| a.k.a. | | |
|---|
| Number of Members | 100,000,000 | 52,000,000[1] |
|---|
| How does one get saved? | Sola fide: Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection alone to save you.[2][3] | Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, and be baptized.[4][5][6] |
|---|
| Who gets saved? | Most believe anyone who chooses by his own free will to believe and accept God's gift of grace will be saved.[7] | Anyone who chooses by his own free will to believe and accept God's gift of grace will be saved. |
|---|
| Can one lose his salvation? | Most believe eternal security: No, once a Christian is saved, he is always saved.[3][8][9] | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy. |
|---|
| Who gets baptized and why? | Saved people get baptized as a public demonstration of their new lives.[10] | The unsaved, typically as infants, get baptized as the first sacrament of Christian initiation, cleansing them of all sins.[4] |
|---|
| How should baptism be done? | Baptism should be by immersion.[10] | Baptism should be by triple immersion. |
|---|
| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | The Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation.[11] | The Holy Spirit is received at baptism. |
|---|
| What is the trinity? | The Trinity is God existing as one god in three equal, eternal, cosubstantial persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit.[8][11][12] | The Trinity is God existing as one god in three equal, eternal, cosubstantial persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. |
|---|
| What is the human nature? | Total depravity: Human nature is corrupt, naturally inclined to evil, and incapable of choosing God on his own.[3][12] | Human nature is corrupt and naturally inclined to evil.[13] |
|---|
| Are we guilty of Adam's original sin? | No, we are not guilty of Adam's sin, but we did inherit the consequences and a corrupt human nature from him, causing us all to sin. | No, we are not guilty of Adam's sin, but we did inherit the consequences and a corrupt human nature from him, causing us all to sin.[13][14] |
|---|
| Are Christians required to keep the Old Testament ceremonial laws? | No, the ceremonial laws of Judaism were fulfilled and done away with by Jesus. | Yes, all Old Testament laws are binding on Christians. |
|---|
| Can Christians become sinless in this earthly life? | No, although Christians can and should sin less, they can never become sinless in this life. | Yes, Christian perfection is possible. |
|---|
| Do the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ? | No, the elements merely symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ. | Yes, the bread and the wine change into the body and blood of Christ in an unknown way.[15][16] |
|---|
| Can one be baptized of behalf of someone who has died? | No, the dead cannot be baptized. | No, the dead cannot be baptized. |
|---|
| What happens if a saved person dies without being perfect? | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies.[17][18] | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies.[19] |
|---|
| Did Mary ever sin? | Yes, Mary sinned like all other humans except Jesus. | Mary was prone to sin like anyone else, but no, through her own free will she still never did. |
|---|
| What spiritual gifts are available today? | Cessationism: Spiritual gifts used for serving are available today, while gifts used as signs have ceased.[20][21] | |
|---|
| What framework has God used in dealing with man? | Dispensationalism: God acts differently with humanity in seven different periods of history. | |
|---|
| What is the gift of tongues? | The gift of tongues is the ability to speak foreign human languages without knowing how. | |
|---|
| What are the requirements for clergy? | Experienced men above reproach, faithful to their wives and with with obedient children if applicable, and able to teach are to be appointed as pastors. | |
|---|
| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church has two ordinances: Baptism and Holy Communion. | The church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Eucharist, Unction of the Sick, Matrimony, and Priesthood.[22][23][24] |
|---|
| Should communion bread be leavened? | | Most believe leavened bread should be used in Holy Communion. Armenians use unleavened bread. |
|---|
| To whom do Christians need to confess their sins? | Confession should be made directly to God, but confession to another believer is beneficial for some sins. | Sins must be privately confessed to a priest within 40 days.[25][26][27][28] |
|---|
| How should a church be structured? | Congregationalist: Every church congregation should be independent and governed by its members. | Episcopal: Churches should be governed by the bishop in that eparchy, who in turn is governed by a patriarch of an autocephalous church. |
|---|
| What day of the week should Christians worship? | Christians worship on Sunday. | Christians worship on Sunday, although the Sabbath should be observed on Saturday. |
|---|
| How does God's revelation come to us today? | Sola scriptura: The Bible is the only infallible source of God's revelation, sufficient for all faith and practice. | Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition have equal authority and comprise one finished deposit of faith.[29] |
|---|
| How was the Bible written? | Verbal plenary inspiration: The Bible was written by men who had every word supernaturaly inspired by God.[3][30] | Verbal plenary inspiration: The Bible was written by men who had every word supernaturaly inspired by God.[31] |
|---|
| How many books are in the Bible? | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. | Varies widely |
|---|
| Was the Bible written inerrantly? | Yes, the Bible was written without any error.[3][30] | Yes, the Bible was written without any error.[31] |
|---|
| Who can speak with God's authority today? | Nobody today can speak for God. | Nobody today can speak for God.[32] |
|---|
| How was the Bible preserved? | Generally verbal plenary preservation: God has supernaturally preserved every word of the Bible. | God has preserved the meanings of the Bible, but not every word.[31] |
|---|
| How was the earth created? | Creationism: The earth was spoken into existence by God. | Generally creationism: The earth was spoken into existence by God. |
|---|
| What is marriage? | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[8][33] | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[34][35][36] |
|---|
| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[8] | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible. |
|---|
| When is divorce permissible? | Divorce is only permissible for adultery. | Divorce is seldomly permissible upon investigation by a clergical committee, usually instigated by infidelity.[37] |
|---|
| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | No, a Christian should not remarry while his former spouse lives. | The innocent party to the adultery may remarry.[38] |
|---|
| When does a fetus become human? | Varies widely[33][39][40] | Ranges from humanity beginning at fertilization to 40 days after conception[41][42][43][44] |
|---|
| Is contraception permissible? | Yes, contraceptives are permissible. | Varies widely[43][45][46][47] |
|---|
| Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible.[48][49] |
|---|
| Should women cover their heads? | No, women's long hair is enough of a covering.[50][51] | |
|---|
| Should Christians drink alcohol? | Most believe no, alcohol should be totally avoided. | No, alcohol should be totally avoided aside from Eucharist.[52] |
|---|
| Should Christians fight in wars? | Yes, Christians should fight in just wars. | Yes, Christians can fight in just wars.[53] |
|---|
| How should Christians musically worship God? | Varies widely | |
|---|
| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | No established doctrine | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone.[54] |
|---|
| Who can be demon-possessed? | Demons can possess unbelievers but not Christians. | Demons can possess unbelievers and Christians living in sin.[55][56] |
|---|
| Do icons glorify God? | No, icons violate the Second Commandment against graven images. | Yes, icons are holy and should be venerated.[57][58] |
|---|
| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | Christians immediately go to heaven when they die.[17][59] | After death, souls sit conscious in an Intermediate State, with Christians being with Christ.[60] |
|---|
| When does the Tribulation happen? | Futurism: The Tribulation will happen at a time in the future which no man knows the time of. | Futurism: The Tribulation will happen at a time in the future which no man knows the time of.[61] |
|---|
| When will the church be raptured? | Pretribulationism rapture: The church will be raptured sometime before the Tribulation. | |
|---|
| When is the millennial reign of Christ happen? | Premillennialism: The millennial reign of Christ will be the 1,000 years immediately after the Tribulation. | Amillennialism: The millennial reign of Christ is an indefinite period of time beginning on the day of Pentecost and ending at His Second Coming. |
|---|