CLAIM: Paul commands Christians to greet each other with a holy kiss? Is this morally binding for today?

RESPONSE: If we began to kiss fellow Christians (even in an innocuous way), this would lead to many problems in our culture, which does not practice this in any other context. In fact, if anyone tried to “holy kiss” my wife, I would probably “holy” punch-them-in-the-face.

However, we shouldn’t ignore this passage –simply because it doesn’t “fit” in our modern culture. If we began doing this, we could very quickly gut the NT of many imperatives that are needed in our warped culture. While we shouldn’t kiss fellow Christians in our culture, we should follow the spirit of this passage by being affectionate to one another. While this might not mean “kissing” each other in our culture (although it still does in other cultures), this would mean showing affection by hugging, smiling, shaking hands, and being overall warm and affectionate to fellow Christians. For a similar example, see comments on 1 Corinthians 11:5-6.