“And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” (Acts 11:26 NKJV) If I were to conduct a survey with the question: what is a Christian?, the answers would be sure to vary. Regardless of what a person thinks, the term “Christian” is a biblical term therefore, it has a biblical definition (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10-13). There are only three times in the Bible where the term “Christian” is found:
First, the term is actually a name which contains the name of Christ. The prophet Isaiah, through the revelation given to him, prophesied about this new name in Isaiah 62:1-2 when he wrote, “For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name.” This God did in Acts 11:26 when the Gentiles were ushered into the one church. Prior to this point in time, those that adhered to Christ’s teaching were called “disciples” meaning “learners” (cf. Jn. 1:37). Christ is the only name connected with salvation and Christians are not ashamed to wear His name (Acts 4:10-12). Second, a Christian shares in the sufferings of Christ (1 Pt. 4:12-19). This makes complete sense since every Christian is a member of the body of Christ (cf. 1 Pt. 5:14 “in Christ Jesus”). Those Peter wrote to had been born again (baptized) and thus added to the one church (1 Pt. 1:3, 23; Jn. 3:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:13). If we live godly in Christ Jesus we will suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). Praise God that those who suffer with Christ will also be glorified with Him (Rm. 8:17-18; 2 Tim. 2:11-12). Finally, a Christian is one who follows Christ (1 Pt. 2:21-25). Christ is the Chief Shepherd (1 Pt. 5:4), and Christians are His sheep (Jn. 10:1-30). The sheep listen to (obey) the Shepherd. Following Christ is a daily task (Lk. 9:23-26). Jesus always did those things that pleased the Father which means that He always sought to do the Father’s will (Jn. 8:29, 6:38, 4:34). Christians will make every possible effort to do the same. What is a Christian? It is a glorious name which contains the name of the Savior. It is one who shares in the sufferings of the Savior. It is one who follows the Savior wherever He leads through His Divine Word. Are you a Christian? Trent Thrasher
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