Hugs and handshakes are passed out here liberally each Sunday, but should we be greeting each other with a kiss instead? 1 Peter 5:14 says, “Greet one another with a kiss of love.” And in four verses Paul instructs Christians to greet Christians “with a holy kiss.” Why do we shake hands when the Bible says to kiss? New Testament Christians greeted with a kiss. Are we not trying to restore New Testament Christianity? The Patriarchal Fathers describe Christian worship services as men sitting on one side and women sitting on the other. So the women were greeting women with a kiss and the men each other. How would that be viewed by outsiders if we incorporated that practice today? Let’s play out the scenario. Should men kiss men and women kiss women? Should men and women who are not married to one another greet with a kiss? What impression would that make on others and how would it be interpreted by the one receiving the kiss? You can make the argument that culture should not dictate doctrine, and certainly that is true. If God wills for His church to greet with a kiss than that is what we should do regardless of what society says. But is it God’s will to cause others to stumble, Luke 17:2; 1 Corinthians 8:13? Be honest. The practice of greeting with a kiss would cause sinful thoughts for greeters and observers. For that matter, there are some who should not greet with a hug if the practice invites lust. Ecclesiastes 3:5 says there is, “a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;” (KJV). The intention of the five “kissing” verses is to exhort disciples of Christ to greet one another in a special way. There is a way to fulfill that commandment without causing someone to sin. We don’t use the kiss because we can greet one another as children of God in an honorable way without it. Express your appreciation for others with absolute purity.