CHRISTIAN: Paul never once refers to himself as a 'christian', while at least five times in the New Testament he refers to himself as a follower of "the way". The way was considered to be a revolutionary new way of life, centered on the true communism of sharing all things in common and distributing to each according to need, the opposite of both Roman, Greek and modern capitalist societies.
Unlike in the 21st Century, First Century followers of Jesus largely remained among the poor. Paul being among the very poorest of the poor, was entrusted to carry the "purse" for the poor, donated by people who themselves were generally poor.
The term "christian" appears to have originally been a derogatory term invented by outsiders, loosely comparable to the N-word in modern American society. According to
Acts 11:26, the term was first used in Antioch. When a Roman ruler says to Paul, "you almost persuade me to become a christian", Paul replies as follows: "I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains"
Acts 26:28-29.
Note that Paul seems to deliberately avoid using the term 'christian' in his response. Perhaps he suspected even then it was being used to place the followers of Jesus back under religious laws, rules and vain traditions, something Paul utterly opposed.
No one knows why Paul doesn't use the term christian in his response to King Agrippa, but we do know based on Romans, Galatians and other writings, that Paul strongly opposes forms of outward religion, insisting that those who have the spirit of Jesus within them, "are not under law, but under grace"
Romans 6:14; see also
Galatians 5:18. Paul may have been adverse to referring to himself as a christian for similar reasons that people today resent being referred to by a racial or other derogatory slur.
It appears being branded as a "christian" was eventually adopted as a badge of honor, signifying that one was willing to endure ridicule and ostracization from regular Jewish, Roman and Greek society, was willing to adopt a completely different type of lifestyle perhaps seemingly 'strange' to their First Century peers (as it would likewise appear very different today in the modern-day capitalist United States). And, one was willing to risk imprisonment and extreme forms of torture and execution, which could also apply to spouse, children, extended household and friends.
The bad habit of seeking to accumulate more than we need seems to be as old as civilization itself, for as Ecclesiastes says, "there is nothing new under the sun." And as Paul writes, "the love of wealth is the root of all evil."
It is perhaps worthy to note, that even as late as the events in Acts 19, followers of Jesus are not referred to as followers of Christianity, as if Jesus was ever viewed by his early followers as having come to establish a new religion. Rather in
Acts 19:23 we find followers of Jesus, including Luke the author of Acts, viewing themselves as being followers of "the way": "And about that time there arose a great commotion about the way."
Also, towards the end of the record of his life, Paul refers to "this way" in
Acts 22:4 and "the way" in
Acts 24:14. This indicates that perhaps many followers of Jesus considered themselves to be followers of "the way" until after the authors of the Bible had all passed on.
Suffice it to say, both Stephen and Paul in Acts insist that God does not live in temples made with hands, Paul in particular being utterly scornful of what today is commonly understood as "religion". If when we hear the word "religion", we think in our minds of dependence on God's help to in turn, freely "love one another", then the New Testament is indeed a highly religious collection.
However, if when we hear the word "religion", we think in our minds of institutionalized religion, temples and church structures, priests and preachers parading around in garments differing in any way from how regular average people normally dress in their leisure and, an organization collecting huge sums for any reason other than helping the sick and poor and otherwise oppressed, then the New Testament remains among the least religious body of works in the history of humanity.
Use of the term "christian" in the New Testament can be found here
Acts 11:26, here
Acts 26:28 and here
1 Peter 4:16. James may also refer to this word, but he does not do so directly. Even though the term originated as early as Acts 11, Luke, Paul and other followers of Jesus in their group continue to refer to themselves as followers of "the way" throughout the entirety of Acts.
Be not deceived, for the word "Christianity" is not anywhere in the Bible. And there is zero historical or other evidence that Jesus is the founder of either Christianity or any other religion. Rather, as Jesus says in
John 10:10, "the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
