"Now appears a rival claimant to world worship and dominion, the Christ of Israel. There was a widespread consciousness in the Gentile portion of the race that some day there would appear in Israel, a great leader, called the Messiah. This was probably part of the knowledge which the Magi had when they came to worship the new-born King of the Jews (Matt. 2:1–11). While He was not well known during His life-time on earth, a fact which is attested by the meagre notice given Him by the historians of His day, yet when the Gospel of Grace was being preached throughout the Roman empire, and He was being proclaimed as the Christ, with all that that name involved, Rome took notice. The name “Christ” is the English spelling of the Greek word Christos (Χριστος), which in turn is the translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” It was the Messiah who had died, and had risen again, who was described as the sinner’s Saviour, and a king in His own right, coming from the famous line of Jewish kings, the Davidic. Here was a rival King and Priest, claiming the allegiance of the subjects of Rome. Those who put their faith in Him necessarily had to sever their allegiance to the ruling Caesar, so far as worshipping him was concerned. These who were once Kaisarianos (Καισαριανος), followers of the Caesar, now were known as Christianos (Χριστιανος), followers of the Christ. V 19, p 69 Thus, the Roman world was divided into two rival cults, the Cult of the Caesar, and the Cult of the Christ.
Paul, speaking of the Christ (the definite article appears before “Christ” in the Greek, indicating that the term “Christ” was well-known) before Agrippa the Roman ruler, preached the gospel to him (Acts 26). Agrippa says to Paul, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” The literal Greek here is, “With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian.” Agrippa scoffed at the idea of becoming a Christian. He was a proud Kaisarianos (Καισαριανος), a worshipper of the Caesar. He knew that he would lose his government position and his head also if he ever renounced his allegiance to Caesar in order to become a Christianos (Χριστιανος).
The name “Christian” was a term of reproach in the Roman world. It was the name of the members of that despised and hated sect which worshipped the Christ. Peter in his first epistle (1 Pet. 4:16) says, “If any man suffer as a Christian (a Christianos (Χριστιανος)), let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” Thus, the persecution of the early Christians by Rome arose out of the antagonism of the empire against a rival supremacy, that of the Cult of the Christ.
The world coined the term, but the Holy Spirit in I Peter takes it up as one of the designations of a believer in the Lord Jesus. In the first century it designated those who worshipped the Christ and refused to worship the image of the emperor. How that reminds us of John’s exhortation in his first epistle (John 5:21), “Little children, keep yourself from idols.” That injunction applies to Christians today. An idol today is anything that a Christian might possess that is not in harmony with what the Lord Jesus is, anything that occupies a place in his life which has a tendency to exclude Christ. We have no Roman emperor today whom the State might direct us to worship. But let us keep a watchful V 19, p 70 eye open for the little idols that would keep us from the closest fellowship with and usefulness to our Lord.
In the Great Tribulation period, the Roman empire is again to rear its head. Emperor worship will be restored, and thus the Cult of the Caesar (Rev. 13). The Jewish remnant of 144,000 (Rev. 7:1–8) will proclaim the coming of the Christ, and the two rival supremacies will again be present in a revived Roman empire. There will be the Kaisarianos (Καισαριανος) and the Christianos (Χριστιανος), the followers of Caesar and the followers of the Christ. But the personal advent of the Christ will displace the supremacy of the Caesars, and His Messianic rule will bring universal righteousness, peace, and prosperity to this earth."1
1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 19 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 68–70.
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