Reviving the Holy Kiss: Unity in Modern Christian Fellowship

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God’s people here send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
2 Corinthians 13:11-14 NIVUK

A kiss amongst Christians is unfortunately a problem in our Western societies, or at least in the UK, because it can be misconstrued or misinterpreted due to the societal views and taboos that exist. It can be just about considered acceptable between a man and a woman who know each other, but when observed between those of the same sex, the fault line exposed by an onlooker’s views on gender issues rises up and can cause problems. Not all the time, of course, because multi-cultural Britain has come to understand and accept customs appropriate to certain people groups and religions. But in our traditional churches and denominations, the holy kiss does not appear in the liturgies or even in more social settings. In fact, in some churches with larger congregations, any form of greeting can be missing. It can be easy to slip into the meeting after it has started and slip out without talking to anyone, let alone give someone a handshake, hug or even a kiss.

But things were different in those early Christian days, when Paul and the other Apostles were turning the Mediterranean societies upside down with their message of the love and forgiveness of God and of Christ crucified for their sins. In those days, a holy kiss was a non-sexual, sincere greeting of brotherly affection, unity, and love amongst the early believers, signifying a “set apart” spiritual family bond. A kiss was an acceptable form of greeting among people in the Middle East and was even a cultural norm, used to greet guests or family members. It was even a common greeting showing respect to those in authority or when reconciliation was required between two parties. But what set the Christian holy kiss apart from the secular equivalent was that it was “holy” and had a deeper spiritual meaning for early believers, particularly as it crossed racial and cultural boundaries. 

So, in a setting where there were different factions, as was the case in Corinth, Paul’s encouragement to “Greet one another with a holy kiss” would have been a sign that any differences had been settled and unity between believers was again present. This he followed up with his final words, “may … the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”. Such fellowship was not possible in an atmosphere of antagonism, disunity and chaos.

Paul encouraged the believers in Rome to do the same, as we read in Romans 16:16, “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings”. It must have been standard text for Paul, being word-for-word the same as in 2 Corinthians 13. Again, the greeting appears in 1 Corinthians 16:20, “All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss”, and 1 Thessalonians 5:26, “Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss”. But it wasn’t just Paul who wrote this greeting. It appears at the end of 1 Peter, “Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ”. 

In the Old Testament, there were occasions where a kiss was used in a similar context, such as in 1 Samuel 10:1, “Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?” In this case, it was in an act of reverence, as Samuel recognised God’s presence with the man before him. And we all remember the kiss that sealed Jesus’ fate when the soldiers came to the garden to arrest Him. Matthew 26:48-49, “Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.’ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed him”. Why was the signal to be a kiss? In those days, it would have been a natural way to honour someone and to demonstrate brotherly love.

So today, we pilgrims reflect on how we greet one another and consider the “holy kiss” in an appropriate setting. It is not always acceptable to everyone, as in the case of a young man I knew who recoiled from human contact of any sort, because he was somewhere on the autistic spectrum. As an aside, though, it has been wonderful to see God at work in him, bringing healing that enabled him to gradually overcome his phobia. 

In greeting someone there is an opportunity to share a common bond that centres in God. It may be with a hug, or a handshake, or even a “holy kiss”, but its inherent meaning is one of mutual love and respect. The early church considered such a greeting to be important, and today we would do well to emulate their sentiments and intentions in our modern churches and fellowships.

Dear Father God. With one mind we greet one another, knowing that we do so in Your name and to Your glory. You created families, and we are part of Yours through Jesus. Thank You. Amen.

Head Covering (1)

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“A man dishonours his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. But a woman dishonours her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.”
1 Corinthians 11:4-6 NLT

In the next few verses in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul continued his teaching about headship. To recap, 1 Corinthians 11:3 reads, “But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God”.  The principle that everyone has a “head,” or someone to whom they are accountable, is fundamental to believers, and Paul wrote that men are accountable to Christ, who is their Head. So, how is this to be shown? In the Corinthian culture, there was much importance given to honour and shame, with a person’s behaviour significantly contributing to this. In our societies today, there is little that outwardly shows a man is a Christian. However, for those in leadership or a position of authority in some denominations, there is a dress code. For example, a minister or a priest can be distinguished by something we call a “dog collar”, a white band that goes under a shirt collar and covers up the top button. In a church service, individuals with a particular role can be seen wearing a cassock, a long, black or red-coloured garment. Senior members of the clergy also have a particular style of hat, which is worn in ceremonial circumstances. In the Church of Scotland, an elder can be seen wearing pin-striped trousers with a black jacket and tie, or, in previous years, wearing a suit with tails. But all of this applies in professional religious environments. In non-conformist churches and denominations, there is no such uniform, and leaders are indistinguishable from the laity. 

So, in public, what is there to distinguish a man who is a Christian from the rest of society? There are certain dress codes that a male believer should not adopt, of course, and one of them is the modern tendency for some men to dress as women. In recent years, much has been made in some Christian circles for men to be men, standing up and portraying the role that God has given them. But Paul particularly addressed the situation in a church service, when a man should display his reverence for his Head, Jesus, by not covering his own head. This level of strictness has been abandoned in some contexts, with baseball caps appearing in worship bands, etc., but this probably displays a lack of teaching rather than a deliberate attempt to dishonour Christ. 

