Definition of "Christian"
Definition of "Christian"
Dedicated to all regenerated Christians
Preface note: this article is not dogmatic (by any means). I am not going to "stake" everything on what I intend to write here today. It is a way for me to explore a dynamic that has interested me for some time, (and about which I have never seen much written). So, here we go. . . .
What is the best definition of the word, "Christian"? In the evangelical world, it is common to hear expressions such as this: "So and so became a Christian." What this typically means is, "So and so prayed to receive Christ." Of course, this is something of which we should rejoice--but is it proper, to say, that offering this prayer makes the person a "Christian"?
There are probably some people who would call themselves "Christians," just because they were born in America, or perhaps some other nation historically affected by the preaching of the gospel of grace. But, would we want to encourage someone who believes this, to consider him- or herself to be a "Christian"? Undoubtedly, no.
Other people, perhaps with a little more theological acumen, might want to say that the elect of God are the only "Christians"; and that no one else is. But, is this a sustainable position and argument? I do not think so. There are a lot of problems with this belief; but consider with me just a few. . . . Would this mean that the Old Covenant saints should be referred to, as "Christians"? What about the initial state of every elect soul, before regeneration? Are we to consider them "Christians" just because they will be (in God's sovereign time) regenerated? Even after they are regenerated, are they immediately to be considered, "Christians"? Bottom line: does God not possess the prerogative to regenerate any elect soul at any time in any place, among any people group? If this is so, (and I believe it is), then in what sense are these diverse (elect) people to be called, "Christians"?
Another group of people might say, that any baptized person is a "Christian." Personally, I think these people are getting much closer to the truth; but I would add, that they are to be baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in the context of a theologically orthodox church community. (I would not raise the ecclesiastical "bar" too "high," here--and I would say that subscription to the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds would suffice.)
As it is pretty well-known, the word "Christian" (or "Christians") only appears a few times in the New Testament. For your convenience, here are those occurrences (all quoted from the ESV). . . .
Acts 11:26b: "And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians."
Acts 26:28: "And Agrippa said to Paul, 'In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?' "
1 Pet. 4:16: "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."
So, the New Testament seems to marry the name "Christian" with those people who are specifically identified with the Lord Jesus Christ (and His church).
. . . To return to the first group mentioned (above, in the second paragraph), oftentimes people who pray to receive Christ are already-baptized people, who may well have been raised in a (broadly-theologically-orthodox) church context. Did this person now become a "Christian" on the basis of this prayer; or, is this a case of a formal "Christian," now becoming (hopefully) a regenerated "Christian"?
Would we (especially among the Reformed) ever encourage an already-baptized person to be re-baptized, subsequent to the self-conscious belief that he or she is now recently-regenerated? I would hope not. This is certainly not in accord with our theological tradition; and (much more importantly), with the Scripture's teaching regarding circumcision/baptism.
I hold, (and have actually preached), the fairly (perhaps) "radical" view, that a "Christian" is a properly churched-baptized person. Then, I maintain that there are "faithful" Christians, "unfaithful" Christians, and "apostate" Christians. I have even gone so far as to say, that some "Christians" go to heaven; and that some "Christians" go to hell.
When I teach this, I wish never to be misunderstood. I know--based on solid Scriptural evidence--that every soul that is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, having the atonement of Jesus' blood and resurrection applied to the heart, goes to heaven. There is no doubt about this. These are elect and regenerated souls who are (upon their regenerations) all members of the "invisible" church. They are part of the body of Christ.
But, having said all this, the practical problem we would be stuck facing, if we pretended that we knew who all the regenerated people in the world are, is the impossible job of our confidently referring to them as "Christians," (as if we could know the true states of other [or all] souls).
For example, how many of us have known people who profess to believe in Christ, who then call themselves "Christian"; and then totally abandon their professed (but unreal) faith? In the case of someone who did this, and who never was baptized, or had anything to do with a faithful church--is this (non-baptized) person supposed to be thought to have been a Christian? I think not.
Therefore, to be as clear as I can be, (but without exploring all the possible details): I believe a "Christian" is a properly-baptized person (as per the conditions above). This does not make the person regenerate; but it does identify him or her as a member of the covenant of Christ's church.
All truly-baptized persons have special covenantal privileges and responsibilities. All of them prove, in the end, to be faithful (regenerate) Christians, unfaithful (abandoning the gospel and/or the covenant) Christians, or apostate (explicitly rejecting the covenant) Christians.
May all professing believers find their only atonement, hope, and comfort in Jesus, the only One who can secure us in the covenant of grace.
Rev. Mark J. Henninger
Treatise #12
24 March 2025
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