![]() In the New Testament the word is used to refer to Christians generally, but Robert S. ![]() The Epistle to the Ephesians is written to the " saints at Ephesus" ( Ephesians 1:1). ![]() The use of "brother" as a designation for Christians has become restricted to members of religious communities (the Catholic sense), or as an honorific for pastors (often used in Baptist churches). ![]() The term comes from the theological concept of adoption, which says that believers are made part of God's family, and become his children. The King James Version renders the plural form used here as "brethren", while modern English versions have "brothers" ( ESV) or "brothers and sisters" ( NIV). The term brother occurs in verses like Acts 18:27. It is also frequently used in the Book of Acts but not in the New Testament epistles. Disciple ĭisciple is common in the Gospels and Acts, and is the "characteristic name for those who gathered around Jesus during his ministry". The original usage in all three New Testament verses reflects a derisive element in the term Christian to refer to followers of Christ who did not acknowledge the emperor of Rome. The word Christian is used three times in the New Testament: Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter 4:16.
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