ARE CHRIST AND HIS DISCIPLES CHRISTIANS?

(Photo by me - taken in Richmond, Tasmania)

I read the following line in a supposedly humorous article written about Biblical food “Jesus and his mates weren’t Christians” – the context had to do with the Passover Meal.

Was Christ a Christian and were His disciples Christians? I suppose the writer of the tongue-in-cheek article is technically correct, for Scripture (the test of the truth of all things) says, “And the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch” Acts 11:26.

Mind you, if we want to get technical we need to say that a Christian is a follower of Christ (as per Strong’s Concordance and the Oxford English Reference Dictionary).

Did Christ follow Himself? If He did, then He is surely also a Christian!

Who is Christ? “christ” means “anointed.” Christ is the Anointed of God. The word “Christ” is the Koine Greek equivalent of Hebrew “Messiah.”

If we who follow Christ are Christ-ians, then who does Christ follow? Like all Christians Jesus follows God who is Triune, ie, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. However, none of us are God-ians. We are Christians. We follow God through Jesus the Christ.

Who is Jesus? He is the Christ, the eternal Son of God. He is the Word who in time became also flesh (John1:14; Gal. 4:4).

Who did Adam follow? Who clothed Adam and Eve with animal skin in the Garden after the Fall? Who walked in the Garden with Adam? The pre-incarnate Christ. Adam, therefore, was a follower of Christ. And, as such, Adam was a Christian.

Who did Abraham follow? Who did he dine with? Who did he speak to when three men appeared when he sat in the doorway of his tent? The pre-incarnate Christ. Christ is the Angel of the LORD. He is the Messenger of the Covenant (Mal. 3:1) Abraham therefore was a follower of Christ. Says Jesus, “Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” John 8:56. Abraham, therefore, was a follower of Christ. And, as such, Abraham was a Christian.

Who did Moses follow? Who spoke to Moses from the burning bush? The Angel of the LORD (Exo. 3:2). Moses, therefore, was a follower of Christ. And, as such, Moses was a Christian.

Who were the people in the wilderness with Moses supposed to follow? Who was in the pillar of fire and of cloud? The pre-incarnate Christ. “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go day and night” Exo. 13:21. (See also 1 Cor. 10:4). The people in the wilderness, therefore, were followers of Christ. And, as such, were Christians.

Who did Jesus’ Disciples follow? They followed the incarnate Christ. The Disciples, therefore, as such, are Christians.

Christians, it would seem, have been around since the beginning and before it!