Definition of Terms

Definition of Terms

As one begins the journey into all that the Lord desires for His people, it is important that we understand the basic terms that form the religion we call “Christianity.” As I progress through this series, it will be important that you understand the terms and their differences. At the end of this I’ve added Cliff Notes and an outline, which provides a nice clarification of this topic.

Definition of Terms

Believer
Disciple
Christian

What Is a Believer?

Someone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Lord and that His death on the cross paid the price to purchase them from hell. They believe in His resurrection and that it was proof of His deity and His right to save you. They “believed in their heart” and they “confessed with their mouth.” Believers are saved, with all that entails. I will be covering what salvation covers later in this series.

Romans 10:9-11 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

This passage is a testament to the broad grace that is given. Being saved is having any ownership of hell removed from you. You are no longer ruled over by the prince of this world, who is Satan. You belong to the Lord. You can throw it all away, but that requires the same statement of will that saved one in the first place. It is not the result of moral failure. It is the “free gift” spoken of in Ephesians and is not based on your adherence to a set of rules. You can’t earn it. It is a free gift. You gained it by an act of will, and you can only give it up the same way.

Ephesians 2:4-8 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The book of Acts records many instances where there was a great harvest of believers brought out of darkness into the grace of God.

Acts 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

Acts 2:47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 9:42 It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

The distinction between believer and disciple is an important one. There are a great many believers in the world who incorrectly call themselves Christians. However, only disciples were called Christians back in the day, and that difference is significant. A believer is someone who accepts what was done for him and freely given to them. It is this act that provides their salvation from the power of hell.

What Is a Disciple?

A disciple meets certain criteria in their lifestyle. The lifestyle requirements to be a disciple are many. The Kingdom of Heaven (as opposed to just “heaven”) will be made up of disciples. Heaven, which is what we commonly refer to as the spiritual realm, will be occupied by all spiritual beings who are not residents of hell and includes all believers who have passed from the physical realm into the spiritual realm of heaven.

It also contains the Kingdom of Heaven, which governs the spiritual realm. The Kingdom of Heaven and its citizens will return to earth with the Lord at the beginning of the millennium and govern the earth for a thousand years. I will be going into this in greater detail in coming episodes.

A disciple is someone whose desire is to please the Lord and who establishes a lifestyle in accordance with the standards dictated by the Lord. It is a rewarding and full life, but it also requires a different outlook on life than non-disciples. Jesus said, “If you don’t pick up your cross daily and follow me, you can’t be my disciple.”

Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

What Is a Christian?

It would seem that this should be common knowledge, but there are so many people who got saved and never became disciples who are going around calling themselves “Christians” that the term has basically lost its meaning to many.

Acts 11:26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

The point is simple: disciples were first called Christians. I have a chapter called What Is Discipleship? which will unpack everything Jesus had to say about being His disciple. Spoiler alert: it is only disciples and the heavenly host of angels that make up the Kingdom of Heaven.

We will discuss that in great detail when I address the Kingdom. Salvation is a free gift, and it and all its benefits are what Jesus purchased for those who “believe and confess.” The Kingdom is made up of those who commit their loyalty to the Kingdom of God and the lifestyle that it calls for. While both go to heaven and not hell, it is disciples who rule and reign with Christ in the millennium.

This may be considerably different than what you have believed up to this point, but please keep following and examine the evidence I will present before deciding to dismiss it. It explains why there are so many “works”-related statements made by the Lord as He preaches the “gospel of the Kingdom.”

Matthew 9:35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

Matthew 24:14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Cliff Notes — Definition of Terms

Big Picture

Christian terminology has been blurred over time. Scripture makes clear distinctions between believers, disciples, and Christians—and those distinctions matter.

Believer

• A believer acknowledges Jesus as Lord
• Believes His death paid the price for salvation and His resurrection proved His deity
• Salvation is received by belief and confession (Romans 10)
• Salvation is a free gift, not earned by works or rule-keeping (Ephesians 2)
• Being saved removes all claim of hell and transfers ownership to the Lord
• Salvation can only be rejected by an act of will—not by moral failure
• Scripture shows large numbers becoming believers through the preaching of the gospel (Acts)

Key Point:
Believers are saved from hell, but salvation alone does not make one a disciple or a Christian in the biblical sense.

Disciple

• A disciple lives according to the standards set by Jesus
• Discipleship requires intentional lifestyle choices and personal sacrifice
• Jesus explicitly states that following Him daily and bearing the cross is required
• The Kingdom of Heaven is made up of disciples, not merely believers
• Disciples will rule and reign with Christ during the millennium
• Discipleship is demanding but leads to a full and rewarding life

Key Point:
Discipleship is not automatic after salvation—it is a chosen path of loyalty, obedience, and alignment with the Kingdom of God.

Christian

• The term “Christian” originally referred only to disciples
• Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26)
• Many today use the label “Christian” without living as disciples
• This misuse has diluted the meaning of the term

Key Point:
Biblically speaking, a Christian is a disciple—not merely someone who is saved.

Salvation vs. Kingdom

• Salvation: a free gift received by belief and confession
• Kingdom: entered by commitment, obedience, and discipleship
• Both believers and disciples go to heaven
• Only disciples participate in ruling and reigning with Christ
• Jesus preached the gospel of the Kingdom, which explains His many teachings on works and obedience

Bottom Line

Salvation rescues you from hell.
Discipleship aligns you with the Kingdom.
Only disciples were ever called Christians.

Contrast Chart — Believer vs. Disciple vs. Christian

Core Distinction:
Salvation changes ownership.
Discipleship changes allegiance.
“Christian” names those who did both.

Teaching Bullet Points (Instructor-Ready)

1. Why Definitions Matter

• Modern Christianity collapsed biblical categories into one word
• Scripture keeps salvation and discipleship distinct
• Confusion here explains confusion everywhere else

2. Belief and Salvation

• Salvation is a legal transaction, not a moral achievement
• Belief transfers ownership from Satan to the Lord
• Moral failure does not undo salvation
• Salvation can only be rejected by deliberate will

3. Discipleship and the Kingdom

• Discipleship is voluntary, intentional, and costly
• Jesus never lowered the standard—He clarified it
• The Kingdom of Heaven is populated by disciples
• Discipleship governs authority, reward, and rule

4. The Term “Christian.”

• Never used for believers in general
• Always tied to disciples
• A title earned by alignment, not claimed by belief

5. Why Jesus Talked Much About Works

• He preached the gospel of the Kingdom, not merely salvation
• Works never earn salvation
• Works reveal Kingdom loyalty
• Confusing the two produces legalism on one side and lawlessness on the other

6. The Tension Resolved [KEY POINT!]

• Free salvation explains grace
• Costly discipleship explains obedience
• Together, they explain the whole New Testament without contradiction

One-Sentence Summary (Memorable)

Salvation saves you from hell; discipleship prepares you to rule; only disciples were ever called Christians.