A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. The Bible uses several other terms to refer to followers of Christ. Among them are “disciples” (Acts 11:26), “believers” (Acts 5:14), “brethren” (Acts 11:29), “saints” (Acts 9:13), and “children of God” (Rom. 8:16). The word “Christian” is found only three times in the New Testament (there are no Old Testament Christians).
We see the word “Christian” is misused by many in the world today. Good people are sometimes referred to as “Christians” without any regard to their religious beliefs or practices. Some use the word “Christian” in a broad sense to refer to those in western cultures who are not Jews or Muslims. There are times when the word is used to describe things that aren’t even associated with the Bible. Such misuse waters down the significance of this word.
1. A Christian is a Disciple of Christ. The first time the word “Christian” appears in the Bible is in Acts 11:26. “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.” True disciples of Christ have distinct characteristics.
Baptized Believer. Jesus commissioned His apostles to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). If a Christian is a disciple, then a Christian is one who has been taught, believes, and has been baptized. The are no unbaptized Christians in the Bible.
Follows the Teachings of Christ. After the apostles made disciples, they were to teach them to observe all the things that Jesus had commanded (Matt. 28:20). Since a disciple is a follower, a Christian is one who follows the teachings of Christ. “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed’” (John 8:31).
Member of the Lord’s Church. A Christian is one who is saved, and the moment one is saved, he is added to the Lord’s church. “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). There is no “joining the church of your choice.” There is only one church in the Bible, and a Christian is added to that church the moment they are saved.
Worships God. A true Christian worships God the way God wants to be worshipped: “…those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). In spirit (sincerely, from the heart) and in truth (according to the pattern set forth in the New Testament) not after their own desires or the customs and traditions of the day.
Contends for the Faith. A true Christian is not a pacifist. They are soldiers fighting the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). As Jude admonished, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (v. 3). To “contend earnestly” means to struggle about a thing as a combatant. The “faith” is the truth of the gospel, the teachings that a disciple must follow. A true Christian is willing, ready, and able to defend the truth against error.
2. A Christian persuades others to become Christians. The second occurrence of the word “Christian” is in Acts 26:28. In this passage, Paul was giving a defense of his faith before King Agrippa. As he concluded his message, he asked Agrippa if he believed the prophets. “Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’ And Paul said, ‘I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains’” (vs. 28-29).
Paul did not have a live-and-let-live attitude towards others. He spoke plainly about his desire for everyone to become a Christian. Paul’s prayer for Israel (a religious people) was that they be saved (Rom. 10:1). This means Paul believed they were lost. A true Christian does not see all religious people as being right with God. They know Jesus is the only Savior of the world (Acts 4:12).
3. A Christian is willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. The final place the word “Christian” is found in the Bible is 1 Peter 4:16. “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” Peter spoke of a great persecution that was coming on these Christians. They were not to think it strange or be ashamed of the fact that they were suffering. Instead, they were to rejoice because they were partaking with Christ’s sufferings (vs. 12-16).
True followers of Christ will suffer for their faith (Matt. 5:10-12, 2 Tim. 3:12). Christians don’t have to go looking for trouble. Their allegiance with Christ has made them enemies of this world (John 15:18-20). This helps us understand that the biblical use of the word “Christian” denotes a spiritual distinction, not a social or ethnic distinction. A Christian is one who follows Christ, and is willing to suffer, if need be, because of that choice.
True Christians are going to bear the characteristics of the Christians we read of in the Bible. A Christian is a disciple of Christ, one who persuades others to become Christians, and one who is willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. It is unethical, and sometimes against the law, to knowingly claim to be something that one is not. Professing to be a Christian doesn’t make you one. Are you a true Christian?