Why Jesus Apologetics

“You shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.”
— Isaiah 62:2 (ESV)

For centuries, some Christian critics and scholars have claimed that the term “Christian” was a derogatory label coined by unbelievers or pagans in Antioch to mock the followers of Jesus. This assumption is usually based on Acts 11:26:

“And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.”

The dominant interpretation claims that “they were called” (Greek: χρηματίσαι) implies passive reception of a name by non-believers. At first glance, this verse might seem ambiguous about who gave the name. However, a closer reading of the passage’s context, grammar, and the prophetic activity in Antioch opens up another possibility: that the name Christian was not an insult or label from outsiders but a prophetic declaration within the early church.

The Context of Acts 11

To understand the origin of the name “Christian,” we must first look at the context of Acts 11:19–30.

Acts 11:19–30 (ESV)

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,
24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. 27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

This passage describes the early church in Antioch, a vibrant community of believers who were being taught by Barnabas and Saul (or Paul). Verse 26 specifically notes that

“for a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people.”

The setting is clearly within the church, among believers, with no mention of unbelievers being present or involved in this moment.
The narrative focuses on the growth of the church in Antioch, a pivotal center for early Christianity. The disciples were actively teaching and building up the community, which suggests an internal, Spirit-led environment. The absence of any reference to hostile outsiders or mocking crowds in this passage undermines the idea that unbelievers coined the term “Christian” as a pejorative label.

a. Grammatical Clues in Acts 11:26

The Greek text of Acts 11:26 provides further insight.

Acts 11:26 (ESV):

“…For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.”

Greek

χρηματίσαι τε πρῶτον ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τοὺς μαθητὰς Χριστιανούς

The phrase translated “were first called Christians” uses the Greek verb chrēmatísai (χρηματίσαι), which is the Aorist Active Infinitive form of chrēmatízō (χρηματίζω). This word is significant because it often carries a divine or oracular connotation in the New Testament. In other passages, chrēmatizō is used to describe God speaking or giving a divine revelation. For instance:
In Matthew 2:12, the Magi “were warned” (chrēmatizō) in a dream not to return to Herod; in Acts 10:22, Cornelius is “directed” (chrēmatizō) by an angel to send for Peter; in addition, in Luke 2:26, Simeon was “informed” (chrēmatizō) by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah.

In each case, chrēmatizō implies a divine act of naming, warning, or revelation, not a casual or human-initiated label. In Acts 11:26, the passive voice of chrēmatizō (“were called”) suggests that the name “Christian” was given by a higher authority, likely God Himself through the church or its prophetic voices, rather than by outsiders.

If Luke had intended to indicate that unbelievers coined the term, a different verb, such as kaleō (to call or name in a general sense), might have been used.
This grammatical nuance strongly supports the idea that the name “Christian” was a divinely appointed title, not a mocking label from pagans.

b. The Presence of Prophets

Another critical piece of evidence lies in the presence of prophets in Antioch at the time. Acts 11:27–28 states,

“NOW IN THESE DAYS PROPHETS came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world.”

The phrase “in these days” ties the prophetic activity closely to the moment when the disciples were first called Christians. The presence of prophets, including Agabus, who spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, suggests that the church in Antioch was a place of divine revelation and guidance.
Prophets in the early church played a key role in delivering God’s messages, including names and identities for His people. For example, in the Old Testament, God often gave new names to signify a new purpose or covenant relationship (e.g., Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel). Similarly, the name “Christian” (meaning “follower of Christ” or “belonging to Christ”) aligns with the prophetic pattern of God naming His people to reflect their identity and mission.

The proximity of the naming event to the mention of prophets like Agabus is no coincidence. It’s reasonable to conclude that the name “Christian” may have emerged through prophetic utterance within the church, possibly as a Spirit-inspired declaration of the disciples’ identity as followers of the Messiah.

