Disciple or Follower?

Recently I've been reading and studying on discipleship and what it means to be a disciple. I've been working through the two terms. Often times within our Christian culture we use the terms as synonyms when talking about our faith in Jesus Christ. One will say, "I am a follower of Christ." While another will say "I am a disciple of Christ." Most times, within our Christian sub-culture we know what others are meaning when they use these phrases, but I wonder if the world understands them as we do.

I have come to a personal conclusion that, although it is not wrong, to call oneself a "follower of Christ" it is more descriptive, meaningful, and more common within Biblical usage to say that one is a "disciple of Christ." To merely say that one is a follower of another in our day in time is more thought of as one who simply follows another around. It describes more of a physical relation to something or someone. It is not vivid or convey, with in my opinion, the depth of the commitment to Jesus Christ. There were many within the crowds that followed Jesus as He preached and healed and journeyed, but there were fewer who were within the crowds that were disciples of Christ. Those who heard the cost of discipleship decided it was too much and walked away.

A disciple, a word not often used in today's terminology of the world, gives a more vivid picture of one who sits under the teaching and doctrines of a Teacher, agrees and adheres to those teachings and doctrines, accepts them, submits to them, dedicates their life to them, and promotes those teachings and doctrines to those who do not yet subscribe to them so that they might spread.

To me the term disciple gives us a much clearer understanding of the depth of our commitment to Christ is to be when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Galatians 2.20 says that our life is not our own anymore, it is utterly and completely His. It is the life that He now lives in us. When we proclaim Christ as such we fully agree with, accept, adhere to, submit, and dedicate our lives to Jesus Christ and the Gospel message found in the Bible. To this end we fully surrender our whole lives to this Truth and make it our full aim in life, our full purpose to spread the Gospel message of salvation and redemption through the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, alone.

I do not mean to pick at straws but I am a bit of a stickler for using the best words to describe things of importance. To call yourself a follower of Christ is not wrong, but I ask "is it the best word or most beneficial word to describe your relationship with Jesus Christ?"