For more than two decades, the Sudanese in the north and south warred against each other. Their conflict eventually led to Sudan splitting into two separate countries—Sudan and South Sudan. Australia’s early history involved persistent conflict between Aborigines and the British settlers as Australian governments pursued what some have called a “white Australia” policy. For most of American history, slavery followed by racial segregation laws in the United States enforced separation between whites and blacks. And recent events have shown how much tension and separation remain between whites and blacks in many parts of the United States.
Likewise cities are divided between the poor, or “lower class,” and the middle/upper class. Certain parts of town are considered “the hood” or “the ghetto” and avoided by the economically prosperous. Other parts of town are considered “nice,” with the unspoken understanding that if you live there you will interact with people who aren’t “thugs” but are “good” and “responsible.”
Division. Separation. Segregation. Notice how normal and natural separation and division are to human society. We want to form relationships with those who are like us and to define ourselves in distinction from other people. We divide and separate from one another based on politics, music, clothing, education, accent, citizenship, and more.
United by the Holy Kiss
One practical demonstration of this unity was the regular practice of greeting one another with a holy kiss (Rom. 16:16, 1 Cor. 16:20). In the Western church today, we usually apply this command as giving a friendly greeting to each other (hello, handshake, hug). But a kiss is much more intimate. A kiss means close, affectionate contact with another person. In the first century this meant contact between people—Jews and Gentiles—who in the broader society despised each other and made extra effort to separate from each other. Jews saw Gentiles as dirty pagans; Gentiles saw Jews as superstitious religious prigs. They were natural enemies, biased against each other along racial, social, and political lines.
But now, in this new gospel-shaped community called the church, these natural enemies become “one body” where they regularly kiss each other with love (1 Pet. 5:14). Indeed, the holy kiss is a way of expressing care and affection for another. It reinforces the fact that Christians are uniquely connected to each other with bonds of gracious, honest love. It implies that the church is a community of welcome and acceptance.
Real Community
What a striking display this kiss must have been for the divided first century! What a striking example it is for our still-divided church of the twenty-first century. Church community must be more than just being around each other. The typical audience for a movie is a diverse group of people. But we would not mistake that audience for real community. The church, on the other hand, shares the common blood of Jesus. This means we can and do have close, even intimate, relationship with each other. We are a community of people who in other parts of our society would barely talk to each other. Yet in the church these people tangibly love and care for one another.
A “holy kiss” ethos in the church means that we lean into relationship with one another rather than dismiss each other out of hand. It means that we speak to each other with commas and open arms rather than exclamation points and crossed arms. It means more lowercase interaction rather than all caps interaction. It means that when there is division, we will work hard to reconcile and reunite so that we can more easily resume “kissing” each other.
Today we live in communities where people are comfortable with persistent conflict and unreconciled relationships, comfortable with gossip and holding grudges, comfortable with attitudes of sarcasm and scorn. Yet how much more should the church be comfortable with “kissing” each other because we have a unity only the Spirit of the Lord can give (Eph. 4:3).
Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?
In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.