Note that the biblical account states that the prophet Agabus “stood up” (Acts 11:28), indicating that he was physically present among the believers to deliver his prophetic message. This setting could only have been the church or a private gathering of disciples, not a public square or pagan assembly. Moreover, the immediate response to Agabus’ prophecy, where the disciples decided to send relief to the brethren in Judea, confirms that this was a close-knit Christian community actively functioning under prophetic guidance. When we connect this to the preceding verse (Acts 11:26), which says, “the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch,” it becomes reasonable to infer that the arrival of the prophets from Jerusalem (v. 27) marked a spiritually significant moment. Therefore, it is plausible that the name “Christian” was divinely revealed around this time, not coined by unbelievers or used as a slur, but declared among the saints in a prophetic environment. This strongly challenges the claim that the term “Christian” originated as a derogatory label from pagans.

Hence, the use of the passive voice may actually be implying that God/Christ named the believers Christians by revealing it through his prophets that were functioning in the early Church (cf. Acts 13:1-3; 15:32; 21:9-11; 1 Corinthians 12:28-31; Ephesians 2:20, 3:5, 4:11).

This basically fulfills the words of Christ as we soon see.

c. Hint from Jesus Himself

Jesus, from the very onset of His ministry, was calling people to be His followers,what would later be known as Christians, or followers of Christ. Again and again, He invited people with the simple yet profound command: “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19; John 1:43). Believing in Him and following Him were inseparable in His call to discipleship (John 10:27).

Matthew 4:19 – “And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”

John 1:43 – “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’”

John 10:27 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Matthew 19:21 – “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

Matthew 9:9 – “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.”

When Jesus repeatedly said, “Follow me,” what exactly was He calling people to become, if not those who are identified with Him? He was not simply inviting them to walk behind Him physically, He was calling them into a lifelong discipleship marked by faith, obedience, and union with His mission and identity. Time and again, Jesus called people to believe in Him (John 6:29; John 14:1), and logically, one cannot truly follow someone they do not believe in. Therefore, those who believed and followed Jesus were not merely spectators or admirers, they were people wholly identified with Him.

This is the essence of what it means to be Christian—a Christ-follower. Long before the name was officially used in Antioch, the spiritual reality of the term already existed in Jesus’ invitation and in the lives of His disciples. To follow Jesus was to publicly align with His person, teachings, and destiny. Thus, the name Christian is not an external label later imposed, but the natural outcome of Jesus’ own call.

Jesus even spoke of the identity and recognition of His followers in terms that clearly pointed toward what would become the Christian label. He declared, 

“For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward”

(Mark 9:41, ESV). 

“For I tell you the truth, whoever gives you a cup of water because you bear Christ’s name will never lose his reward.” (NET)

“For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.” NASB

From the above text, the Lord Jesus anticipates a time in which his followers would carry his name, that kind acts would be shown to those who believe in him on account of their bearing the name of their Lord.

It is therefore inaccurate to claim that the term “Christian(s)” was a man-made label imposed by unbelievers or pagans. On the contrary, the New Testament provides strong internal evidence that the name was divinely revealed and prophetically significant. Far from being a pagan slur, “Christian” was a God-ordained identity that replaced earlier, often reproachful, designations such as “Nazarene.” It publicly aligned the disciples with their mission as followers of Christ, just as philosophical groups like the Platonists and Pythagoreans bore the names of their respective masters, Plato and Pythagoras.

To argue that the name Christian was a slur given by pagans or unbelievers simply because it derives from the name Christ is logically inconsistent. By that same reasoning, one would have to conclude that titles like Pythagorean (from Pythagoras) or Platonic (from Plato) were also mockeries—which is clearly not the case. These names were identifiers that honored the philosophical traditions and leadership of their founders.
Furthermore, it is inconsistent to assume that pagans, who rejected Jesus as the Christ, would coin a respectful or meaningful title for His followers, especially one that directly affirms His messianic identity. Historically, unbelievers who intended to insult the disciples referred to them with derogatory labels like Nazarene, emphasizing Jesus’ association with a despised and insignificant town (John 1:46), rather than Jerusalem, the religious center. If the name Christian truly came from hostile outsiders, it would more likely reflect contempt, not theological affirmation. Instead, the name Christian aligns closely with prophetic fulfillment and divine identity.

