Month: March 2020

Are you a Christian?  Really?           By Tom Russell

The term Christian is by far the most common identifier of those professing to be of Christ today, but it was not always so.  We see it used only in the following three bible passages.

Acts 26:28-29 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

1 Peter 4:16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

Acts 11:26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

The terms “believers” and “saints” were used far more often than the term “Christian”, and “disciple/s” was the most common identifier of all with between 250-300 depending on the translations being used. 

“Christian” probably became more popular due to the fact that it contains the name or title, “Christ”, which means the “Anointed”. 

So, what is a Christian?

Peter, in 1 Peter 4:16, is obviously using the term to refer to those of “the household of God” as mentioned in verse 17.  This doesn’t really tell us what a Christian is, just whom the Christian is associated with.

It is when we get to the accounts found in Acts that we gain more insight into the character of a Christian.  In Acts 11:26 we see that “Christian” began to be used to identify “disciples” of Christ.  Now we’re getting somewhere for we know what a disciple is.  Vines Dictionary tells us that the word disciple comes from the Greek word mathetas which is defined as “learner or follower, which comes from mantheno and rooted in the word math which means “thought, accompanied by endeavor”.  So, a disciple is thinking, acting, learning, follower of Jesus Christ.  Does this sound like most of those professing to be Christians?

I have been blessed to know some truly brilliant people who were disciples of Christ.  Without exception they were characterized by an almost child-like inquisitiveness regarding Jesus Christ.  They not only readily admitted they were still learning about Christ after many decades of bible study, but were anxious to pursue any action demanded by their newer/greater understanding of Christ’s will.  This love for truth, and anxious desire to follow His word, is the basic identifier of a disciple of Christ.  We find proof of this in Christ’s own words, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 The word “abide” means to continue in, to hold, to stand in and for the truth of Christ.

Can we not see from this that a “Christian” is not someone who simply professes to be a Christian, but rather is one who continuously pursues a greater understanding of Christ through His word and obeys Him?  Much of Christ’s most severe condemnation was directed at the Pharisees who hypocritically professed faithfulness while refusing to submit to the same law of God that they preached on the street corners and in the synagogues.  Christians must learn from the failure of the Pharisees and be practitioners of truth, not pretenders of righteousness!

What level of intensity?

How seriously should we pursue this?  How intense should we be about “abiding in” Christ’s word?  Note again Paul’s response to King Agrippa after Agrippa said he was almost persuaded to be a Christian in Acts 26:29 “I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”  Anyone with knowledge would agree that the Apostle Paul exemplified a Christian life.  Christ was first in Paul’s life, and the word and will of Christ was the order that Paul lived by.  Paul truly lived “Christ” and so Christ lived in Paul. 

In considering the letters of Paul, Peter, John, James, etc. we see they encouraged and expected the disciples receiving the letters to exercise the same level of commitment they did.  Jesus himself is our example in coming to this earth in obedience to the will of His Father to meet our needs at the cost of His life. 

A Christian is one who commits to Christ as Christ has committed to the Christian!