| a.k.a. | Chinese Patriotic | |
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| Number of Members | 20,000,000[1] | 300,000 |
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| 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] | Sola fide: Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection alone to save you.[3][4] |
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| Who gets saved? | | Anyone who chooses by his own free will to believe and accept God's gift of grace will be saved.[5][6] |
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| Can one lose his salvation? | | Eternal security: No, once a Christian is saved, he is always saved.[7] |
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| Who gets baptized and why? | Saved people get baptized as a public demonstration of their new lives.[8][9] | Saved people get baptized as a public demonstration of their new lives.[10] |
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| How should baptism be done? | Baptism should be by sprinkling or immersion.[8] | Baptism should be by immersion.[10] |
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| When does one receive the Holy Spirit? | | The Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation.[3][4] |
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| 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.[11] | 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.[3][4] |
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| What is the human nature? | | Total depravity: Human nature is corrupt, naturally inclined to evil, and incapable of choosing God on his own.[12] |
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| 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. |
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| Can Christians become sinless in this earthly life? | | No, although Christians can and should sin less, they can never become sinless in this life.[13] |
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| Do the elements of communion become the body and blood of Christ? | No, the elements merely symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ.[8] | No, the elements merely symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ. |
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| Can one be baptized of behalf of someone who has died? | No, the dead cannot be baptized. | No, the dead cannot be baptized. |
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| 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.[14][15] |
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| Did Mary ever sin? | | Yes, Mary sinned like all other humans except Jesus. |
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| What spiritual gifts are available today? | | Continuationism: All spiritual gifts are still available to believers.[16] |
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| What framework has God used in dealing with man? | | Dispensationalism: God acts differently with humanity in seven different periods of history. |
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| What is the gift of tongues? | | Speaking in tongues is sometimes unintelligible and sometimes foreign human languages.[17] |
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| How many church ordinances/sacraments are there? | The church has two ordinances: Baptism and Holy Communion.[8] | The church has two ordinances: Baptism and Holy Communion. |
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| 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.[2] | Confession should be made directly to God, but confession to another believer is beneficial for some sins.[18] |
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| How should a church be structured? | Every church congregation should be governed by its members and the Chinese Communist Party. | |
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| What day of the week should Christians worship? | Christians worship on Sunday.[19] | Christians worship on Sunday. |
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| 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.[20] | Sola scriptura: The Bible is the only infallible source of God's revelation, sufficient for all faith and practice.[21] |
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| How was the Bible written? | | Verbal plenary inspiration: The Bible was written by men who had every word supernaturaly inspired by God.[22][23][3][4] |
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| How many books are in the Bible? | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books.[20] | There are 66 canonical books of the Bible: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. |
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| Was the Bible written inerrantly? | | Yes, the Bible was written without any error.[22][23][3][4] |
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| Who can speak with God's authority today? | | Nobody today can speak for God. |
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| How was the earth created? | | Creationism: The earth was spoken into existence by God. |
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| What is marriage? | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[24] | Marriage is a covenant before God between one man and one woman.[25][26] |
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| Is sex permissible outside marriage? | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[24] | No, sex outside of marriage is not permissible.[27] |
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| When is divorce permissible? | | Divorce is permissible for adultery or desertion.[28][26] |
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| May a Christian remarry while his former spouse is still alive? | | Yes, a Christian may freely remarry after divorce.[26] |
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| When does a fetus become human? | | Humanity begins at conception.[29] |
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| Is contraception permissible? | | Yes, contraceptives are permissible.[30] |
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| Are blood transfusions permissible? | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. | Yes, blood transfusions are permissible. |
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| Should women cover their heads? | | No, head coverings are no longer required due to cultural changes.[31][32] |
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| Should Christians drink alcohol? | | Yes, drinking alcohol is fine as long as one does not get drunk.[33][34] |
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| Should Christians fight in wars? | Yes, Christians should fight in just wars. | Yes, Christians can fight in just wars. |
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| How should Christians musically worship God? | | Any style of worship music is acceptable. |
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| Who can be demon-possessed? | | Demons can possess unbelievers but not Christians. |
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| Do icons glorify God? | | No, icons violate the Second Commandment against graven images. |
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| Where does a Christian's soul go after death? | | Christians immediately go to heaven when they die.[35] |
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| When does the Tribulation happen? | | Futurism: The Tribulation will happen at a time in the future which no man knows the time of.[36] |
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| When will the church be raptured? | | Pretribulationism rapture: The church will be raptured sometime before the Tribulation.[36] |
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| When is the millennial reign of Christ happen? | | Premillennialism: The millennial reign of Christ will be the 1,000 years immediately after the Tribulation.[37] |
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