No really, it’s true. A “disciple” is merely a student. A disciple is someone who listens to a teacher. The thing about being a disciple is it requires no significant degree of submission to the teacher. You only need to take in the information and add it to your mental repertoire. A disciple can hear a lesson and apply on the parts he likes, without ever committing fully to the teacher or the teacher’s ideals.
When applied to the Christian religion, a generic “disciple” is someone who hears the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles, likes some of it, rejects some of it, and lives however he wants to live, sometimes applying Christian principles, and other times applying principles from some other religion or philosophy. That person is a disciple…but he’s not a Christian. He might even be a disciple of Christ, if he favors a lot of Jesus’ teaching, but just being a disciple of Christ doesn’t make you a Christian.
To be a Christian means to sacrifice everything and submit entirely to God. It means taking up your cross and following Him (Matthew 16:24). It means repenting and being baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), to reenact Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, starting a new life with Him as your Master (Romans 6). Those who do that will be disciples of Christ, but they will be more than that, too. They will not just be disciples; they will be Christians. They will wear the name given by God to those who have turned their lives over to Him (Acts 11:26).
Be a Christian. JUST be a Christian. It’s the only life you need. It’s the only name you need. All other lives and all other names are either inappropriate, insufficient, or incomplete.
~ Matthew