29 Apr 2007
Have you ever wondered where the name “Christian” originated? Would you be surprised to know that the followers of Christ weren’t first called Christian?
Originally those who believed in Jesus were called followers of the Way (Acts 9:2). At first the Church was comprised of Jews who knew that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah, but eventually, in obedience to Christ’s command to go into all the world (Matthew 28:18-20), the Gospel spread to the Gentiles, a term referring to anyone who wasn’t Jewish. That meant that the good news of salvation in Christ was transitioning from a group of people who already believed in one God and who already accepted His standards for behavior (the Ten Commandments), to people who did not have that same belief system. The Jews were basically already people who accepted lifestyle standards—they just needed to know that they weren’t saved by being good. The Gentiles, however, had few standards to live by, and needed to see the power of the Gospel at work in the lives of those who believed in Jesus before they could accept Him as their Lord! It was at the edge of this expansion into the world of Gentiles that the followers of Jesus received the name that has been our identification for the past 20 centuries, for it was at Antioch of Syria that the disciples were first called “Christian” (Acts 11:26).
There is some debate on whether this name was first used in derision towards the faithful, or was a name they chose to call themselves in order to express their identity as believers in Jesus. Either way the name stuck, and those who came to faith in Christ took on His Name by calling themselves “Christ-ones” or “one belonging to Christ.” This name, Christian, was not then nor should it be now, a label to identify a group of people by its association with each other (i.e. Republicans or Oregonians), but a description of their lifestyle (like Christ). A person is first called a Christian by their confession of faith and baptism into Christ, but then maintains that name of Christ-one by living the Christian life.
In the long run, it doesn’t matter if we call ourselves a Christian. What does count is whether others can see in us the attributes, the manifestation of the life of Christ, as we live our lives every day in every situation. In other words, do our deeds and words match the Name we wear? Is our behavior and language consistent with the life described in the Bible, or contradict our claim to be His disciple? Do we act like a Christian when we are the only Christian, or only when there are other Christians around? As Jesus said, we will be known by our fruits, by the product of our life!
So what does this look like in real life? Are we any different from the rest of the world when it comes to our choices, our reading material, our entertainment, our speech or our behavior? How sad that there seems to be little difference between Christians and non-believers in areas such as infidelity or divorce, in believing whether there are standards of right or wrong, or on issues such as abortion and homosexuality. How can we claim the name “Christ-one” if you can’t tell the difference between one who believes and one who doesn’t?
Certainly we are not saved by how we live, or whether or not we adhere to a moral code of conduct. But the Bible does tell us that those who make a commitment to Christ, those who confess their faith in Him as Lord and Savior, will show that they are saved by how that salvation makes a difference in their lifestyle. The Bible says our faith will be shown by our deeds (James 3:14-24), or as we might say, “actions speak louder than words!”
Let us, then, be known by others as “Christ-ones” because we really are!
Denis Whittet
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