| a.k.a. | | |
|---|
| Number of Members | 210,000,000[1] | 80,000,000[2][3] |
|---|
| How does one get saved? | Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, and be baptized.[4] | Sola fide: Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection alone to save you. |
|---|
| Who gets saved? | Anyone who chooses by his own free will to believe and accept God's gift of grace will be saved. | 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? | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy. | Yes, a Christian can lose his salvation by apostasy. |
|---|
| Who gets baptized and why? | The unsaved, typically as infants, get baptized as the first sacrament of Christian initiation, cleansing them of all sins. | Saved people and their infant children get baptized by as the first sacrament of Christian initiation, cleansing them of all sins. |
|---|
| How should baptism be done? | Baptism should be by triple immersion. | Baptism should be by sprinkling water on the head. |
|---|
| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | The Holy Spirit is received at chrismation, generally immediately after baptism. | The Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation. |
|---|
| 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. | 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? | Human nature is intrinsically good but is wounded and incapable of choosing God in our fallen environment.[5][6] | Total depravity: Human nature is corrupt, naturally inclined to evil, and incapable of choosing God on his own. |
|---|
| Are we guilty of Adam's original sin? | No, we are not guilty of Adam's sin, nor did we inherit a sinful nature from him, but we did inherit the consequences.[7] | 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. |
|---|
| Are Christians required to keep the Old Testament ceremonial laws? | No, the ceremonial laws of Judaism were fulfilled and done away with by Jesus. | No, the ceremonial laws of Judaism were fulfilled and done away with by Jesus. |
|---|
| Can Christians become sinless in this earthly life? | Yes, Christian perfection is possible. | Yes, Christians can become evangelically perfect through sanctification. |
|---|
| Do the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ? | Metousiosis: Yes, the bread and the wine change in essence into the body and blood of Christ. | No, the elements do not become the body and blood of Christ, but Christ is present in an unknown way. |
|---|
| 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? | There is no purgatory, but Christians will continue in theosis after death.[8] | Once Christians leave their sinful bodies, nothing else is needed to receive glorified, sinless bodies.[9] |
|---|
| Did Mary ever sin? | Mary was prone to sin like anyone else, but no, through her own free will she still never did. | Yes, Mary sinned like all other humans except Jesus. |
|---|
| What spiritual gifts are available today? | Continuationism: All spiritual gifts are still available to believers. | |
|---|
| What framework has God used in dealing with man? | | Covenant theology: God acts either within the covenant of works or the covenant of grace. |
|---|
| What is the gift of tongues? | Speaking in tongues is sometimes unintelligible and sometimes foreign human languages.[10][11] | |
|---|
| What are the requirements for clergy? | Priests must be men over 30 ordained by bishops. | Varies widely |
|---|
| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Chrism, Holy Eucharist, Confession, Ordination, Marriage, and Holy Unction.[12] | The church has two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion.[13] |
|---|
| Who can take communion? | Only members of the church can participate in Holy Communion.[14] | |
|---|
| To whom do Christians need to confess their sins? | Confession should be made to God before a priest.[15] | Confession should be made directly to God, but confession to another believer is beneficial for some sins. A general confession of sinfulness is usually done as a group during a service. |
|---|
| How should a church be structured? | Episcopal: Churches should be governed by the bishop in that episcopacy, who in turn is governed by a patriarch of an autocephalous church. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is first among equals. | Connectionalism: Churches are governed by conferences of representatives. How respresentatives and pastors are chosen varies widely. |
|---|
| What day of the week should Christians worship? | Christians worship on Sunday. | Christians worship on Sunday. |
|---|
| How does God's revelation come to us today? | Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition have equal authority and comprise one finished deposit of faith. | Prima scriptura: There are many sources of God's revelation, although none can contradict the Bible. |
|---|
| How many books are in the Bible? | There are 76 canonical books of the Bible: 39 protocanonical books, 10 deuterocanonical books, and 27 New Testament books. | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. |
|---|
| Was the Bible written inerrantly? | | No, the Bible is not inerrant in any respect.[16] |
|---|
| Who can speak with God's authority today? | The church as a whole speaks with God's authority at ecumenical councils. | |
|---|
| How was the earth created? | No established doctrine | Generally that the earth was formed by gravity pulling dust together, which ultimately came from the Big Bang.[17] |
|---|
| What is marriage? | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman. | Varies widely[18][19][20][21] |
|---|
| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible. | Varies widely[18][19][20][21] |
|---|
| When is divorce permissible? | Divorce is permissible for adultery, abuse, or abandonment.[22][23] | Varies widely[24][25] |
|---|
| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | Yes, a Christian may remarry a second or third time for human weakness.[23] | Varies widely[24][25] |
|---|
| When does a fetus become human? | Humanity begins at conception.[26] | No established doctrine[27][28] |
|---|
| Is contraception permissible? | Most believe that yes, contraceptives are permissible.[29][30] | Yes, contraceptives are permissible. |
|---|
| Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. |
|---|
| Should women cover their heads? | Varies widely | No, head coverings are no longer required due to cultural changes.[31] |
|---|
| Should Christians drink alcohol? | Yes, drinking alcohol is fine as long as one does not get drunk. | Most believe that yes, drinking alcohol is fine as long as one does not get drunk.[32][33] |
|---|
| Should Christians fight in wars? | Yes, Christians can fight in just wars.[34][35][36] | Most believe that no, Christians should never fight.[37][38] |
|---|
| Whom does the Holy Spirit come from? | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone. | The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.[39] |
|---|
| Do icons glorify God? | Yes, icons are holy and should be venerated.[40] | |
|---|
| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | After death, souls sit conscious in an Intermediate State, with a foretaste of heaven for Christians.[41] | No established doctrine[42] |
|---|
| When will the church be raptured? | The church will not be raptured at any point. | |
|---|
| When is the millennial reign of Christ happen? | Amillennialism: The millennial reign of Christ is an indefinite period of time beginning on the day of Pentecost and ending at His Second Coming. | |
|---|