Romans 16:16 reads, “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the “called out” of Christ greet you.” Two things of importance are necessary to point out from this text. First, a culture that still recognizes this form of greeting need not be told to “kiss” when greeting. For this reason, it is important to always be aware of the context of Scripture. For example, we should ask questions about who is doing the writing and at what time and present situation/condition. Then, to whom was the author writing and what were the peculiar circumstances surrounding the writing. What was its purpose, if one can be ascertained? In this case, kissing was an already established custom of the day. Today, however, to be told to greet with a kiss in America would be a new commandment for it is not a common practice. Second, the emphasis in the verse, therefore, is not on the word, “kiss”, but on the word, “holy” (cf. 1 Cor. 16:20, 2 Cor. 13:12).
Therefore, Paul was not telling Christians to greet one another with a kiss as they were already doing it. Instead, he was describing the nature of their kiss. It must be holy or pure. However, there may be a need to be alerted and reminded that the kiss is different from an erotic kiss of the flesh. The difference is not only in where we place the kiss, but how it is applied.
Peter teaches similarly when he writes, “Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.” Second, the “ekklesias” is in the plural and conveys the physical location in which they live. When examples are given, we have the “ekklesia of God in Corinth,” or the “ekklesia at Jerusalem.” Please, be advised that Paul is not describing local church organizations. He is grouping the saints by cities in which they lived. The example of 1 Corinthians 16 has it, “All the brothers send you greetings.” The “called-out” are “all the brothers.”