Philippians 4:21 - All in (for) the family

"Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.  The brothers with me are greeting you."  

-It is customary in closing a social transaction to extend geetings to known intimates, friends, etc. ‘Say hello to your brother for me...’  Paul here adds the qualifier, ‘in Christ Jesus.’  This is commonly held to describe those being greeted, in keeping with the phrase used in Philippians 1.1.  And to be sure, the definition of a saint, or ‘holy one’, is someone who is in fact in Christ Jesus.  However, it can be objected that there are no saints who are not in Christ Jesus and that it is somewhat redundant for Paul to use that qualifier yet again, esp. in light of the fact that he does not use it to qualify the next two groups he mentions.  Thus it is possible to consider that the phrase ‘in Christ Jesus’ may in fact actually apply to the greeting as opposed to those being greeted, that it describes how greetings are to be conveyed.  Elsewhere we see similar descriptors - Romans 16.16, Romans 16.22, 1Corinthians 16.19, 2Corinthians 13.12, 1Thessalonians 5.26 - these are all closing greetings which clearly speak to HOW other believers were to be greeted.  Which leads us to the question - HOW SHOULD CHRIST-FOLLOWERS GREET ONE ANOTHER?  WHAT SHOULD IT LOOK LIKE?  Yes, it could involve a ‘holy kiss’ - warmth, enthusiasm, encouragement, sincerity, with some form of touch no doubt - like family even more than friends.  If I greet you (or let’s say a group or an assembly) IN Christ Jesus, I am communicating that we are in fact family and that I am committed to building you up and helping you and loving you, giving you grace and truth, that I am here for you.  From afar or in person.  In sickness and in health, for better or worse, richer or poorer...  :)  Yes, sort of like a marriage.  Which works as an analogy, since Scripture describes our relationship with the Lord in these same terms (Ephesians 5.23, Revelation 19.7).  Too much leaving and division in the body of Christ - and it goes back for centuries (google ‘east west schism’).  It’s one of the biggest turnoffs for those who are looking at Christ from the outside.  Not saying that God never moves people around - obviously He does that.  But hey, in our 21st century, there’s maybe too much of that too.  Just saying that if God has you in Philippi for a season, be all there and all in for that assembly of believers for as long as He has you there. ‘Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples...’ (John 13.35)