Charles Spurgeon Commentary 1 Thessalonians 5:26

"Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss." — 1 Thessalonians 5:26 (ASV)

Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.

This was the token of friendship in the East. To attempt to import it to the West would be not only absurd, but wicked. I may properly interpret this for us today as: "Greet all the brethren with a hearty shake of the hand; keep up the outward form of fellowship, for if you don't, you will soon forget the fellowship itself." The kiss was the Eastern custom; it was to be kept up. The shake of the hand is our Western custom. Let it be kept up. And I delight to see it when Christians meet and cordially greet each other according to the custom of their land.