Biblical Christianity VS Seventh-day Adventism
Category
Christianity (C)
Adventism (A)
Key Person or Founder, Date, Location
(C) Jesus Christ. It was founded around AD 30-33 in the Judean province of Palestine (Israel today) under the Roman Empire. Followers of Jesus became known as Christians.
(A) Primary organizers: James (1821-1881) and Ellen (1827-1915) White, Joseph Bates (1792 – 1872). Incorporated in 1863 in Michigan. Headquarters are in Silver Springs, Maryland.
Key Writings
(C) The Bible, written originally in Hebrew and Aramaic (Old Testament), and Greek (New Testament)
(A) The Bible, including Adventist paraphrase The Clear Word. Over 600 published titles by Ellen G. White, including The Desire of Ages and The Great Controversy. Sabbath School Quarterly Bible Study Guides. SDA Bible Commentary. Adventist Review and numerous other magazines.
Who is God?
(C) The One God is Triune (one God in three persons, not three gods): Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The title “God” often designates the first person, God the Father. God is a spiritual being without a physical body. He is personal and involved with people. He created the universe. He is eternal, changeless, holy, loving, and perfect.
(A) God is comprised of a unity of three coeternal persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Who are one in motive and purpose, but not substance. God the Father is generally understand to possess a physical body. Both trinitarianism and anti-trinitarianism are believed in the church today.
Who is Jesus?
(C) Jesus is God, the second person of the Trinity. As God the Son, he has always existed and was never created. He is fully God and fully man (the two natures joined, not mixed). As the second person of the trinity, he is coequal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. In becoming man, he was begotten through the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus is the only way to the Father, salvation, and eternal life. He died on a cross according to God’s plan, as the full sacrifice and payment for our sins. He rose from the dead on the third day, spiritually and physically immortal. For the next 40 days he was seen by more than 500 eye-witnesses. His wounds were touched and he ate meals. He physically ascended to heave. Jesus will come again visibly and physically at the end of the world to establish God’s kingdom and judge the world.
(A) Ellen White says God the Father exalted Jesus to be his Son, thus provoking Lucifer’s jealousy and a war in heaven. Jesus is our example to prove we can live sinlessly. His sacrifice on the cross did not complete the atonement; since 1844, he has been applying his blood in heaven in an ongoing “Investigative Judgment,” after which he will return. Also identified as Michael the Archangel, most Adventist founders denied Jesus’s deity.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
(C) The Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force or energy field. He comforts, grieves, reproves, convicts, guides, teaches, and fills Christians. He is not the Father, nor is he the Son, Jesus Christ.
(A) Originally thought to be a force or power from God, today the Holy Spirit is understood to be the third person of the Godhead.
How to be saved
(C) Salvation is by God’s grace, not by an individual’s good works. Salvation must be received by faith. People must believe in their hearts that Jesus died for their sins and physically rose again, which assures them of forgiveness and resurrection of the body. This is God’s loving plan to forgive sinful people.
(A) Salvation is by grace through faith, but it is maintained by commandment-keeping and repentance. Seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observance is the sign of the seal of God, and Sunday worship is the mark of the beast. (Many only believe this will be a sign when the National/Global Sunday Law goes into effect.) Satan is the scapegoat on which all of humanity’s sins will be placed since Satan is responsible for sin. Satan will be punished in the lake of fire for the sins of the saved.
What happens after death?
(C) Believers go to be with Jesus. After death, all people await the final judgment. Both saved and lost people will be resurrected. Those who are saved will live with Jesus in heaven, which is this recreated earth made new. Those who are lost will suffer the torment of eternal separation from God (hell). Jesus’ bodily resurrection guarantees believers that they, too, will be resurrected and receive new immortal bodies.
(A) Humans have no immaterial spirit, so at death the body goes into the ground and the breath goes to God. Nothing remains except in God’s memory. At judgment, the lake of fire annihilates the wicked.
Other Facts, Beliefs, or Practices
Group worship, usually in churches. No secret rites. Baptism and Lord’s Supper (Communion). Active voluntary missionary efforts. Aid to those in need: the poor, widows, orphans, and downtrodden. Christians believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah promised to Israel in the Old Testament (Tanakh). Jesus said his followers would be known by their love for one another.
(A) The SDA Church considers itself to be God’s one, special remnant church. Old Testament clean/unclean meat laws are observed. The SDA “health message” includes abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and all caffeine products. The Church also advocates veganism. Traditionalist SDA’s believe wearing jewelry is sinful. Proselytizing programs include “Revelation Seminars” and health outreach programs.
This is helpful but as in most comparison charts it does not lend itself to important nuances. If you ever edit this you may want to consider including a few other important questions:
1. Would a person risk their salvation if they stopped keeping the Sabbath (as taught in Fundamental Belief 20?)
2. What specifically is the “new birth”?
3. What is the Gospel?
Yes, there are so many seemingly small differences between Biblical Christianity and Adventism. I hope to add further nuances over time. Thank you for the suggestions! How would you compare Christianity and Adventism with the three suggested areas?