Expert: Onaga Thomas - 11/18/2009

Question
QUESTION: does the church you attend obey Rom 16:16 and greet one another with a "holy kiss"?

thanks

ANSWER: Thankyou for your question


 Yes the church I attend always makes the attempt to greet one another with a "holy kiss" when we are gathered for worship.  "Holy Kiss" is translated differently in other translations of the bible.  I have a New Living Testament version, is which it is "Christian Love"....(greet one another is Christian love).  So, when we as a church gather we are supposed to greet one another in Christian love "holy kiss" and the church I attend does that.  

God Bless

Onaga Thomas

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: onaga

thanks for the reply with you that we are to greet one another in love and not literaly kiss.

would you also say that the use of the term "church of Christ" was also a term that was used by Paul as a general term and not ment to be binding every local assembly of Christians to go by that specific name since many other terms were used to describe the church besides coC?

Acts 20:28
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood

1 Timothy 3:15
But if I tarry long , that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Hebrews 12:23
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect ,

1 Corinthians 12:27
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Ephesians 4:12
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  

thanks
s  

Answer
Thankyou again for your question



 I also agree that the term "Church of Christ" is more of a generic term used to distinguish the local church just as those used in the scriptures you sited above.  It matters more that the church is doing and accomplishing the Lord's will and commandments than the so-called name it bears.  Now, I say that in saying that the term church of Christ is a biblical name (Romans 16:16) just as church of God, body of christ, and church of the living God are.  So if the bible-based church chooses to use these names, they have scripural right to do so.  I know some people even in Church of Christ get caught up in the "name" thing...but if you walked into a Church of God and saw that local congregation under the authority of God's word was behaving and practicing New Testament Christianity, it is still valid.  Of course we don't believe in denominationalism (ie..so called "churches"  who call themselves by whatever names they choose, historically can trace their founder to a man, are not organized according to the bible, etc).  The church that Jesus built (Matt 16:18) are composed of those you follow Him and Him only, if you are His church wearing his scriptural name, obeying his word, and accomplishing his will, you are in His Church.   Thankyou again for your question

God Bless

Onaga J. Thomas