Call me "christian" no more!

Call me ‘christian’ no more!

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Yep – I’m thinking about it.  I’m thinking about answering the question, “Are you a Christian?” with a resounding, “No!!!”

Why?  Simply put, because that’s not what God calls me!

Three times the denominator “Christian” is used in scripture and at no time is it intended to be anything more than a slur.

Act 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.

Act 26:28  And Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?"

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

Christianós; gen. Christianoú, masc. noun from Christós (G5547), Christ. A name given to the disciples or followers of Christ, first adopted at Antioch. It does not occur in the NT as a name commonly used by Christians themselves (Act_11:26; Act_26:28; 1Pe_4:16). The believers first became known as Christians as an appellation of ridicule.

The official Roman charge against Believers was atheism.  Should we consider calling ourselves atheists?  What about “fools?”  Should we just accept the name given us by the world.  Or should we consider using the terms by which God calls us?

We might call our selves “disciples of Jesus.”  However that just tells folks we are students of a guy called Jesus.  It’s import is little more than the Pharisees’s and John’s followers were. 

How about this piece of Bible trivia – did you know that it is only in the Gospels and the Acts off the apostles that Believers are called disciples?  That’s right, after Acts the appellation is not used.  Why?  Because after the giving of the Holy Spirit Believers became much much more than mere disciples.

But, you say, we are called to make disciples!!  Absolutely true – and we can.  What we can’t do is make Believers!!!!!  Get it?  We go – we teach Christ and Him crucified – people come to hear/learn – they are disciples – then the Holy Spirit acts and they become Believers – then we baptize them.  Get it???  We are only capable of making disciples who may or may not become believers.

OK – so what now?  Well, you’ve got “Believers,” and “Saints.”  Those are the two predominant appellations we find in scripture.  Those are the most common terms God uses to “name” His people.  So whose name do you want to carry – the one given us by the pagans in Ephesus which was intended to be a slur or the names given us by God?

Is this a big deal?  Yes and no.  It is a big deal when we consider calling biblical things by biblical names.  It is a big deal when we want to be accurate and God honoring.  It is a big deal when we want to make sure that the world knows who and what we are.  In terms of our salvation – it’s not so big a deal.

The term “christian’ was intended to be a pejorative not simply a name.  It was intended to demean and insult those it was used of.  It was intended to marginalize those it was applied to.  Mmmmmmmm?  Sound familiar?   I don’t know about you but I’m tired of accepting the world’s appellation – I think I prefer God’s.

των  πιστων = the believers

ἅγιος  hágios; = saints

οι ηγορασμενοι = the redeemed

λαος θεου = people of God

δουλοι χριστου = servants of Christ

δουλος ιησου χριστου = servant of Christ Jesus

It’s time we took back our true name!  No, this isn’t a matter of salvation but it is one of correctness and scriptural accuracy.  We are:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. (1Pe 2:9-11)  ESV

I think it’s high time we considered claiming our true status, our real name.  Nick names can be good or bad.  In the case of the word Christian – there was no good intent in its being applied to those who follow the Lord or Lords.  Things haven’t changed much over time except that we’ve accepted the appellation of the world’s ridicule as some kind of a warped badge of honor.  I for one have a problem with that!