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Eastern Orthodox vs. Lutheran

A side-by-side comparison of Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran 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.

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Lutheran

Lutheranism grew from Martin Luther’s reforming work in Germany from 1517. It is built on justification by grace through faith and the authority of Scripture, while keeping a liturgical form of worship and a strong view of the sacraments.

More about Lutheran Christianity

At a glance

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

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

Where they agree: Can a saved person fall away?; Baptism; Style of worship; The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts; Day of worship.

Side by side

Question	Eastern Orthodox	Lutheran
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.	Scripture alone is the final norm for doctrine. The Book of Concord (the Lutheran confessions) is held as a faithful statement of what Scripture teaches.
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 Apocrypha is not part of the canon, though Luther held that it is useful and good to read.
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.	Holds the Nicene, Apostles’ and Athanasian Creeds. One God in three persons.
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.	Justification by grace alone through faith alone. God declares the sinner righteous for Christ’s sake, and good works follow as the fruit of faith rather than a condition of it.
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. Lutherans teach that a believer can fall from faith by rejecting it, while holding that God is faithful and works to keep his people in the faith.
Predestination and free willDiffer	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.	God elects believers in Christ by grace alone, but Lutherans do not teach that he predestines anyone to damnation. Why some believe and others do not is left as a mystery.
BaptismAgree	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.	A means of grace in which God gives forgiveness and faith. Infants are baptized, and the mode is usually pouring or sprinkling.
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.	Christ’s body and blood are truly present “in, with and under” the bread and wine (sacramental union). The elements stay bread and wine.
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.	Two sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Some Lutherans also count absolution (confession).
Church governmentVaries	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.	Varies. Some Lutheran bodies have bishops, including the Church of Sweden and the ELCA, which has a presiding bishop and synod bishops. Others do not, and the LCMS is led by a president and district presidents.
Clergy and women in ministryVaries	Priests, deacons and bishops are men. Priests may marry before ordination, and bishops are drawn from the celibate ranks.	Varies. The ELCA ordains women and the LCMS does not. Pastors may marry.
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 the mother of the Lord and the saints as examples of faith. Lutherans do not pray to them, since Christ is the only mediator.
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.	Purgatory is rejected. Believers who die are with Christ and await the resurrection, and unbelievers face eternal separation from God.
Style of worshipAgree	Highly liturgical. The Divine Liturgy is sung, with icons, incense and chanting, often in the traditional language of the country.	Usually liturgical, using a set order with hymns, readings, a sermon and communion. Many congregations also use contemporary services.
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.	The Spirit works through Word and sacrament. Gifts are honored, but ecstatic gifts are not emphasized, and a charismatic movement exists within Lutheranism.
Day of worshipAgree	Sunday, called “the Lord’s Day,” is the weekly celebration of the resurrection.	Sunday.
Best known for	The Divine Liturgy, icons, monasticism (especially on Mount Athos), the doctrine of theosis and continuity with the ancient church.	Justification by faith, the Small Catechism, congregational hymn singing and Luther’s translation of the Bible into German.

“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. Lutheran