Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. (Acts 11:25-26)
“Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian’” (Acts 26:28).
“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” (1 Peter 4:16).

Our nation is often called a “Christian” nation, even though actual Christians comprise only a tiny minority of its population. In fact, the term “Christian” is so loosely used in common speech, I actually heard of a so-called “Christian basketball team,” called the “Holy Bouncers.” The New Testament usage of the word is far more restricted. Since we are to “speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11), we should find how the New Testament uses the term “Christian.” What is a Christian?

First, we need to know what is not a Christian. Contrary to popular opinion, not all good, morally pure people are Christians. One would be hard pressed to find a man of higher morals than Cornelius the centurion (Acts 10:1-2,22), but Peter had to tell him how to be saved (Acts 11:13-14), implying he was lost and, thus, not a Christian. Furthermore, not all religious people are Christians. Cornelius was certainly religious (Acts 10:1-2,22), but he was not a Christian, since he was not saved. Not even the godly characters of the Old Testament were Christians, because “the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Nor does membership in a denomination make one a Christian. Belonging to these divisive bodies violates the Lord’s prayer for unity (John 17:20-21), Paul’s plea for unity (Ephesians 4:1-6), and is specifically condemned as a work of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21 (“Dissensions” means “divisions,” and “heresies” means “sects”).

What, then, is a Christian? The New Testament word “Christian” means “a follower of Christ.” It is a noun, not an adjective, the name applied to certain individuals, not a description of anything and everything that has religious or moral suggestions. A Christian is a “disciple” (learner, follower) of Christ (Acts 11:26). Disciples are also called “saints” (Acts 9:1,13), meaning one “separated from sin and consecrated to God.” Since Saul’s persecution of the disciples is also termed doing evil to “the church” (Acts 8:3), Christians are members of the Lord’s church (1 Corinthians 12:27), the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23). “Christian” is the proper name for members of the church; “disciple” describes their relationship to the Master; and “saint” relates them to sin and to God.

Thus, a Christian bears certain spiritual relationships that other people do not. To the body of Christ, he is a “member,” i.e., a part, of the body (1 Corinthians 12:12,27). Since Christ has only one body (1 Corinthians 12:20), this is a distinguished privilege. To the family of God, he is a child (Ephesians 3:14-15; Galatians 3:26). Since God has no children outside His family, this is a great honor. In relationship to the kingdom of God, the Christian is a citizen (Ephesians 2:19; Colossians 1:13). There are only two kingdoms in the spiritual realm, one of Satan and one of God, and all are citizens of one or the other. The Christian is also a living stone in God’s temple (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5). This is the only realm where God will accept our worship and service.

Christians are not to be called by human religious names. The term “Christian” glorifies God (1 Peter 4:16) and honors the name of Christ, in whose name alone salvation can be found (Acts 4:10-12). Thus, Paul forbids us to wear sectarian names, as they demonstrate sectarian loyalty (1 Corinthians 1:10-13).

If you are not a Christian, you can become one simply by being saved by the Gospel (Acts 2:47; Romans 1:16).If you will hear the word of God (Romans 10:17), believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Romans 10:10), repent of your sins (Acts 11:18), confess your faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Romans 10:10), and be baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27), you will become a Christian.

A Christian is simply a disciple of Christ. If you are a Christian, strive always to live worthily of that noble name (Ephesians 4:1). If you are not a Christian, you need to become one, for only in Christ is salvation to be found (2 Timothy 2:10). Are you a Christian?