Was Jesus a Christian?

The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch, and this was, I think, by men, not by the Holy Spirit. Peter recognises the name. A Christian is a person connected with Christ. They never could have given them that name at Jerusalem from the name Messiah. Christ is a Greek word.

The disciples in Antioch were such ardent, faithful and true followers of the Lord Jesus that, like Paul, they were imitators of Him (1 Cor. 11:1)… they so spoke and acted like Him that the world gave them the title 'Christians' — the meaning of which is 'of the same character as Christ'.

As soon as Christ was glorified, the Holy Spirit came down. Here Christianity begins. We already have divine life, but not yet the glory; nevertheless, the Holy Spirit comes down as a testimony to that glory of the Son of Man; and we await it to be glorified with Him. It is the possession of the Holy Spirit which constitutes the Christian position.

It is only since the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit that Christian blessing has been unfolded. Even the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, while on earth, did not unfold these blessings. He said: "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" (Luke 12:50.) And again: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. However when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth."

As one brought up in a godly Jewish home, where the law was kept and loved, the child Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day. We are reminded of the words of the apostle Paul here: "born of woman, born under the law" (Gal. 4:4). How wonderful it is to consider the Son of God becoming so lowly, found in obscure circumstances, and submitting to the law as a godly Israelite.

If I understand the meaning of Jesus Christ being "a minister of the circumcision," it is that He was the One who came to fulfil to the Jew the promises made by God to the fathers… How was He received? We are told, "He came to His own, and His own received Him not" (John 1:11). They did not want and would not have Him. That opened the way for God's eternal purpose regarding the Church to come out.

Our position as Christians is founded on an accomplished redemption; our union with Christ is with a risen and glorified Christ (the Head being set in heaven so that we might be united to Him there)… He is not united to sinful man; but redeemed, quickened men are united to Him, as the exalted man in heaven, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Here, then, we have one grand aspect of the Christian's position. It is defined by the position of his Lord. This makes it divinely simple; and, we may add, divinely settled. The Christian is identified with Christ. Amazing fact — "as he is so also are we in this world."

Here we have the Spirit of God accepting and sanctioning the name Christian as applied to believers. It was first used as a descriptive nickname at Antioch (Acts 11:26). It had come into general use later (see Acts 26:28) and now is formally accepted by the Spirit of God. We may accept it therefore, and as Christians we glorify God even as Christ Himself did.