jfkJohn F. Kennedy famously stood in Berlin (during the time when the Eastern and Western parts of the city were divided between Communist and Capitalist regimes), and declared “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Some later mocked the statement, arguing that the president misspoke and accidently said “I am a jelly donut” but actually he said it exactly right. He declared that as a free man, he belonged in the company of other free men, among them the people of Berlin. Thus he said “I am a Berliner” and the crowd gathered there knew exactly what he meant.

Still, JFK was playing fast and loose with the definition of a “Berliner.” It was excused, however, because his meaning was obviously symbolic.

There is another word that is played with fast and loose in our vernacular, one which is tremendously important to our lives in Christ. “Christian” is still the largest religious group in the country, though the word is used in a very generic sense. As a matter of fact, there is a lot of disagreement among people who call themselves “Christian” as to what actually constitutes one. Many people will say “I am a Christian” though they practice and teach very different things. When confronted with this apparent contradiction they say that the word “Christian” can apply to a great number of different kinds of people.They say the definition of the word is different depending on who is talking about it.

Isn’t that a silly thing? Why should there confusion? Does God not define the word for us in His Bible?

Keep in mind that the Bible is not an encyclopedia, and though we can not just “look up” the word to find out everything there is to know about it, we still are able to open the pages of God’s Word and learn just what the word “Christian” means. We can learn enough about it to properly define it, even though the word only appears a handful of times in the Bible.

In fact the first usage of the word is all that is needed to understand just what a “Christian” really is.

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 

Paul and Barnabas came to Antioch and lived for a year with the brethren there. Those brethren are called “the church” by Luke (the inspired author here). Then, Luke says “the disciples were called Christians…”

Who is a Christian? What is a Christian?

A Christian is a disciple to Christ…

A student who learns at the feet of the Master. Though He is ascended into Heaven we still learn from Him. How? We learn from His inspired Apostles. Paul and Barnabas spent a year with the brethren, during which time they “taught” much people. Those they taught were disciples…not to Paul, but to Christ.

A Christian is a disciple to Christ, that has been separated by Christ…

Notice that Luke writes that Paul and Barnabas assembled with the “church.” The word “church” means “called out” and describes the relationship of God’s people relative to the sinful world. We have been called out of the world, separated from it by Jesus Christ.

And since Jesus is the teacher we follow and since Jesus is the One who adds to His church (Acts 2), then what is a Christian?

A Christian is a disciple to Christ, that has been separated by Christ, and placed into the church of Christ.

THAT, and that alone is a Christian.