We find in the New Testament Scriptures that those who obey the Gospel are designated by various names or titles. Each one gives us a picture of who and what we are. Let’s look at four of these names:
Christian
This first name was actually invented by unbelievers. In Acts 11:26, we learn that it was in city of Antioch that “the disciples were first called Christians.” It was meant to be a derogatory term and its use by non-Christians became wide-spread. If you study history, members of the Church didn’t adopt it as a badge of honor until well into the second century.
No other name unites us closer in identification to Christ Jesus. To wear the name Christian means that we are proud of our relationship with Christ Jesus. It sets us apart from those who recognize others as their Lord and Master.
To wear the name Christian is to say that we agree with what Christ said in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” To wear the name Christian means that we agree with the assertion, found in Acts 4:12, that when it comes to Christ Jesus "there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved."
Are we proud to wear the Name above all other names? Are we proud to identify ourselves as being a Christian? We are living in times when the Name is becoming unpopular and once again a term of scorn. More and more, to identify oneself as a Christian is met with a sneer or brings ridicule. Let us remember the words of Peter, found in 1 Peter 4:16, “Yet if any one suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”
Disciple
The name that the early members of the Church wore most often was disciple. It is a term of humility that means we recognize ourselves as being learners in need of a Teacher.
We have much to learn. We have a need to know more about our God. We have a need to know more about His plan. We need to know more about the Church and the doctrines we are to believe and observe. And, we need to know how to develop the Christian graces or fruit of the Spirit in our life - “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control.” Peter talks about our need to acquire both book knowledge and life knowledge in 2 Peter 3:18, commanding us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
How much time do you spend in the Word of God as a dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ? How much diligence do we show in studying the Example of Jesus Christ? How much effort to we put into applying to our lives the lessons we have learned? How often do we truly and sincerely ask ourselves in our everyday lives - ‘What would Jesus do?’
Only living as He lived do we show that we are His disciples. Only living as He lived do we bear the fruit that glorifies the Father. Jesus said, in John 15:8, “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”
Children
One of the greatest blessings of the Gospel is that when we submit to it, we become the children of God. When we place our faith in Christ and obey the Gospel, we are born again into the family of God. 1 John 3:1, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God.”
I don’t think I fully appreciated this until I became a father to my own children. I love my children dearly and they mean the world to me. Now I think I have better understanding of the kind of love that God the Father has toward me.
I know that my heavenly Father will not withhold any good thing that I need. Matthew 7:9-11, "Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”
As their father, I know that my children look up to me and will imitate my example. Being human, I may not always be a worthy role model. However, we have the best of examples in our heavenly Father. We ought, says Ephesians 5:1, “therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”
If my boys do not listen to me and depart from my instructions, I must discipline them. I do not do this because I want to satisfy my anger or prove to them that I have more power than they do. I discipline them because I love them and I want them to return to the right path. I must train them and sometimes chastisement is needed.
Our heavenly Father loves us to the extent that He does the same with us. We read in Hebrews 12:5-6, “You are children of God, and he speaks words of comfort to you. You have forgotten those words: "My child, don’t think it is worth nothing when the Lord punishes you, and don’t stop trying when the Lord corrects you. The Lord punishes every person he loves, and he punishes every person he accepts as a child."
Our Father corrects us through our reading His Word. Sometimes through the teaching and preaching from the pulpit. He corrects us through a caring brother or sister who confronts us when we are living in error. All of these are ways that our Father corrects us.
But, He also corrects us and punishes us in our circumstances. It is not uncommon for Him to use trials and tribulations to get our attention and make us examine the direction of our lives. Sometimes we can be so stiff-necked and thick-headed that our Father has to use a 2x4 to get us to evaluate our priorities and consider our paths. He will use afflictions and hardship to humble us and break our spirit (in the good sense) make us malleable in His loving hands.
When we face troubles in life, its easy to react exactly in ways that this Scripture passage warns us about -
It is easy to see no possible purpose in our circumstances. We can’t see how any possible good can come from the situation. All it appears to be is pointless misery and useless suffering. But verse 5 says “don’t think it is worth nothing when the Lord punishes you.” God the Father knows what He is doing. It is in our time of trial that we need to draw the closer to the Father and seek the lesson He wanting us to learn. Verses 10-11, “But God punishes us to help us, so that we can become holy like him. We don’t enjoy punishment when we get it. Being punished is painful. But later, after we have learned from being punished, we have peace, because we start living right.”
Sometimes we don’t allow God to work through our circumstances and we fail to learn our lesson because we give-up. We think God has forgotten us so we might as well forget God. We wallow in our anguish, despair over our problems and get angry and just give-up. This may be tempting but Verse 5-6 pleads with us: “don’t stop trying when the Lord corrects you. The Lord punishes every person he loves, and he punishes every person he accepts as a child."
Wearing the title “child of God” is one that we should cherish. It is a reminder that we are beloved by the Heavenly Father and He will care for us and protect us and, if need be, discipline so that we might grow to be holy just like He, Himself.
Saint
There is a segment of so-called Christianity that reserves the title of ‘saint’ for men and women noted for their supposed great devotion and pious deeds. It is asserted that so faithful and devout were these individuals during their lives that God has granted them, after their deaths, the roles of intercessors and miracle-workers for those who call upon them. There are about 20 thousand such saints.
Ofcourse, this view of sainthood cannot be found in the Scriptures. According to the Scriptures, each child of God is a saint. The meaning of the word saint simply means ‘one who is sanctified or holy.’ The Gospel calls us to a state of sainthood - that is, when we obey the Gospel, God makes us a saint meaning that we are set apart from the sinful world and consecrated to God as His own. This is made possible because we are cleansed by the blood of Christ. Note the words of Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.”
While we are saints - sanctified and holy - by the work of God, as He cleanses us of our sins and sets us apart unto Himself….God expects us to be worthy of the title saint in our everyday lives. He wants us to be saintly. This we can and must do by seeking purity in our lives. We just spoke of how that God’s disciplining of us as His children is to help us be more holy. That is what God is seeking in us. 1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’” We need to cleanse our lives of sin and wickedness in obedience to God’s Word.
I close our thoughts on sainthood by looking at 2 Timothy 2:19-21, “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His’, and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness.’ Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
(Easy-To-Read translation: “But God’s strong foundation continues to be the same. These words are written on that foundation: ‘The Lord knows those people who belong to him.’ Also, these words are written on that foundation: ‘Every person who says that he believes in the Lord must stop doing wrong.’ In a large house there are things made of gold and silver. But also there are things made of wood and clay. Some things are used for special purposes. Other things are made for dirty jobs. The Lord wants to use you for special purposes. So make yourself clean from all those evil things. Then you will be holy, and the Master can use you. You will be ready to do any good work.”)
God’s best ministry opportunities are reserved for those who make the effort to develop purity in their lives. This should not discourage us but encourage us to make every effort to eliminate from our lives those things that are displeasing to Him. It should encourage us to separate ourselves from the affairs of this world so that we have the time and energy to say to God, ’I am here, ready and waiting, to do whatever you would have me do for Your glory as becomes one of your saints.’
Christian
Disciple
Child of God and
Saint
All of these names or titles are given to those who obey the Gospel. They all describe who and what we are in Christ. These are all honorable titles and we should relish in them. And, yet, each one carries responsibilities along with their privileges. May we all wear them proudly and and be worthy of them.
