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Jumpstarter 10 of 10

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Romans Commentary Chapters 9-16  /  Romans 16:1-16 Greetings to Various Individuals Part Two  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
The lesson describes the “holy kiss” as a structured part of worship before communion and as a “revolutionary institution” that erased class distinctions (masters kissing servants, rich kissing poor)—what present-day practices in your church actually function to flatten status and reconcile relationships before communion, and what concrete changes would be needed if they don’t?
Another way to ask: What does your church do before communion to break down status and fix relationships, and what specific changes are needed if it doesn’t really do that?

Direct Answer The transcript implies churches should have a deliberate, embodied practice of reconciliation and equal fellowship before communion; if we lack that, we may need intentional steps that remove class barriers and address pride and envy.

Support from Transcript:

  • Bercot says the “holy kiss was an important part of early church life,” and Paul exhorts it in “four of his letters.”
  • It was “an established part of Sunday worship”: after prayers but “before they partook of communion.”
  • Justin Martyr is cited: “having ended the prayers, we greet one another with a kiss.”
  • Apostolic Constitution: men greet men and women greet women, and it warns against deceit “as Judas betrayed the Lord with a kiss.”
  • Bercot calls it “revolutionary” because it erased class distinctions: “no master would greet a servant with a kiss… Yet in the church, it was different.”
  • Chrysostom says the kiss removes “arguing and confusion,” puts away pride, and harmonizes rich/poor: “haughtiness and envy are driven away.”
Discussion Follow-ups What do we currently do right before communion that actually repairs strained relationships and equalizes social standing? If nothing concrete exists, what structured practice (public reconciliation, intentional greeting, accountability) could replace the ancient function of the holy kiss?

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