When was a Disciple called a Christian?

My readers should read my earlier postings "True Disciple and True Christian" (28th. March 2005) and "Paradigm Shift for the Body of Christ?" (11th. April 2005) before they read this. This posting is the extension of the earlier postings with some new revelations.

In most comtemporary Local Churches, the purpose of a discipleship program is to make or teach Church members to be true disciples of Jesus Christ. In other words, to the contemporary Bible teachers, Church members are not disciples unless they are trained by a series of man-made "training package" or man-made system or rules.

The purpose of this message is not in any way to criticise any Local Church having a discipleship program. This is strictly a Bible study message.

The difference between a Disciple and a Christian

The Nelson's Bible Dictionary defines "disciple" as "a follower of Jesus", and "Christian" as "an adherent or follower of Christ". Clearly, there is very little difference between a disciple and a Christian except that being an "adherent" of Christ indicates that the Christian is a serious and more committed follower of Christ. In other words, a belivever being a Christian has grown to a higher level of maturity than a disciple. Therefore, if a person is not a disciple, he is also not a Christian. If he is not a Christian, there is no way we can make him a Christian. If he is a Christian, then he is automatically a disciple - a logical conclusion.

The Scripture reveals an important difference between a disciple and a Christian. Please read Acts 19:1 to7.

Paul found some disciples in Ephesus. They have not heard of the Holy Spirit and said they were baptised with John's baptism of repentance. Then Paul ministered to them and baptised them in the name of the Lord Jesus (baptism in water). When he laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. The implication is that, before water baptism a believer is a disciple. After water baptism the disciple is qualified to be a Church member when the Church was founded. Notice that in early New Testament Christianiy, disciples are water baptised before they join a Church.

Making of Disciples

The Bible commands believers to make disciples (not Christians or Church members) of the unbelieving world:

Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, bapitizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19, emphasis added).

"And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch" (Acts 14:21, emphasis added).

Notice that, disciples are made by the preaching of the Gospel which is "the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). About three thousand disciples were made after Peter's first sermon (Acts 2:41).

When was a Disciple called a Christian

There are three questions we can ask. When was a disciple called a disciple, when was a disciple called a Christian and when was a Christian called a disciple? The last is an invalid questian. The only valid reason why a Bible teacher or a pastor tries to teach Church members how to be disciples is, he is assuming that believing members in the Local Church are not Christians. Not only they are not Christians but not disciples as well. All Church members must be Christians. It is true that Church members have different levels of maturity, but, all of them are Christians.

In the New Testament a disciple of Christ is called a "disciple" at one time and called a "Christian" at another time. In Gospel Time all disciples (including the apostles) and followers of Jesus were called diciples. When the first Church was founded, disciples were called Christians. Since then all Church-going water baptised disciples are called Christians.

Notice that, you cannot find the word "Christian" in the Old Testament Scripture. The word "Christian" occurs three times in the New Testament, and all three times appear after the Christian Church was founded:

1. Luke recorded, "And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26, NKJV, emphasis added). In other word, the disciples were not called Christians before the first Church was founded in Anotioch.

2. Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:28).

3. Peter exhorted, "If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed" (1 Peter 4:16).

Other Names for Disciples and Christians

1. Disciples are those who are taught or instructed:

"Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples" (Isaiah 8:16).

2. At Romans time, a Christian means a slave of Christ as Caesarian a slave of Caesar

3. Before the Church in Antioch was founded (prior to the adoption of the name Christian), disciples called themselves as "believers":

"And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women" (Acts 5:14).

They were also called "saints" (Acts 9:13,32,41) or "brothers or brethrens" (Acts 6:3). These names continued to be used after disciples adopted the name "Christians".