John 8:31-32 (KJV) - Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 13:35 (KJV) - By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Those that were to believe in Jesus had the opportunity to be identified as disciples. As seen in the scriptures above, disciples share two common traits:
1. Evidence of learning and studying.
The translated definition for disciple is a pupil or learner.1 In John 8, as the Jews began to believe in Jesus, it seemed that believing in Him was just the beginning (toward discipleship). It was those that would continue in His word (studying and living) that would be counted as His disciples.
2. Living out what is read and taught.
As we see in those scriptures above, living out what is read is what identifies you as a disciple of Christ. Loving others is seen as evidence of being a disciple as it is one of our greatest commandments (Matthew 22:34-40).
So what about the term 'Christian?!'
As the Bible illustrates, the term 'Christian' was first used to identify the disciples in Antioch:
Acts 11:26 (KJV) - 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.
The translated definition for Christian is a follower of Christ.2
Is there a problem with this?!
As the term Christian is used today to identify followers of Christ, it often isn't associated with the evidence of teaching, speaking, or living. Now, there are people that display evidences of discipleship as listed in the scriptures above, but the issue here people being identified as Christians without showing any trait of being a disciple. However, a change must be made...
See, there's more to living as a disciple than just saying I'm a Christian. It's about being a student of Jesus' teachings and commands and living them out. We must be disciples...disciples of Christ.
1 - Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for math?t?s (Strong's 3101)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2008. 29 Nov 2008. http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm? Strongs=G3101&t=KJV
2 - Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for Christianos (Strong's 5546)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2008. 29 Nov 2008. http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm? Strongs=G5546&t=KJV
