"Earning a Title"

“Earning a Title”

On his first Fathers’ Day my newborn niece (probably with her mother’s help) gave my brother Dave a plaque which said, “Any man can be a father but it takes a special one to be a daddy”. (This hung on the wall above his side of the bed for many years.) When we see our physician for any reason we almost always address him or her as “Doctor”. While titles sometimes come by birth (e.g. England’s Princes William and Harry) most of the time they grow out of endearment or respect and are earned by one’s actions.

One designation we can never earn, however, is “Child of God”. The Apostle Paul wrote,”…It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, emphasis added in all Scriptures). In the introduction to his Gospel John tells us, “…To all who received (Christ), to those who believed in his name (i.e. put their faith in him), he gave the right to become children of God….” (John 1:12). And to quote Paul again, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

But while I can’t work for my title as a “Child of God” there’s another one that I earn by my life-style: “Christian”. (See the earlier article “Our Place in the Dictionary”.) The term is often misapplied and misunderstood—witness the crossword clue “Gentile” for which the answer sought was “Christian” in another previous posting (“Crossword Puzzles”) –but in Greek it means “follower of Christ” or “Christ-like”. It’s used three times in the New Testament. In Acts 11:26 we read, “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” (This was about 38 AD.) Then after Paul’s address at his hearing in Caesarea some 20 years later King Agrippa said to (possibly sneered at) him, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28). In both these cases the term was likely used in a derogatory way. However, just a few years later Peter, writing to give comfort to persecuted believers, told them not to suffer for doing wrong and added, “…If you suffer as a Christian (i.e. for standing with Christ), do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” (1 Peter 4:16). So he saw it as a title of honor his readers had earned. And church history tells of many who lived up to it.

Have I earned the title “Christian” by “…(living) a life worthy of the calling (I) have received.” (Ephesians 4:1)?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan