Where did the disciples of Jesus get the name: "Christian"?

 

Some children are called by their parents names that cause distress with their peers during their childhood. In the New Testament God names Jesus' disciples "Christian". And if we have to suffer for bearing that name, we are commanded to glorify God in this name and to not be ashamed (1 Peter 4:16).

 

Just as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were named by God so are we divinely named "Christians". Acts 11:26 "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."

They were "called". Some commentators try and figure out who called them Christians. It wouldn't have been the Jew, [they say]. So it must have been the Gentiles. Deduction by elimination. However, we do not have to use presumption in this case.

Now the word "called" there is interesting. It's a special Greek word, chrematizo khray-mat-id'-zo^G5537 which Strong's Concordance says means ^'to utter an oracle, that is, divinely intimate - be called, be admonished of God'. To this, the lexicons agree. James D. Price, a defender of the accuracy of the NKJ translation, observed that the word khray-mat-id'-zo^G5537 means 'to receive a divine oracle, as "divinely instructed" or "divinely warned"'.

While this may be true, we are left to wonder why the two particular passages of Scripture are devoid of any mention of the words "divine" or "God's name" in the translations (Acts 11:26 and Rom. 7:3).

While we ponder this question, it is noteworthy that there are passages that do translate it with the words "divine" or "God":

 

In Matthew 2: 12 the wise men were "divinely warned [khray-mat-id'-zo] in a dream that they should not return to Herod."

In Matthew 2 :22 Joseph returning from Egypt was "warned by God [khray-mat-id'-zo^G5537] in a dream."

Luke 2:  26 And it had been revealed [khray-mat-id'-zo] to [the prophet Simeon] by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Acts 10 :22 "Cornelius the centurion, …was divinely instructed [khray-mat-id'-zo] by a holy angel to summon [Peter]."

Why did the translators not translate this word "called" in Acts 11:26 as "divinely called" Christians? I'm not challenging the integrity of the NKJV. The point is that they could have.

 

And it would have helped in Romans 7:3. "So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called [khray-mat-id'-zo] an adulteress:"   It doesn't mean that the world would call her an "adulteress"; they could care less. It means God calls her an adulteress.

 

It is important to know that Greek Septuagint that translates the Hebrew Bible into Greek in about 300 BC used khray-mat-id'-zo for God's divine commands. Did the meaning of the word change over the centuries? Apparently not, for the historian Josephus used it the same way in the first century during the same time that the New Testament was being written.

 

People have kindly and nicely but forcefully told me, "I was born a "--blank--". I'm going to die a '--blank--'." You can supply the denominational name in the blank.

 

But why can't we say, "I was [re-]born a Christian. I'm going to die a Christian."

Some say, "I'm a liberal Christian". Others, "I'm a conservative Christian". What are you? My answer is that I just want to be a "Christian" divinely called. That's what God has authorized and ordered. No hyphens; no modifiers. Just "Christian." Jesus in Matthew 7:21 said that in order to enter Heaven we have to do the Father's will.God's will is for us to glorify Him in the behalf of the name "Christian."

 

HAVE YOU BEEN BORN AS A CHRISTIAN? YOU HAVE TO BE BORN AGAIN OF THE WATER AND THE SPIRIT (John 3) like those on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41).

YOU NEED TO LIVE YOUR LIFE AS A FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN SO THAT YOU CAN "DIE" A "CHRISTIAN". God wills it.