Another thing worthy of note is that men had the opportunity to pray and prophesy. Paul wrote, “A man dishonours his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying”. For us men, our head is Christ, and we must have an attitude that is befitting and honouring to Him. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to” (Philippians 2:5-6). Sadly, today, the attitude of humility before God can be hard to find. Often, there is a matey-ness present in our relationship with God, regarding Him almost as an equal, a friend, but without an attitude of awe and a holy fear. 

It may be a time for us men to do a spiritual check-up, and consider how we honour Jesus with all that we are, our minds, our bodies and our souls. Psalm 96:8-9, “Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendour. Let all the earth tremble before him”. In that context, we should never bother to cover our heads. They would not be seen because we would be on our knees, our heads bowed, worshipping Jesus.

Dear Lord Jesus, our Head in the Godhead. Please forgive us for our lack of reverence, we pray, and instead we worship at Your footstool today. Amen.

Merely Human

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed. Arise, O Lord! Do not let mere mortals defy you! Judge the nations! Make them tremble in fear, O Lord. Let the nations know they are merely human.”
Psalm 9:18-20 NLT

David brings Psalm 9, what is to many a difficult Psalm, to an end. Its references to wicked people, enemies, judgement, and nations that ignore God, are not uplifting reading. But they are a sobering reminder that we live in an evil and sinful world that, particularly here in the West, and if the news media reports are to be believed, is set on ignoring God. David doesn’t forget the poor and needy in his society however, and he possibly feels despair that poverty is present. But his confidence in God is such that the “hopes of the poor” together with the cries of the needy will “not be ignored forever”. One day the scales of justice will be balanced, as we saw from the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16). 

David looked around his society and the adjacent nations from his kingly perspective and expressed his frustration that God didn’t seem to be doing anything about the injustices of life. The poor continued to be poor. His enemies continued to defy God. And David continued to pray, even cry out, to God for justice. Not some time in the future, but now. 

David ends his Psalm with the request for the nations to be put in their place. Point out to them that they are “merely human” is his request of God. Of course, God will one day answer David’s prayer in every generation, but anyone can compare his status with that of God right now. The evidence is all around us everywhere. Elihu, one of Job’s friends, said the following about God, “He repays people according to their deeds. He treats people as they deserve. … He doesn’t care how great a person may be, and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all. In a moment they die. In the middle of the night they pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand” (Job 34:11 19-20). And then, in Job 38:1-7 we read, “Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” 

There is no doubt that human beings are “merely human”. But the arrogance of mankind is endemic. It was in David’s day and it still exists today in 21st Century societies and nations everywhere. People everywhere ignore God and even invent theories that try and explain origins and how the world was formed. Even in the Church, some men and women stand up and in their arrogance they declare the thoughts of the Lord as though they live almost on His plane and have a special hot-line to His very throne. They well might have, but where is the reverence and awe of the One who created the universe? Where is the acknowledgement of the One to whom all glory and honour is due? Where is the humility of those God has created? It is just as well that God has not answered David’s prayers for justice and punishment because there would not be a single human being left on this planet.

But we pilgrims worship at God’s footstool. We are there in awe of the One who gave His life for those who are “merely human”. Let’s not ever forget that.

Dear Father God. Sometimes we assume too much from our relationship. Please forgive us when we step over the mark. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

No Fear

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“They have no fear of God at all.”
Romans 3:18 NLT
“Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all.”
Psalms 36:1 NLT

Paul ends his list of Old Testament Scriptural references with a quotation from Psalm 36. He simply points out, as David did so many years before when he wrote this Psalm, that sin and wickedness have a root in a lack of fear of God. 

There are many things to be fearful about with God, not the least that one day all humanity will have to stand before Him to give an account of their lives. That alone should be enough to strike fear into even the most defiant person. The second verse of Psalm 36 is, “In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are”. There is this tendency for human beings to deny that God will cause anything bad to happen, even if they accept that He exists. They rationalise or excuse their behaviour by saying that a God of love will never send anyone to hell. The doctrine of Universalism, which has gained popularity in recent years, maintains that everyone will ultimately be saved. This doctrine is based on verses like Acts 3:21,  “Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets“.  It would perhaps be a nice thought, but the context of Scripture is that salvation and eternal life is only gained through our belief in, and obedience to, Jesus. John 3:36, “And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” And so, if there is to be no penalty for wickedness and sin, the Universalists say, how they behave in the end won’t matter. But we pilgrims know that, ultimately, sin has to be judged and dealt with by our righteous God. And for those who are unrepentant, their future will not end well.

But fear doesn’t just mean a negative emotion resulting from an event or situation that will do us harm if carried out. That type of the fear of God only applies to the unbeliever, because one day they will be judged and will experience eternal death somewhere most unpleasant. For a Christian, the fear of God means the respect He is due because of who He is. It is a reverence of Him, supported by such Scriptures as Hebrews 12:28, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe”. That reverential fear should also extend into our behaviour as Christians, because, as His children, we have our responsibilities too. As our natural parents disciplined us, so does our Heavenly Father. Hebrews 12:5-6, “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child””‭‭.

I can just imagine the Apostle Paul shaking his head in disbelief with the realisation that there were those in the Roman church who had “no fear of God at all”. And, according to the verse Paul quoted, it’s all down to sin. Thankfully, his detailed letter contained everything needed to get the errant Roman Christians back on track. Paul’s words are timeless, and apply, with the same weight, today.

Dear Father God. In deep reverence we bow before You today. We worship You, our loving Father. Amen.