Were The Disciples Called Christians To Degrade Them?

No, "Christian" was not a degrading term.  This word actually rarely shows up in the New Testament.  (The first reference is in Acts 11:26.)  Another common term among believers to describe believers was "saint."  "Saint" is used in both the Old and New Testaments.  We misunderstand this word today.  A saint is not a person who has performed three miracles that are recognized by the religious establishment.  A saint is any person who has put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord.  According to the use of the word in the Bible, any person who is a true believer in Christ can be called a Christian or a saint.

Of course, in the Old Testament, there was no such thing as a Christian.  A saint in that time would be considered one who shared the faith of Abraham.  Abraham was saved by his faith in God.  God made a promise to Abraham.  Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.  That is, just for believing God's words as true, God declared that Abraham was guiltless before Him.  Abraham's sin's were forgiven.  Abraham didn't have to do anything; he just had to believe.  When God said that Abraham would be the father of countless offspring, He was refering to those who would share his faith.  Christians don't have to do anything religious or great or amazing to gain favor with God.  All they have to do is believe God's words about Christ.  When they do, it will be credited to them as righteousness, just as it was to Abraham.  That is to say, even the most evil person we could think of could be declared guiltless before God and be forgiven of all sins--past, present, and future--for merely believing God's promises about Jesus Christ.

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