Relationship between a Christian and a disciple
On hearing the term disciple or disciple of Jesus, one casts his mind back to the twelve devout followers of Jesus who lived many years ago, unaware that the Christian sitting next to him can be called a disciple of Jesus. The terms Christians and disciples are synonymous. One can be used as a substitute for the other.
Both terms, Christian and disciple, are used to call the believers or followers of Jesus Christ. From the outset, the believers and followers of Jesus, like those of Moses, John the Baptist, etc., were called disciples. However, the term Christians was later coined only for the disciples of Jesus Christ. It is written, “And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for the whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch“. (Acts 11:26)
Take note of ‘..the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch‘ – who or which people called the disciples Christians in Antioch? It appears the term Christian did not originate from the disciples of Jesus themselves. It originated from without; better said, it was the unbelievers who started calling the disciples of Jesus with the term Christians, which means “follower of Christ”. Therefore, the terms Christian and disciple are perfect synonyms, as one can be substituted for the other because it was the very disciples of Jesus who were also called Christians.
The term Christian was endorsed by the early Church fathers
In Luke 26, Paul, who had been arrested and was in the hands of the Roman governor Festus, was brought before King Agrippa for trial. Paul was given the chance to defend himself, and he did. After King Agrippa had listened enough to his defense, he said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian (Acts 26:28).”
The use of the term Christian to refer to Paul and all those who belong to Paul’s faith suggests that the term was widely used at the time. Moreover, there, Paul did not say anything in response to refute the word. And even afterward, upon all the epistles that Paul wrote, he said nothing to differentiate between the terms, Christian and disciple.
In one of Peter’s epistles, 1 Peter 4:15-16, Peter stated, “15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter (1 Peter 4:15-16).” Peter’s use of the term Christian partly suggests his endorsement of the term and partly suggests that the term was widely accepted and used even among the believers in Jesus. Verse 16 suggests that the name Christian identified with Jesus Christ so much that people were even persecuted for being Christians.
What is wrong with differentiating between Christians and disciples?
Any attempt to draw a line of difference between a disciple of Jesus and a Christian arouses a lot of questions, especially questions about salvation. We may ask if disciples of Jesus and Christians are two different categories of believers, then:
- When and how does one become a Christian and a disciple of Jesus?
- Which one of them is saved, a disciple or a Christian?
- Which ones are genuine followers of Jesus, Christians or disciples?
- Which one of them has the infilling of the Holy Spirit, a Christian or a disciple?
- Which ones are called children of God, disciples or Christians?
- Which one will go to heaven, a Christian or a disciple?
- Etc.
Since it is categorically written in the Bible that ‘the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch’, there is no room for argument or misunderstanding. And any attempt to differentiate the two directly opposes the Bible. Also, the early Christians who were there at the time the term Christians began did not see the terms Christians and disciples to represent two different categories of followers of Jesus, nor attempt to draw a line of difference between them; rather, they saw the two to be the same. So why should we attempt to differentiate them now?
The situation we have on our hands today is that Christianity is plagued with large numbers of people who profess to be Christians, yet they do not fit the description ‘disciples of Jesus’, for their deeds contradict biblical teachings. Because of this situation, many try to draw a line of difference between the terms disciple and Christian to no avail. Let’s just accept what the Bible says in Acts 11:26 that it was the same disciples of Jesus who were called Christians, period. Therefore, if a professing Christian does not fit the description disciple of Jesus, then he is also not a Christian.