Articles
I Only Want To Be A Christian
“And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).
As the “good news” about Jesus Christ and eternal salvation spread outward from Jerusalem, in the northern city of Antioch “a great number believed and turned to the Lord” (11:21). When Barnabas arrived he “encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord” (11:23). They had become “disciples” of Jesus Christ, and His church was established in the city of Antioch.
In many ways, simply following Jesus was easier in the infant years of the church. Denominations and human creeds didn’t exist to confuse people’s minds about the truth. Christianity hadn’t been complicated by “traditions of men” (cf. Matthew 15:6-9). Yes, there was the contaminating influences of Judaism, and false teachers would rise up (Acts 15:1; 1 Timothy 4:1-3), but Christianity and the gospel was still exclusively unique! Today, we have the pure word of God and His truth preserved in the New Testament (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Jude 3).
Being simply a Christian in the Lord’s church does have present-day challenges. We face questions such as:
- Who really is a Christian?
- Can we fellowship denominations?
- Why are there liberal, conservative and ultra-conservative churches of Christ?
- Do we need to be a “conservative Christian” to be faithful to God?
- Are members of liberal churches of Christ our brethren?
- Can the Lord’s church treasury be used to finance recreational and social activities?
You likely can add to the endless questions list.
Questions like these do challenge God’s people today. Suddenly, it may not seem so simple or easy to simply be a Christian! Yet, as you continue to read this article, I’m not as concerned with your answers, than I am about how you arrive at the answers to these and other questions. There are three basic rules to remember that can help guide you to arrive at sound Bible answers to present-day religious questions.
First rule, remember you are disciple of Jesus Christ — first. You are not a disciple of the “church of Christ.” There is a vast difference and mindset between the two of these! In Antioch, before Christ’s followers were called “Christians” they were simply called “disciples.” In Luke 14:27, Jesus used the exact same word, “whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
Thayer defined “disciple” (mathētēs) as “a learner, pupil” of a teacher. The Complete Word Study Dictionary stated, “Mathētēs means more in the NT than a mere pupil or learner. It is an adherent who accepts the instruction given to him and makes it his rule of conduct... Jesus had disciples in the sense that they believed and made His teaching the basis of their conduct.”
As a Christian, one is only a disciple — an adherent and learner — of Christ! His teachings are the basis of our individual beliefs and conduct, not a church or brotherhood camp “creed.” God is not interested in His people having a “church-herd mentality” who mindlessly follow church leaders, brotherhood magazines, or brotherhood movements. God is seeking individual sheep who think, learn and follow the Shepherd — Jesus Christ. “For you...have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” — Jesus the Lord (1 Peter 2:24).
As the Shepherd’s sheep (disciples), we hear only His voice, not another. The “sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out ...he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger” (John 10:3-5). We follow Jesus and His “words of truth” (Acts 26:25).
In John 8:31, Jesus conjoined His teachings and our faith together to define what it means to be His disciple. “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed’” As His disciples we thoughtfully read, study and follow Christ and His doctrine. Yes, it requires us to “think” and “work” to “follow” Him.
As you look back at the present-day questions, you may feel like these are “touchy questions”. Rightly so! But these are questions and issues that solicit our attention and Bible study. And there lays our quandary: do we study the Bible for ourselves with an mind open to God’s truth OR just follow a “brotherhood camp” position on any issue(s)? If we choose the latter, are we really a disciple of Christ and devotee to the “doctrine of Christ” ? (2 John 9). Let’s remember those in Antioch had “turned to the Lord” and were “encouraged” to “continue with the Lord” (11:21-23). They followed (notice “to” and “with”) Jesus Christ by believing and obeying His gospel only.
My own convictions on each of these “touchy subjects” are based on my own examination of the Scriptures. As disciples we are to “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
I do not believe the Lord’s church treasury can finance social and recreational activities for church members or the community, because I embarked on my own study of such practices using God’s word, not because a “brotherhood camp position” on the issue. Such church treasury endeavors are foreign to apostle’s teachings and the Scriptures.
One who has obeyed the gospel (Acts 2:38; Romans 1:16) is my brother “in the Lord,” although we may practice differently concerning the “touchy questions.” Though we may differ, we are still to love one another. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another” (John 14:34). His new commandment crosses all brotherhood party lines.
Second rule, because you are a disciple of Christ, you do not have to append adjectives such as liberal, conservative, or ultra-conservative to the noble name “Christian.” The name Christian is biblically sufficient. When you say you are a member of the “church of Christ,” do you say the “nondenominational church of Christ”? No! Saying “church of Christ” is biblically sufficient (Romans 16:16). While I am not opposed to using these same terms to accommodate discussion, I adamantly oppose “revising” the God approved name of His people. It is inconstant to say “I’m a Conservative Christian” and then to teach it’s wrong to say “I’m a Methodist Christian.” Strong-arming members in Christ’s body to add to the name “Christian” only feeds a denominational view of the church within the church. The apostle Paul said “you are complete in Him” (Colossians 2:10).
Third rule, each disciple is to be a student-learner of the Master Teacher. Sitting in a church pew doesn’t make one a disciple anymore than sitting in a cow pasture makes one a cow! Discipleship to Christ is radical and requires our growth in the knowledge of God’s word, “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:14). Being a disciple will always involve learning and growing! We are students of God’s word and Person of Jesus Christ, “everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his Teacher” (Luke 6:40).
The men, women and young people at Antioch who believed in Christ achieved the highest calling in life — becoming a disciple of Christ and adorning the noble name “Christian.” May your goal in life be that you simply want to be a Christian.
