve. It is a physical way to mark our choice to end hatred and suspicion, individual pride and compromised morality. It says, 'I accept you for Christ's sake, and I will honour you and meet your needs – because Christ has accepted me, honoured me when I did not deserve it and He goes on meeting my needs'. Like many other apostolic instructions this is a huge challenge, but much more necessary than we might think. If we cannot choose to warmly tell our brothers and sisters that we will lay down our lives for them – something is badly wrong.