Christian vs Seventh Day Adventist
Numerous variations of religion are being introduced in the world today. However, for people who consider religion as an essential aspect of living, the profusion of these varieties can be quite baffling. Christian and Seventh Day Adventist being two of the many, one must gain an understanding about the difference between Christian and seventh day adventist in order to gain a deeper understanding with regards to their faith.
Who is a Christian?
A Christian is someone who conducts him or herself in line with the beliefs, ways and the overall lifestyle of the Christian faith. The word Christian implies “one who follows the Christ” and is derived from the Greek term Christos meaning “anointed one.” This monotheistic religion is based completely upon the teachings and life experiences of Jesus Christ, as found in canonical gospels and writings of the New Testament. The main beliefs of the Christian religion are focused on Jesus, the Son of God, who became human for the divine goal of saving the world. At present, there are three major Christian groups including the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and Protestant groups. Traditions emphasize a number of physical gestures such as making the sign of the cross, also referred to as genuflection as well as kneeling and bowing.
Who is a Seventh Day Adventist?
The Seventh Day Adventist, abbreviated as SDA and popularly known as Adventist, is a Protestant Christian faith, which is particularly recognized because of its unique observance of Saturday as the original Sabbath day and the imminent second coming of the Christ. Seventh Day Adventist bases itself on 28 Fundamental Beliefs which were originally adopted by the General Conference in 1980.
However, these fundamental beliefs are not meant to be received as a “Creed” since they claim only the Bible as their one true creed. The followers of the church have a high regard for Ellen G. White, one of its founders, whose writings are extensively kept by the church for reference as the ultimate source of truth. Adventists go to church and have their weekly service on Saturdays. Their church service is of evangelical format where a sermon serves as the featured event in the ceremony.
What is the difference between Christian and Seventh Day Adventist?
When it comes to the basic belief in one God, there is not much difference between Christian and Seventh Day Adventist. Both believe in a God that created the Earth and all living things in it. The divergence occurs mostly in the practice of their belief as well as in other parts of their faith.
•Seventh Day Adventist is a denomination of the Christian faith. Hence, both Seventh Day Adventists and Christians fall under the category of Christian.
• Both Christians and Seventh Day Adventists believe in one god, the Trinity, and the teachings of Jesus, the godson.
• Adventists believe Jesus will return to set up millennial kingdom.
• Adventists also deny the immortality of the soul and the doctrine of predestination.
• Though their basic beliefs are almost same, there are variations between both faiths in their traditions.
• Adventist’s church service is of evangelical format where a sermon serves as the featured event in the ceremony.
• Seventh Day Adventists observe Saturday as the original Sabbath day and have weekly services on Saturday. For Christians the week starts on Sunday, services are conducted on Sunday.
• Adventists believe in baptism by immersion. They do not accept baptism by sprinkling and deny infant baptism.
• Physical gestures of worship also differ.
• Adventists do not accept consuming alcohol and tobacco.
There is no one wise enough to judge the correctness of one religion when compared to another. People might end up building or losing faith when discovering the difference between Christianity and Seventh Day Adventist, but when it comes to one’s faith and ultimate salvation, it all lies on the individual’s heart and mind to make a decision on which religion to follow. After all, both these religions point towards a single direction to the Mighty Creator and share all fundamental beliefs of Christianity.
Photos By: midiman (CC BY 2.0), romana klee (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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