Today’s society is totally confused in understanding the word “Christian”. God defines “Christian” in three key verses where the word is used.
The word “Christian” first appears is Acts 11:26: “And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” These disciples were first called Christians by their neighbors because they could only associate the tremendous changes which they saw in the disciples to the influence and impact that Jesus had upon their lives.
The first thing we learn from God’s definition is that Christians live changed lives because their lives have come under the new management of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. What a tribute to the early disciples’ dedication to Jesus that when others saw them, they thought of Jesus. Acts 4:13: “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus”.
Today so many in our society claim to be Christians that the definition of the word has become so watered down that you cannot tell if he/she thinks he/she is a Christian unless he/she happens to tell you by word of mouth. According to God’s definition, a Christian’s life-style is so different from the world and his/her attitude is so much like the attitude of Jesus, that he/she simply must be a Christian!
The Christian life is a changed life because Christians have repented of the practice of sin and selfishness. A Christian’s past attitude was focused upon “me, myself and I”; his attitude is now focused upon Jesus and the spiritual things above (Col. 3:1-2). A Christ-focused attitude will become apparent to others as the spiritual light of Jesus begins to shine in and through these Christians.
The 2nd reference to “Christian” is in Acts 26:28, where King Agrippa told Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian”. Paul had told Agrippa the story of his conversion (vv. 1-21). He preached the gospel by telling him how all that had happened to Jesus was foretold by Moses and the OT prophets (vv. 22-23). As Agrippa listened to Paul’s powerful testimony, he said that he was almost persuaded to become a Christian.
From this passage, we conclude that not only does the Christian life involve a change, but it involves a choice to follow and obey Jesus as the one and only Lord as we also trust Him as the Savior of our souls.
Acts 26:28 teaches that the choice to follow Jesus as Lord involves more than “faith only”. In v. 27 Paul said: “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” Paul knew King Agrippa was a believer in God and His word. But even Agrippa knew that belief alone did not automatically make him a Christian, for he himself said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
If the choice to become a Christian does not involve “belief only”, what else does the choice involve? Paul told Agrippa, (v. 29), “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become . . . such as I am, except for these chains.” Paul wanted Agrippa to follow Jesus the same way he had chosen to follow Him. When we study Paul’s conversion, we will know exactly what we must do to become a Christian.
When Ananias contacted Saul he told him, “and now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Saul was commanded to call upon the name of the Lord by obeying Him in water baptism. Saul had to make this choice to begin a life of obeying Jesus as Lord.
We are living in an age of religious emotionalism and quackery! Men are urged to become Christians by praying for Jesus to come into their hearts, by signing a commitment card or similar things. The New Testament teaches that people became Christians by believing in Jesus as God’s Son, by repenting of their sins and by being buried with Him by baptism into His death (Rom. 6:3-4). Jesus Himself said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved . . .” (Mk 16:16).
The 3rd and final verse the name Christian is mentioned is 1 Pet. 4:16: “if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” We put these three key verses together and we are driven to an obvious conclusion. God’s definition of a Christian involves a change, a choice and a challenge (the challenge to suffer as a Christian).
This is where most 21st century Christians draw the line in serving Christ. We want to follow Him if it is convenient. We want to be a Christian if it doesn’t cost too much time, money or inconvenience. But when the going gets rough and people look upon us as “weird” or if they talk behind our backs or make fun of us, we don’t want to be a Christian any longer! We had rather go along with the crowd and be popular with them, rather than go along with the Lord and become unpopular with people.
Christianity, in its purest form, has never been a popular thing. It is so contrary and opposed to the world and what the world thinks and practices that those who seriously follow the Lord Jesus will face some opposition and/or persecution.
In deciding if we are going to meet the challenge of following Jesus, we need to give some very serious thought to one important matter. If we choose not to follow Jesus because we want to be popular with the world, we need to be willing to pay the cost of being friends of the world. James says, “Whoever . . . wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
Each person must decide whom he/she will befriend. If we choose to be friends of the world, we make ourselves enemies of God. If we make the opposite choice of being friends of God, we end up as enemies of the world. I don’t know about you, but I had rather fight a temporary battle with this world and be eternally free, than to be friends of this temporal world and end up an eternal enemy of God!
Ralph Weinhold; Danville (AR) church of Christ.
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