The holy kiss was a warm, pure expression of fellowship and love used as a greeting among early Christians.
It is mentioned five times in the New Testament as a command or encouragement for believers to greet one another.
In the culture of the time, a kiss on the cheek was a common greeting among family and close friends; the church adopted it as a sign of spiritual family relationship.
The adjective “holy” emphasizes that this greeting was to be sincere, pure, and free from any impure motive.
In the first-century Mediterranean world, a kiss was a normal way to greet relatives, friends, and those with whom one shared a close bond. When the apostles instructed the churches to greet one another with a holy kiss (or a kiss of love), they were taking a familiar cultural practice and filling it with Christian meaning. Believers from different backgrounds — Jew and Gentile, slave and free, rich and poor — were now one family in Christ. The holy kiss publicly expressed that new family bond. It was to be “holy,” meaning set apart from romantic or impure connotations and marked by genuine love and purity. The practice reminded the church that their unity was real and that they belonged to one another in the Lord.
- The holy kiss appears in the closing sections of several New Testament letters as a practical expression of Christian love and unity.
- It was a culturally appropriate way of greeting that the apostles baptized with gospel meaning.
- The word “holy” guards the practice against any misuse or impurity.
- Peter calls it a “kiss of love,” linking it directly to the sincere love that believers are to have for one another.
- The command assumes a church family in which barriers of class, ethnicity, and status have been broken down by the gospel.
- While the specific form (a kiss) was cultural, the underlying principle of warm, pure, family-like greeting remains.
- Modern application varies by culture: a handshake, embrace, or other pure expression of affection may carry the same meaning in different settings.
- Expression of Family – It signaled that believers were brothers and sisters in Christ, not merely acquaintances.
- Purity – The requirement that it be “holy” protected the greeting from any sexual or impure intent.
- Unity – It visibly crossed social and ethnic lines that normally divided people.
- Love – Peter’s phrase “kiss of love” roots the practice in genuine care for one another.
- Mutual Greeting – The instruction is reciprocal: believers were to greet one another this way.
- Cultural Form, Timeless Principle – The outward form may change with culture, but the call to warm, pure, familial affection remains.
- Romans 16:16 – “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.”
- 1 Corinthians 16:20 – “All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.”
- 2 Corinthians 13:12 – “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:26 – “Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.”
- 1 Peter 5:14 – “Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”
- Acts 20:37 – A related scene: “And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him.”
- Luke 7:45 – Jesus notes the absence of a customary kiss of greeting in the Pharisee’s house.
- Luke 15:20 – The father of the prodigal “ran and embraced him and kissed him,” showing deep affection and reconciliation.
- Song of Solomon 1:2 and other Old Testament passages show the kiss as a normal expression of affection in Hebrew culture, though the New Testament usage is specifically a greeting of fellowship.
- Fellowship
- Brotherhood / Sisterhood in Christ
- Love for One Another
- Unity in the Body
- Church Life & Commitment
- Greeting / Hospitality
- Purity
- Family of God
- One Another Commands
- Kiss of Love
The holy kiss was a simple yet profound practice in the early church. In a world of rigid social divisions, believers greeted one another as true family — with a pure, heartfelt sign of love and acceptance in Christ. The specific custom of kissing may not translate directly into every modern culture, but the principle does: the church is a family, and our greetings should reflect genuine love, warmth, and holiness. Whether expressed by a holy kiss, a warm embrace, a handshake, or another culturally appropriate sign, the call remains to greet one another in a way that says, “You belong here. You are my brother. You are my sister. Peace be with you in Christ.”
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.