I had an interesting exchange this past week with a brother who circulated an article beginning with the question, “Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians?” When I challenged the veracity of that statement, discussion ensued. Since we studied the Scriptural definition of Christian last Sunday, these excerpts might interest you. (The brother’s comments appear in boldface.)

Are you willing to affirm that none of our founding fathers were members of the one church?

Not without some additional research. However, your affirmation was not that “one” or “some” of the founding fathers may have been members of the one church. Your previous post stated that “52 of the 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians.” That percentage, as I have already affirmed, is categorically untrue, if we use the word “Christian” as the inspired New Testament uses it, and not as the world does.

Are you willing to affirm that there are no Christians separate and apart from our buildings, which bear the name Church of Christ?

Buildings cannot be Christians. I know of no Scriptural provision by which a building can be a Christian.

However, people can be Christians, and the New Testament is unequivocal as to how that happens. Acts 11:26 says that “the disciples” were called Christians. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20 that disciples are made by “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” This making of disciples is illustrated in Acts 2 and throughout the remainder of Acts. No other means of making disciples is ever demonstrated or authorized in Scripture.

On that basis, I can confidently affirm that only a disciple of Christ can rightly be called a Christian, and that only one who has been baptized (immersed) into Christ for remission of sins and observes all that Jesus commands is His disciple—not because I have so defined the terms, but because Christ Himself did.

I do know that many who know nothing about New Testament Christianity (salvation by grace through faith at immersion) bear the character traits of Christ than some who WORK HARD to cross all of their “t’s” and dot all of their “i’s” (Matthew 5:20).

And I know people with long noses, large bodies, wrinkled skin, and gray hair. The fact that they have some traits in common with an elephant doesn’t make them elephants.

Nowhere does the Scripture affirm that only those in Christ can exhibit traits that are Christ-like. Cornelius was “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2). Did Cornelius possess some Christ-like attributes? Sure—at least four are mentioned in that one verse. But was he a Christian, a disciple of Christ? No. If he was, why was it necessary for him to send for Peter to tell him what he must do (verse 6), the things commanded by God (verse 33)? And what did Peter tell Cornelius he and his household must do? I’ll let the inspired writer Luke answer: “He commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (Acts 10:48).

I know that some wish the boundary of “Christian” was large enough to embrace everyone who “bears the character traits of Christ.” But Jesus never said, “You are My friends if you mimic a few of my character traits.” He did, however, say, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14). And what did he command? That disciples be made by baptizing them (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16) for remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).

I have no difficulty whatsoever in affirming that anyone who has not been so baptized is not a disciple of Christ and therefore not a Christian. It is true, however, not because I so affirm, but because God’s inspired word so teaches.