What’s in a Name? The Word “Christian” and Its Biblical Use
The Word “Christian” — Rare and Initially Outsider
The term Christian appears only three times in the entire New Testament, and each time it carries an outsider’s tone rather than an insider’s badge of honor.
Acts 11:26 — “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
The Greek verb implies that others—not the disciples themselves—gave them this name. It was likely a nickname from pagan outsiders for Jews and Gentiles who followed the Christos (Messiah).
Acts 26:28 — Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?”
The tone is dismissive, even sarcastic. Agrippa is not expressing interest but distance—mocking Paul’s hope that a Roman-aligned ruler would join a suspect movement.
1 Peter 4:16 — “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed…”
By this time, Christianos had become a legal and social label for a marginal sect. Peter reframes the insult: if you bear that name and suffer for it, glorify God. This is the only New Testament instance where the label is used positively—and even here, it remains the world’s name for the believers, not their own.
What Believers Actually Called Themselves
The earliest followers of Yeshua never called themselves Christians. Their self-descriptions remained firmly rooted in Israel’s covenant identity:
Disciples (talmidim) — Acts 6:1
The Way (ha-Derekh) — Acts 9:2
Nazarenes (Notzrim) — Acts 24:5
Saints / holy ones (kedoshim) — Romans 1:7
Brothers and sisters — 1 Corinthians 1:10
Believers / the faithful — Acts 5:14
All these names reflect continuity with Israel’s story, not a break from it.
A Second-Century Shift
By the second century, Gentile believers—especially as they grew distant from Jewish communities—began adopting Christian as a badge of honor. What had begun as an outsider nickname hardened into an institutional label. Over time, Christianity emerged as a religion distinct from Judaism, often defining itself against the people and Scriptures that gave it birth.
This linguistic shift did more than rename the movement; it reshaped its identity. It detached the followers of Jesus from the covenantal soil of Israel and created a new, independent Gentile religion.
The Power and the Problem of the Word Today
Today, Christian can mean many things: a sincere follower of Jesus, a cultural label, or even a political identity. The challenge is not the word itself but what we imagine behind it. If we hear Christian as belonging to a different story than Israel’s, we repeat the same interpretive mistake that turned ekklesia into church.
Reclaiming the term means recovering its roots. To be a Christian should mean belonging to the Messiah’s people—those grafted into Israel’s covenant through faith in Yeshua, walking in the same promises God made from the beginning.
Conclusion: Bearing the Name with Clarity
The word Christian began as a label of scorn and became a word of faith. But its meaning is clarified only when it remains tethered to the story of Israel and her Messiah. Believers can bear the name with integrity when they understand that the faith of Jesus was not the founding of a new religion, but the fulfillment and renewal of the covenant God made long ago.
To call oneself Christian in the biblical sense is to belong to the ekklesia—the assembly of God’s covenant people—living in loyalty to the Messiah of Israel and witnessing to His coming kingdom.