In this lesson of the series on our relationships with
one another, we will consider some of the most neglected passages in the New
Testament.These are passages containing
greetings made between Christians.
It may appear that the greetings in these passages are
almost all strictly personal, but the fact that God's word includes thirty-nine
messages in the New Testament about greeting one another indicates that there
is an important lesson for us.
GREETING EVERY SAINT
In his letter to the Roman saints, Paul sent greetings
to all of them and instructed them to greet one another.
There are
twenty-six individuals specifically greeted in Romans 16:3-16, and some of
these greetings are extended to their households and family members as well.
In many of these
greetings, Paul expresses specific knowledge of these individuals, and he
comments on his relationships with them.Many of them are praised for their service in the Lord.
Paul's penman
even sent his greeting to them in Romans 16:22.
At the end of his
greetings, Paul gives this instruction and salutation in verse 16:
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
Many of the other letters written by Paul include
similar expressions and instructions about greetings.
In 1Corinthians
16:19-21, Paul gave these greetings and instructions:
19The
churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and
Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.20All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.21The greeting is in my own hand --
Paul.
A similar message
is given in 2Corinthians 13:12-13:
12Greet
one another with a holy kiss.13All
the saints greet you.
Likewise, similar
words are recorded in Philippians 4:21-22:
21Greet
every saint in Christ Jesus.The
brethren who are with me greet you.22All
the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.
In his letter to
the Colossians, Paul sent many personal greetings from himself and his fellow
workers to the church and instructed the Colossians to greet others (Col.
4:10-18).
In 1Thessalonians
5:26, Paul gave this simple instruction:
Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
In 2Thessalonians
3:17, Paul concluded his letter with a personal greeting in his own
handwriting.
Prisca, Aquila, and
the household of Onesiphorus are greeted in 2Timothy 4:19.
Notice the
conclusion of Paul's letter to Titus (3:15):
All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.
Similarly, the
letter to the Hebrews ends with this message in Hebrews 13:24:
Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.
Other New Testament writers record such greetings as
well.
Peter's first
letter ends in 1Peter 5:13-14 with this message:
13She who
is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my
son, Mark.14Greet one
another with a kiss of love. Peace be to
you all who are in Christ.
John ended his
second and third letters with similar greetings:
2John 13 -- The children of your chosen sister greet
you.
3John 14 -- The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.
WHAT THESE GREETINGS MEAN FOR US
Our interest in studying these greetings is learning
from their examples.What do these
examples teach us about our own relationships with one another as fellow
Christians?
These greetings
are more than just the usual greetings that we extend toward casual
acquaintances.They correctly indicate
the unique spiritual relationships that exist only between Christians.
These greetings
indicate the brotherly love and affection that should exist among
Christians.For example, four of the
individuals greeted in Romans 16 are addressed as "beloved."
Such greetings
also acknowledge honor, respect, value, and appreciation for the brethren and
their service in the Lord.For example,
notice again some of the greetings from Romans 16;
Verses 3-4 -- 3Greet Prisca and Aquila, my
fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4who for my life risked their own
necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the
Gentiles...
Verse 7 -- Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and
my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in
Christ before me.
Verse 9 -- Greet
Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.
Verse 12 -- Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in
the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who
has worked hard in the Lord.
These examples
form a pattern for our own esteem toward one another.This esteem should be evident in our
greetings to one another through expressions of love, honor, respect, value, concern,
and appreciation.
Also consider
that Paul longed to see these Christians who were separated from him (Rom.
1:11; Phil. 4:1; 1Thess. 3:6).His
greetings toward them expressed this desire for them, and our greetings toward
one another should likewise express our joy to see one another.
Such greetings between Christians express a true
fellowship in the Lord.
Fellowship is a
sharing in common, a joint participation, and an association.Those who have fellowship in Christ share a
common faith and a common fellowship with God Himself (1John 1:1-7).
When we greet one
another in the manner seen in these passages of Scripture, we communicate
approval of one another and endorse one another as brothers and sisters in the
fellowship of Christ.
Because this is
true, we must not give such greetings to those who are in opposition to
Christ.Consider the warning about those
who do not abide in the teaching of Christ from 2John 10-11:
10If
anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into
your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11for the one who gives
him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
This does not
indicate that we cannot be cordial to those who are not Christians, but rather
it means that there is a special greeting that must be reserved for Christians only.
In Matthew 5:47, Jesus asked, "If you greet only your
brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?"Therefore, we should be friendly and cordial
to those who are not our brothers or sisters.
However, we must not give the "right hand of
fellowship" (Gal. 2:9) to those who are outside of Christ.
Especially, we
must withhold our greetings of fellowship from those who are clearly opposed to
Christ and His teachings (2Cor. 6:14-18).We cannot give them the impression that we approve what they believe,
do, and teach.
The instructions from these passages often mention the
"holy kiss."Is the holy kiss mandated
as our form of greeting?
The holy kiss is
mentioned in Romans 16:16, 1Corinthians 16:20, 2Corinthians 13:12, and
1Thessalonians 5:26.In 1Peter 5:14, the
Scripture mentions a "kiss of love."
Historical and
cultural context helps to shed light on this issue.
In Eastern cultures even to this day, many people
greet one another with kisses on their cheeks.
For example, Jesus implied that his host had been
impolite by not kissing Him in Luke 7:44-45.In contrast, the sinful woman had not ceased from kissing His feet.
Also, recall that
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss (Luke 22:47-48).The irony of this kiss is that it was a sign
of love and esteem, but it was used for betrayal.
These
instructions concerning the holy kiss took the common greeting of the time, the
kiss, and elevated it to an even greater purpose by setting it in the holy fellowship
of Christ.
In our culture, a
kiss is not the standard greeting between friends, but we have other customs,
such as a handshake.
Regardless of the
form of the custom, it is the holy nature of the greeting that is to be
preserved and practiced among Christians.It is not necessary that we greet one another with a kiss.
CONCLUSION
If we have proper relationships with one another and
the Lord, then proper greetings will come naturally.
Therefore, let us greet one another in fellowship with
love, affection, honor, esteem, and respect.
