WHERE DID JESUS SAY THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE CHRISTIANS?

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba from Shimba Theological Institute
www.shimbatheological.org

Friday, December 7, 2018

This is the weak question that our Muslim brothers ask almost every day. Today, I am answering it with Scripture so that the matter may be settled once and for all.

1. JESUS IDENTIFIES HIS FOLLOWERS AS HIS PEOPLE

Mark 9:39–41 (KJV)

Verse 39: “But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.”

Verse 40: “For he that is not against us is on our part.”

Verse 41: “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.”

In verse 41, Jesus speaks about those who belong to Christ. But who is a person who belongs to Christ if not someone who follows Christ?

Were the people who followed Jesus called Christians?

Let us read the Bible.

Acts 11:26 (KJV)

“And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”

The Word of God answers the question: the disciples of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch.

Therefore, the name Christian is biblically associated with the disciples of Jesus Christ.

2. CAN CHRISTIANITY BE CALLED A RELIGION?

Can the claim that Christianity is a religion be examined in light of the Qur'an, as some Muslims insist that it should be?

Let us examine the following passage.

Surah Al-Imran 3:99

The verse addresses the People of the Book and asks why they hinder believers from the way of Allah, seeking to make it appear crooked, while they themselves bear witness. It concludes by affirming that Allah is not unaware of what they do.

Muslims acknowledge that the way of Allah is a path that people are called to follow. This raises an important question: What is the way that God has provided for humanity?

Let us read what Jesus says.

John 14:6 (KJV)

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Jesus declares that He is the Way. The Qur'an speaks of the way of Allah, while Jesus identifies Himself as the Way to the Father.

From the Christian perspective, this is a significant theological distinction: salvation and access to the Father are found through Jesus Christ.

If religion is understood as a way of belief and worship, Christianity can be described as the faith and way of life centred on Jesus Christ. However, the biblical argument rests primarily on the identity of Jesus and the teachings of His apostles, not merely on a comparison of the word way.

3. THE NAME CHRISTIAN IS ASSOCIATED WITH GLORIFYING GOD

Let us examine another biblical passage.

1 Peter 4:16 (KJV)

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

Here, the apostle Peter explicitly uses the name Christian. He instructs believers not to be ashamed of bearing that name but to glorify God.

Therefore, according to the apostle Peter, being a Christian is not something of which a believer should be ashamed. Rather, Christians are called to glorify God even when they suffer because of their faith in Christ.

The name Christian is thus affirmed within the New Testament as an identity associated with faithfulness to Jesus Christ and the glorification of God.

4. DOES THE QUR'AN REFER TO CHRISTIANS AS PEOPLE OF AN EARLIER RELIGION?

Now, let us examine the following passage from Surah An-Nahl, together with the commentary attributed to Bharwani.

Surah An-Nahl 16:125 — Commentary attributed to Bharwani

“O Prophet! Call people to the Right Way which your Lord has commanded your people to follow. In your invitation, adopt an approach appropriate to each person. Address those of high standing with words of wisdom suited to their understanding. Invite ordinary people through appropriate admonition, using examples drawn from the matters they encounter, so that you may guide them towards the Truth and the shortest path suitable for them.

“Engage in discussion with the adherents of earlier religions among the People of the Book, namely the Jews and the Christians, using rational arguments, logic, gentle speech, and good debate rather than harsh words and insults, so that you may convince and attract them. This is the way of Da'wah—the call to invite people of all communities to Allah. Follow this method when inviting people, and thereafter leave the rest to your Lord, who knows who has become lost in error and departed from the path of salvation, and who has remained safe, received guidance, and believed what you have brought to them.”

Note: The passage above is an English rendering of the Swahili commentary supplied in the original article, not a verified verbatim quotation from a published English edition.

The commentary explicitly mentions Jews and Christians among the adherents of earlier religions.

This raises a historical and theological question: What does this reference tell us about the relationship between Christianity and Islam?

Christianity emerged in the first century AD, while Islam arose in the seventh century AD. Historically, Christianity therefore existed centuries before the rise of Islam as a distinct religious community.

The Qur'an itself addresses Christians and Jews as established religious communities. However, the reference to earlier religions does not, by itself, establish that the Qur'an considers every Christian doctrine correct. It does demonstrate that Christians were recognized as a distinct religious community in the Qur'anic discourse.

For further reading, consult the Qur'anic text and Swahili translation of Surah An-Nahl 16:125:

http://www.iium.edu.my/deed/quran/swahili/without/c16.htm

5. DID MOSES ENTER THE CHURCH?

Let us now examine the biblical account of Moses.

Did Moses enter the church? What does the New Testament say?

Acts 7:37–38 (KJV)

Verse 37: “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.”

Verse 38: “This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us.”

The passage states that Moses was with the congregation in the wilderness when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. The King James Version uses the word church in verse 38.

This raises an important question about biblical terminology: How can the word church be used in connection with the people of Israel in the wilderness, long before the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ?

The Greek word translated as church is ekklesia (Strong's G1577), which can refer to an assembly or congregation. In Acts 7:38, Stephen uses this term for the assembly of Israel in the wilderness.

Consequently, the passage demonstrates that the biblical word church can refer to an assembly of God's people, not exclusively to a Christian congregation established after the resurrection of Jesus.

However, this does not mean that Moses belonged to the later Christian movement or that the Israelites in the wilderness were members of a modern Christian denomination. Rather, the passage connects the people of God across different periods of biblical history.

Nor does the passage establish that Moses never entered a mosque; it simply does not address that question. The central point is that Scripture describes Moses as being among God's assembled people in the wilderness.

CONCLUSION: WHY DO WE CALL OURSELVES CHRISTIANS?

The New Testament provides clear answers to the question of Christian identity.

1. Mark 9:41 refers to those who belong to Christ.

2. Acts 11:26 records that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

3. John 14:6 presents Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

4. 1 Peter 4:16 instructs Christians to glorify God rather than be ashamed of the name.

5. Acts 7:38 uses the word church for the assembly of God's people in the wilderness.

Therefore, Christians do not need to abandon the name Christian simply because Jesus did not issue a recorded command saying, “You shall call yourselves Christians.” The New Testament itself records the use of this name among His followers and affirms it in apostolic teaching.

The decisive question is not merely whether Jesus personally pronounced the word Christian, but whether those who bear the name faithfully follow Jesus Christ according to the testimony of Scripture.

SHALOM!

Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Servant of Jesus Christ, the Great God and our Saviour
Titus 2:13

Shimba Theological Institute
www.shimbatheological.org