Using Cultural Practices to Promote Love and Kindness in Christianity
Promoting Love and Kindness through Cultural Practices in Christianity
The practice of promoting love and kindness is deeply rooted in Christian teachings. The author of Hebrews encourages believers to "consider how to provoke one another to love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24) [1]. This provocation is not limited to verbal encouragement but is also expressed through various cultural practices that foster a sense of community and affection among Christians.
One such practice is the "kiss of charity" or "holy kiss," mentioned in several New Testament passages (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Peter 5:14) [2, 5, 8]. This practice was a common cultural expression of affection and respect in the ancient Near East, used as a greeting or farewell among friends and family [4]. Early Christians adopted this practice as a way to express their love and unity with one another. According to Adam Clarke, the holy kiss was a means to "bring about a good understanding" and to "let the spirit of friendship live among" believers [8].
The practice of hospitality is another cultural expression that promotes love and kindness in Christianity. The apostle Paul encourages believers to "practice hospitality" and to "share with the saints who are in need" (Romans 12:13) [2]. This practice is not limited to providing material support but also involves showing affection and care to others. In the view of Tyndale House, acts of Christian kindness can "bring a hostile person to repentance before God and restore fellowship between people" (Romans 12:20-21) [7].
The biblical emphasis on forgiveness and tenderheartedness is also crucial in promoting love and kindness. The apostle Paul exhorts believers to "be courteous one to another, and tender hearted, freely forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake, freely forgave" them (Ephesians 4:32) [3]. This emphasis on forgiveness and tenderheartedness is rooted in the understanding that believers are part of a new community, united in Christ, and are called to reflect God's love and kindness to one another.
The early Christian community's practices, such as the holy kiss and hospitality, were not merely cultural expressions but were deeply rooted in their understanding of Christian love and kindness. According to John Gill, the holy kiss was a "Christian salutation" that expressed "hearty and sincere" affection and friendship [10]. Matthew Henry notes that the design of Christ in giving himself for believers is that they may be "zealous of good works" and that brotherly love is a fundamental aspect of the Christian community [9].
The practice of promoting love and kindness through cultural expressions is not limited to the early Christian community. Throughout history, Christians have continued to find ways to express their love and kindness to one another, often adapting cultural practices to their context. The key is to understand that these practices are not mere customs but are rooted in the biblical teachings on love, kindness, and community.
The biblical teachings on love and kindness are closely tied to the understanding of human nature and the impact of sin. According to Tyndale House, all human beings are born sinners, and it is only through the work of Christ that believers can overcome their sinful nature (Psalm 58:3; Romans 7:19-23) [6]. The practice of love and kindness is thus not merely a moral obligation but is an expression of the new life that believers have in Christ.
Sources
- Hebrews “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, -- Hebrews 10:24”
- Romans “Romans 12:13 (BSB) — Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
- Ephesians “Ephesians 4:32 (Geneva1599) — Be ye courteous one to another, and tender hearted, freely forgiuing one another, euen as God for Christes sake, freely forgaue you.”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Kiss — Kissing the lips by way of affectionate salutation was customary among near relatives of both sexes, in both patriarchal and later times. (Genesis 29:11; Song of Solomon 8:1) Between individuals of the same sex, and in a limited degree between those of different sexes, the kiss on the cheek as a mark of respect or an act of salutation has at all times been customary in the East, and can hardly be said to be extinct even in Europe. In the Christian Church the kiss of charity was practiced not only as a friendly salutation, but as an act symbolical of love and Ch”
- King James Version “[KJV] 1 Peter 5:14 — Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 58:3: 58:3 All human beings are born sinners (see 51:5); however, whereas the wicked indulge their sinful nature, the godly fight against it (Rom 7:19-23; Jas 4:1-10).”
- Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 12:20: 12:20-21 A simple act of Christian kindness can often bring a hostile person to repentance before God and restore fellowship between people.”
- 2 Corinthians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 2 Corinthians 13:12: Greet one another with a holy kiss - Use every means by which a good understanding may be brought about. Let the spirit of friendship live among you, and encourage its continuance by every friendly act. See the note on Rom 16:16.”
- Hebrews (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Hebrews 13:1: The design of Christ in giving himself for us is that he may purchase to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Now the apostle calls the believing Hebrews to the performance of many excellent duties, in which it becomes Christians to excel. I. To brotherly love (Heb 13:1), by which he does not only mean a general affection to all men, as our brethren by nature, all made of the same blood, nor that more limited affection which is due to those who are of the same immediate parents, but that special and spiritual affection which ought to exist among the ”
- Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 16:15: Salute one another with an holy kiss,.... Christian salutation is a wishing all temporal, spiritual, and eternal happiness, to one another; and which, as it should be mutual, should be also hearty and sincere, and this is meant by the "holy kiss"; the allusion is to a common custom in most nations, used by friends at meeting or parting, to kiss each other, in token of their hearty love, and sincere affection and friendship for each other; and is called "holy", to distinguish it from an unchaste and lascivious one; and from an hypocritical and deceitful one, such an o”