So much of the religious world admires Martin Luther, but they fail to listen to what he taught on the subject. Martin Luther said, "What is Luther? After all, the teaching is not mine. Nor was I crucified for anyone. St. Paul would not permit Christians to call themselves Pauline or Petrine, but Christian. How then should I -- poor, stinking sack of maggots that I am -- be entitled to have people call the children of Christ by my wretched name?" It is evident from this quote that Luther was against anyone calling himself a "Lutheran." I have no doubt but that John the Baptist would feel the same way had he lived to enter into the Lord's church or the kingdom of Christ.

When Paul reasoned with King Agrippa he said, "King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:27-28). Even King Agrippa realized that the disciples were called Christians. There is no way he could have said in the first century, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Lutheran!" If Martin Luther could understand the subject so clearly, why can't so many understand the subject today? Could it be because tradition has taken the place of the authority of the Word of God?

Peter also used the name "Christian" to refer to the disciples of Christ. We read, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.