Why Not Unbelievers?
The traditional claim that unbelievers coined the term “Christian” as a derogatory label lacks textual support.

First, as mentioned, Acts 11:26 does not mention unbelievers or a hostile context. The focus is on the church’s activities, i.e., teaching, fellowship, and prophetic ministry.

Second, the cultural context makes it unlikely that pagans would create a term so closely tied to the Greek word Christos (Messiah). In Antioch, a cosmopolitan city, unbelievers might have used generic insults or terms unrelated to the Jewish concept of the Messiah, which would have been foreign to most Gentiles.
Furthermore, later uses of the term “Christian” in the New Testament, such as in Acts 26:28, where Agrippa uses it respectfully, and 1 Peter 4:16, where it’s associated with suffering for Christ, suggest that the name was embraced by believers as a badge of honor, not a slur. This aligns with a divine origin rather than a pagan one.

The name “Christian” marked a turning point in the early church. It unified Jewish and Gentile believers under a single identity as followers of Jesus, the Christ. In Antioch, where the gospel was spreading rapidly to both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 11:20–21), this name encapsulated the church’s mission to proclaim Christ to all nations. Its first use in a church led by apostles and prophets, in a season of divine revelation, points to a God-given identity, not a human mockery.

d. The Disciples’ Early Identity

Before the events in Antioch, the disciples identified themselves as “The Way,” a term rooted in Jesus’ declaration, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Early believers were also referred to as “brethren” (Acts 1:15; Acts 6:3), “believers” (Acts 2:44; Acts 5:14), and collectively as “the church” (Acts 5:11; Acts 8:1). This self-designation – “The Way” appears multiple times in Acts:

• In Acts 9:2, Saul sought to arrest those “who belonged to the Way.”
• In Acts 19:9, Paul taught “the Way” in Ephesus.
• In Acts 24:14, Paul himself declares, “I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, as a follower of the Way.”

These terms reflected their spiritual unity, shared faith, and commitment to Christ Jesus as the path to salvation. , long before the name Christian emerged in Antioch (Acts 11:26).

However, outsiders often labeled them “Nazarenes,” a term tied to Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth and carrying a derogatory connotation. In John 1:46, Nathanael’s question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” reveals the low regard for Nazareth in Jewish culture. The term “Nazarene” was used mockingly by opponents, as seen in Acts 24:5, where Paul is accused of being “a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” Paul never embraces this label, instead affirming his identity as a follower of “The Way.” There’s no evidence that the Jerusalem church adopted “Nazarene” as a self-designation, suggesting it was an external, reproachful term.

A Name Aligned with Mission (Followers of Christ)

The name “Christian” (Greek: Christianos) means “follower of Christ” or “belonging to Christ.” Its formation mirrors the naming conventions of philosophical schools in the Greco-Roman world, such as the Platonists (followers of Plato) and Pythagoreans (followers of Pythagoras). In Antioch, a city where Jewish and Gentile believers united, the name “Christian” was a fitting, universal identity that transcended cultural divides. It replaced the reproachful “Nazarene” and even the self-designation “The Way,” providing a clear, mission-aligned title that declared allegiance to Jesus, the Messiah.
Unlike “Nazarene,” which carried cultural baggage and was imposed by outsiders,

Conclusion
The evidence from Acts 11:26, its context, the use of chrēmatizō, and the presence of prophets like Agabus strongly suggests that the name “Christian” was a prophetic designation given within the church, not a label from unbelievers. This name was a divine gift, affirming the disciples’ identity as followers of the Messiah and equipping them for their mission in a diverse world. As modern Christians, we bear this name with pride, knowing it was likely born in a moment of divine revelation, not derision.
Let us embrace the name “Christian” as a call to live out our faith boldly, just as the early church did in Antioch. May we, like them, be led by the Spirit, grounded in teaching, and faithful to the One whose name we bear.