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Eastern Orthodox vs. Seventh-day Adventist

A side-by-side comparison of Eastern Orthodox and Seventh-day Adventist teaching on 16 questions, from Scripture and salvation to baptism, communion and church government.

Eastern Orthodox

The Eastern Orthodox Church is a communion of self-governing churches, such as the Greek, Russian and Antiochian churches, that share one faith and worship. It separated from Rome in the Great Schism of 1054 and treats the early councils and the Church Fathers as its standard.

More about Eastern Orthodox Christianity

Seventh-day Adventist

The Seventh-day Adventist Church grew out of the Millerite expectation of Christ’s return in the 1840s and was formally organized in 1863. It worships on the seventh day, Saturday, and holds distinctive teaching on the state of the dead and the end times.

At a glance

Where they differ: Authority: Scripture and tradition; Books of the Bible; The Trinity; How a person is saved; Baptism; Communion (the Lord’s Supper); Sacraments or ordinances; Church government; Mary and the saints; Death, purgatory and hell; Style of worship; Day of worship.

Varies within one or both: Clergy and women in ministry.

Where they agree: Can a saved person fall away?; Predestination and free will; The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts.

Side by side

Question	Eastern Orthodox	Seventh-day Adventist
Authority: Scripture and traditionDiffer	Scripture is read within the Church’s Holy Tradition, which includes the ecumenical councils and the Church Fathers. There is no single teaching office like the papacy.	The Bible alone is the standard for doctrine. Adventists also honor the writings of Ellen G. White as a prophetic gift, but hold them to be subject to Scripture.
Books of the BibleDiffer	Uses the Greek Septuagint Old Testament, which includes the Catholic deuterocanonical books and a few more, such as 1 Esdras and Psalm 151. Exact lists differ between Orthodox churches.	66 books.
The TrinityDiffer	One God in three persons. The Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, and the Orthodox have rejected the Western addition of the filioque, which is one of the central points of division with Rome.	One God in three co-eternal persons. Some early Adventists were not Trinitarian, but the church has affirmed the doctrine since the 20th century.
How a person is savedDiffer	Salvation is healing and union with God, called theosis or deification. It begins in baptism and is a lifelong process in which the person freely cooperates with God’s grace.	Saved by grace through faith in Christ. Adventists teach that obedience, including keeping the Ten Commandments, is the fruit of salvation and not its cause.
Can a saved person fall away?Agree	Yes. Because salvation is a lifelong cooperation with God, a person can turn away from it, though repentance is always possible.	Yes. Salvation can be lost by rejecting God, but no one is lost who continues to trust in Christ.
Predestination and free willAgree	Stresses free will and synergy, the cooperation of God and man. Predestination is understood as God’s foreknowledge, not a decree that cancels human choice.	Arminian in outlook. God desires all to be saved, and each person chooses whether to respond.
BaptismDiffer	A sacrament of new birth, given to infants and adults by triple immersion. The newly baptized are immediately anointed (chrismation) and receive communion, even as infants.	Baptism by immersion, given after instruction and a public profession of faith. It marks membership in the church.
Communion (the Lord’s Supper)Differ	The bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. Orthodoxy holds this as a mystery and does not define how it happens.	Observed quarterly, in a service that includes foot washing as an act of humility. The bread and grape juice are symbols.
Sacraments or ordinancesDiffer	Seven principal “mysteries,” the same as the Catholic list, though Orthodox teachers stress that the whole life of the church is sacramental and do not fix the number rigidly.	Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The church’s own statement treats foot washing as part of the Lord’s Supper service, and some Adventists describe it as a third ordinance.
Church governmentDiffer	Governed by bishops, with each national church led by a patriarch or archbishop. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople holds a primacy of honor and some limited canonical prerogatives, but no governing authority over the other churches.	A representative system of local churches, regional conferences and a General Conference. Delegates make decisions for the world church.
Clergy and women in ministryVaries	Priests, deacons and bishops are men. Priests may marry before ordination, and bishops are drawn from the celibate ranks.	Women serve as pastors and elders in many regions, but ordaining women as pastors has been disputed at the level of the world church.
Mary and the saintsDiffer	Mary is honored above all as the Theotokos (“God-bearer”), and the saints are asked for their prayers. Icons are venerated. Orthodoxy holds Mary’s perpetual virginity and her Dormition (falling asleep) but does not use the Catholic definition of the Immaculate Conception.	Mary is honored as Jesus’ mother. Adventists do not pray to saints and teach that the dead are unconscious until the resurrection.
Death, purgatory and hellDiffer	Orthodoxy has no doctrine of purgatory, but it prays for the dead and believes souls await the final judgment in a foretaste of their eventual state. One influential modern Orthodox view is that hell is the experience of God’s love by those who reject it, but this is not a settled teaching.	The dead are unconscious until the resurrection (sometimes called “soul sleep”). The wicked are ultimately destroyed rather than tormented forever, which is the doctrine of conditional immortality.
Style of worshipDiffer	Highly liturgical. The Divine Liturgy is sung, with icons, incense and chanting, often in the traditional language of the country.	A Sabbath school and a worship service on Saturday. The service is built around preaching, hymns and prayer.
The Holy Spirit and spiritual giftsAgree	The Spirit is active in the sacraments and in the lives of saints and elders. Spiritual gifts are recognized, though tongues are not emphasized.	Spiritual gifts are believed to continue, and the church holds that the gift of prophecy was shown in Ellen G. White. Tongues are understood as real human languages.
Day of worshipDiffer	Sunday, called “the Lord’s Day,” is the weekly celebration of the resurrection.	Saturday, the seventh day. Adventists keep the biblical Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset and consider it a lasting commandment.
Best known for	The Divine Liturgy, icons, monasticism (especially on Mount Athos), the doctrine of theosis and continuity with the ancient church.	Saturday Sabbath, a health message that includes vegetarian eating, a large system of schools and hospitals, and the expectation of Christ’s soon return.

“Agree” means the two traditions take the same broad position, although the wording above may still note finer differences. “Varies” means at least one of the two is itself divided on the question, so no single position can be given. These summaries describe typical teaching, and individual churches may vary. For an authoritative statement, consult each denomination’s own confessions.

Eastern Orthodox vs. Seventh-day Adventist