SOME BIBLE NAMES OF BELIEVERS - Part 2
Acts 11:26 "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."
We looked in our last meditation at the verse that deals with the origin of the name Christian in Scripture. I will use the same text because this is part 2 of that meditation.
There are two other places where the word Christian is used and I will give those here in the introduction in case you would like to make a further study of them.
Acts 26:28 says, “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” This statement from Agrippa seems to teach that by the time of the twenty-sixth chapter of Acts the word Christian was in common use.
1 Peter 4:16 says, “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” Peter uses the word Christian in a way that suggests that the name Christian was being accepted in honor by Christians.
Next,
WE ARE CALLED DISCIPLES
Luke 14:27 says, "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."
The word “disciple” translates “mathetes” and means, “a learner, a pupil.” It is a term that was probably in common use in that day. Rabbis had students who studied under them. They wouldn’t take just anyone. The students in the Jewish Scriptures had to meet the Rabbis’ requirements. Once you were accepted you became known as a disciple of that particular Rabbi whatever his name was. The word disciple is used one time in the Old Testament. Isaiah 8:16 says, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.”
Jesus and His disciples went to a wedding in Cana of Galilee and there He worked His first miracle: John 2:11, “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.” The words, “and his disciples believed on him,” may suggest that they were undecided until now about this new Rabbi that they had given up all to follow. I do not know where saving faith began in these disciples.
Just for a mind stretching truth let me mention that We teach today if one does not believe in the resurrection, then he cannot believe in the literal resurrection of Christ. If he does not believe in the resurrection of Christ, he is not saved. The resurrection of Christ is a part of the definition that the Bible gives to the gospel. See 1 Cor. 15:1-3. If you will check Matthew 16:18 and following you will see that Peter did not believe that Jesus would die and be raised again. This is not a contradiction. The disciples were in transition at that time. Today people are saved by believing the gospel and the gospel is the death, burial, and the resurrection of Christ.
John 6:60 69 says, "Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."
I have highlighted the words that I wanted to emphasize in this passage.
