By: Elder Allen Daniels
1) “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Acts 11:26
2) “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Acts 26:28
3) “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” 1 Peter 4:16
CHRISTIAN appears in the Bible only in the above three verses. At the time of these writings, CHRISTIAN was used contemptuously, and most likely was not applied by the early disciples to themselves, but was imposed upon them by their detractors.
Consider the experience of the apostle Paul who was brought before the Roman court for preaching the gospel, that is, he was one of those CHRISTIANS. He was charged by the Jews as being a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, who also had profaned their temple. Acts 24:4-6.
Paul, speaking to the governor Felix, said “I confess unto thee, that after the way which they [the Jews] call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets [in the same manner as my accusers]. See Acts 24:12-21.
Paul, shuffled from one court to another, told of his conversion from being a blasphemer, a persecutor and an injurious person to being the willing servant of the One he once persecuted; turning away from the things he once loved unto the things he once hated, and things which were once gain he counted as loss for Christ. Before one ruler after another, he recited the same doctrine concerning the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, confirming and affirming the Christ prophesized by the teachings and traditions of the very Jews who were his accusers.
Acts 11:26 says that the disciples were called Christians. Since DISCIPLE means a learner or pupil, we conclude that being CHRISTIAN is to be a student and follower of the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Acts 26:28, we find Paul in Caesarea having been in prison for approximately two years and again pleading his case before King Agrippa II. Agrippa enjoyed great influence among both the Romans and the Jews, as he was over all the Temple officers, and had authority to appoint the high priest.
Paul began his defense before Agrippa by saying, “I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews. I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?” Acts 26:2-8
Paul then gave testimony again of his conversion, telling how he had seen at midday a light above the brightness of the sun, shining round about him and the voice of the risen Christ speaking unto him in the Hebrew tongue and when Paul inquired about his identity, he was told, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” Acts 26:15
Summing up his defense, Paul said, “Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles” Of course, we all know Agrippa’s response to Paul’s testimony, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a CHRISTIAN.” See Acts 26:22-28
Did Agrippa mean that he was almost persuaded to be born again, as many today assert? No. Agrippa’s belief in the writings of the Old Testament prophets and his positive response to Paul’s testimony, I believe, give evidence that Agrippa was a regenerate child of God. Even so, there is no Scriptural record that Agrippa ever became a Christian; nevertheless, Paul’s preaching struck the heart of Agrippa, penetrating to the very depths of his soul, causing him to terminate the proceedings.
I believe this to be a true statement: not all children of God are Christians, but all Christians are children of God. Sometimes we hear the phrase, “that person is a born again Christian.” Or sometimes we are asked or hear others ask, “Are you a Christian?” My reaction is, “Can a person be a Christian and not be born again?” Or, “Is there any such thing as an unregenerate Christian?” How can a person be a true follower of Christ and not be born again? “Becoming a Christian” does not make you a child of God, but it manifests that you are. A person cannot be a true Christian without following the doctrine and teachings of Christ; therefore, in order for Agrippa to have become a Christian, he would have had to abdicate his kingship, cease following Rome and follow Christ. Also, he would have had to be willing to be persecuted along with the Christians of his day.
Yes, Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a Christian, and Paul responded, “I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.”
The last Biblical reference to the word Christian was written by Peter, who gave his life for the cause of Christ. He wrote, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” 1 Peter 4:15-16.
During New Testament times it meant something to be called a Christian, as it was not just a name worn on a shirt or on a car bumper, but to bear that appellation meant to subject oneself to the vilest of persecutions and sufferings, and many times, death. Nero put Christians on poles, poured oil on them and set them afire to light his garden. Jewish history tells us that Paul was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Nero and that Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome during Nero’s reign.
Every disciple of Christ should prayerfully seek the Lord’s grace in striving day by day to be more faithful Christians by learning and following His teachings, that we may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom we shine as lights in the world; therefore, may we let our lights so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven. See Philippians 2:15 and Matthew 5:16
Published: 2011-02-27 by WAD
About Allen Daniels