5 Identifiers of a Disciple

What Is It? 

The church has been called to replicate it (Matt. 28:18-20).  Yet the first question to address is: what is it? What is a disciple?  Before we can get to the how we must be able to first tackle the what.  Answering the what will give us clues toward answering the how. So, if we are to go and make them we must first know what they are.  We must first be able to grasp the ideologies around what a disciple of Christ is. Before we can be faithful to the call we must understand the call altogether.  

The question remains: what is a disciple? 

Disciple of Christ: 

In observing the source material, which are the Scriptures, one can come to the conclusion that much of the traits that resonate from a disciple of Christ is grounded in the five (5) characteristics listed below. These attributes are not meant to be an exhaustive look into the definition of a disciple, but rather a starting point in establishing a framework in understanding the task at hand.

To be a Christian means to be a disciple. There are no Christians who are not disciples.

The word disciple come from the Greek word mathetes which can be rendered student or pupil.  According to Jonathan K. Dodson, a disciple consist of three central components: rational, relational, and missional.1 This definition helps to paint a picture that can be copied and modeled. Mark Dever conceptualizes his understanding of disciple by stating, "[to] be a Christian means to be a disciple. There are no Christians who are not disciples. And to be a disciple of Jesus means to follow Jesus. There are no disciples of Jesus who are not following Jesus."2 This definition is helpful as we move forward in filling out the characteristic traits of a disciple. 

1. Learner: 

A disciple is a learner of his/her master.  They are seeking to understand and grasp the ingenuity of the One to whom they follow.  Jesus informs His followers in saying, "Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him" (Jn. 13:16).  Knowing the Master is not merely comprehending content, but rather grasping after an intimacy that transcends ordinary insight. In the High Priestly Prayer Jesus states, "And this is enteral life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (Jn. 17:3, italics mine). 

Fundamentally, this means that there is a shift in worldview that has the Gospel as the basis of seeing all of life. The Apostle Paul is adamant in saying that due to the Gospel truth in the work and Person of Jesus Christ believers are not to "be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom. 12:2, italics mine). Philip G. Ryken, president of Wheaton College, describes a worldview as "the structure of understanding [what] we use to make sense of our world. Our worldview is what we presuppose. It is our way of looking at life, our interpretation of the universe, our orientation to reality."3  All of the Christian life, then, is to be measured off of the truths conjured from the Gospel itself. For example, the Apostle Paul writes, "[be] kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Eph. 4:32, italics mine). 

A disciple of Christ takes on the thought-patterns, affections, and convictions of the Lord Jesus Christ as shown within the sacred Scriptures.  Paul reminds the believers that "we have the mind of Christ" (2 Cor. 2:16b, italics mine). Eric Geiger, Michael Kelley, and Philip Nation articulates this well in saying, "[seeing] discipleship through the lens of the Gospel means applying the Gospel to all of life, believing transformation occurs when disciples center their lives on the Gospel. The Gospel is sufficient; it is enough. It is relevant. It is not merely the foundational curriculum for a disciple but the overarching curriculum."4

2. Worshipper: 

A disciple of Christ sees all of life as an opportunity to worship God. The Apostle Paul urges, "[so], whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).  Worship is not merely a particular time during the week devoted to singing songs and raising hands, but rather a lifestyle devoted to making much of Christ.  Sunday, then, is the outflow of worship engaged throughout the week. The Christian life can not be compartmentalized as though one act is done through the outflow of the heart and the others are not.  According to Paul, "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Rom. 12:1, italics mine).

Sunday, then, is the outflow of worship engaged throughout the week.

A Christocentric aim in worship is an essential component in the life of a disciple.  Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (Jn. 4:24, italics mine).  Dietrich Bonhoeffer captures this notion well in saying, "[the] response of the disciple is an act of obedience, not a confession of faith in Jesus."5 The hallmark trait of a disciple is not merely an outward acknowledgement of the faith, but rather an inward affection that bleeds and colors one's life in Christ.

3. Server: 

Because the Master has come "not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10:45), His followers are to have the same mind.  This service is to be played out in at least two (2) ways.

As disciples of Christ we are to love the saints.  Since we share in the affections of Christ, our heart for the church—His bride—must grow and align itself to this end. Paul clearly states, "as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10, italics mine).  The Lord has given us His Spirit to equip us with gifts in order "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:12, italics mine). Colin Marshall and Tony Payne rightly conveys by saying, "the basic methodology of body growth is that all the members 'speak the truth in love,' one to another."6

A disciple of Christ loves the lost. Marks of a disciple finds themselves with the heart of God in reaching the less fortunate—physically and, more importantly, spiritually—for the cause of Christ (Matt. 25:31-46).  David Platt devises a crucial question: "Why not begin operating under the idea that God has given us excess, not so we can have more, but so we could give more?"7 

4. Member: 

Not only have we been saved into salvation, but we have also been saved into the covenant community of God—the church. Therefore, we are to belong to the saints and they belong to us.  Paul says, "[for] in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greek, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13, italics mine). Dodson emphasizes that "[baptism] results in our participation in a new, spiritual family—the family of the Trinity. Jesus is the entry point into the divine community and [is] the head of our new community."8

Therefore, we are to belong to the saints and they belong to us. 

5. Proclaimer: 

As a disciple we are called to make known the message of God's salvific work in the Person of Jesus Christ.  "Speaking God's Word for the growth of the vine, " according to Marshall and Payne, "is the work not of the few but of the many."9 Preaching, then, is not merely to be exercised on the pulpit—though it has immense value in the life of the church—but rather is done through the course of our interactions and conversations with fellow Christians and, more specifically, non-believers.  

Fundamentally, a disciple should know the basic tenants of the Gospel.  It is imperative, then, that discipleship be in the business of theological training.  Keith L. Johnson demonstrates convincingly that "[this] is the call with which theology begins and proceeds. To participate in the mind of Christ is to have our own minds shaped and directed by Christ's call to faith and obedience. Because Christ uses Scripture as His instrument to issue the call, we have to approach the text itself as a living Word. We have to read it in the expectation that—because Christ Himself speaks to us in it—this Word will overwhelm us, reform us and move us to some place new."10

____________________________________________
*footnotes

1. Jonathan K. Dodson, Gospel Centered Discipleship (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 29-32. 

2. Mark Dever, Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus (Wheaton: Crossway, 2016), 15. 

3. Philip Graham Ryken, Christian Worldview: A Student's Guide (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013), 19. 

4. Eric Geiger, Michael Kelley, and Philip Nation, Transformational Discipleship: How People Really Grow (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2012), 84. 

5. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995), 57.

6. Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-shift That Changes Everything (Kingsford: Matthias Media, 2009), 45.

7. David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2010), 127, 

8. Dodson, Gospel Centered Discipleship, 33. 

9. Marshall and Payne, Trellis and the Vine, 44. 

10. Keith L. Johnson, Theology as Discipleship (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2015), 157-158. 
____________________________________________

McYoung Yang (M. Div., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary). He is the husband of Debbie Yang and the father to McCayden (9), McCoy (8), McColsen (6), and DeYoung (2).  He is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, MN and is currently serving as a Counsel member of the Youth Ministry of the Hmong District of the C&MA. McYoung is continuing his post-graduate studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO where he hopes to obtain his PhD in Theology. He hopes to use his training and platform as a means to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens. McYoung enjoys reading/writing, sports, and playing with his children.