📖WEB · 1 Peter 5:14
What does 1 Peter 5:14 mean?
"Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen."
— 1 Peter 5:14 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you; and so does Mark, my son.
Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Explanation
1 Peter 5:14 is the closing line of Peter's letter, and it functions much like the sign-off of a personal letter today. In plain language, Peter is instructing his readers to greet each other warmly and affectionately, using the specific custom of a "kiss of love," and then he pronounces a final blessing of peace over the whole community of believers who belong to Christ.
To understand the context, remember that 1 Peter was written by the apostle Peter to Christians scattered across Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) who were facing suffering, social pressure, and possibly persecution for their faith. Throughout the letter Peter has been urging believers to stand firm, to love one another deeply, to submit to God's authority, and to resist the devil. Having just given final exhortations to elders and to the whole church about humility and steadfastness, Peter closes the letter the way many New Testament letters close — with a call to warm greeting and a benediction of peace. The "kiss" mentioned here (also referenced in Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, and 2 Corinthians 13:12 as a "holy kiss") was a common cultural greeting in the ancient Near East and Greco-Roman world, similar to a handshake or embrace today, though within the church it carried the added meaning of Christian family affection rather than mere social custom.
Theologically, this verse reinforces two major themes that run through the letter: love within the Christian community and peace grounded in Christ. The instruction to greet "with a kiss of love" is not primarily about the physical
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