What’s New?
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
In this New Year, Theology 101 is exploring aspects of the newness toward which God is moving His people. We have considered among the new things a new covenant, a new memorial meal (The Lord’s Supper), a new commandment (Loving as Christ loves) and a new day of worship (The Lord’s Day). This week we look back on the new name by which Christ’s followers became known, the name “Christian.”
Those who chose to become followers of Christ were not immediately termed “Christians.” In fact, this term does not appear until the gospel reached into Gentile territory. While it is the commonly used designation for followers of Christ today, the name “Christian” occurs only three times in the Bible. The first recorded use of this new name is found in Acts 11:26, “And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” It occurs a second time in the account of Paul’s witness to King Agrippa, at the end of which Agrippa responded, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28). The remaining occurrence is in the admonition of 1 Peter 4:16, “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”
Prior to this new name, the followers of Jesus and His teaching were termed “disciples,” in the general sense of learners or adherents to the Christian message. Often the simple designation of “followers” of the way (Acts 9:2) or “believers” (Acts 4:4; 5:32) or “those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47) sufficed as descriptive terms for those who responded positively to the gospel.
The motivation behind the name bestowed at Antioch is not given. It is possible the name originated with opponents whose intent was to ridicule believers by attaching to them a name associated with Jesus who had been rejected and subjected to an ignominious death on a Roman cross. If so, what originated as dishonor became a badge of honor. On the other hand, it is possible the new name came out of admiration for a group of Christ-followers whose manner and character were reflections of Christ Himself. If so, this new name carried the compliment of describing Christ’s followers as “Christlike” or “Christian.”
Sadly, the name “Christian” does not always convey Christlikeness today. Sometimes it only designates a religious person as non-Jewish or non-Islamic or such like. Sometimes the term “Christian” is used only with sociological overtones to indicate a segment of society that is not pagan or nonreligious. Because of the diminished meaning that attaches to this new name, some have suggested that the Church needs to revisit and reverse Antioch so that Christians become known today as disciples or disciplined learners in process of knowing more about Christ and becoming more like Him in attitude and action. After all, Jesus’ vision for His followers as expressed in His Great Commission was for the Church to go into all the world to make not Christians but disciples.
Resembling Christ
Even so the new name, rightly understood and used, is a wonderful way to describe believers in and followers of Christ, especially when it connotes people who resemble Christ and reflect His teachings.
Concerning the new name, might we all be able to say with the gospel songwriter who gave expression to this ideal of the new name when he included in his song the chorus that says, “There’s a new name written down in glory, And it’s mine, oh yes, it’s mine.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — Jerry Batson is a retired Alabama Baptist pastor who also has served as associate dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University and professor of several schools of religion during his career.
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