Pentecostal vs. Seventh-day Adventist
A side-by-side comparison of Pentecostal and Seventh-day Adventist teaching on 16 questions, from Scripture and salvation to baptism, communion and church government.
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism began in the early 1900s, notably at the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles. It teaches that the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in Acts and 1 Corinthians, including tongues and healing, are active today. It is among the fastest-growing Christian movements.
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: Death, purgatory and hell; The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts; Day of worship.
Varies within one or both: Church government; Clergy and women in ministry.
Where they agree: Authority: Scripture and tradition; Books of the Bible; The Trinity; How a person is saved; Can a saved person fall away?; Predestination and free will; Baptism; Communion (the Lord’s Supper); Sacraments or ordinances; Mary and the saints; Style of worship.
Side by side
| Question | Pentecostal | Seventh-day Adventist |
|---|---|---|
| Authority: Scripture and traditionAgree | The Bible is the inspired and final authority. Believers also expect the Holy Spirit to guide them personally, always tested against Scripture. | 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 BibleAgree | 66 books. | 66 books. |
| The TrinityAgree | Most Pentecostals, including the Assemblies of God, are Trinitarian. A smaller “Oneness” wing rejects the doctrine and teaches that Father, Son and Spirit are modes of one person. | 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 savedAgree | Saved by grace through faith in Christ, usually with an emphasis on new birth and a personal experience of conversion. It is often followed by a distinct experience called baptism in the Holy Spirit. | 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 | Most classical Pentecostal bodies, such as the Assemblies of God, hold that a believer can forfeit salvation, though some Pentecostals teach eternal security. | Yes. Salvation can be lost by rejecting God, but no one is lost who continues to trust in Christ. |
| Predestination and free willAgree | Generally Arminian: Christ died for all, and each person can accept or refuse. A small number of Reformed Pentecostals hold to election. | Arminian in outlook. God desires all to be saved, and each person chooses whether to respond. |
| BaptismAgree | Believer’s baptism by immersion, as an act of obedience and a public witness. Baptism is distinguished from baptism in the Holy Spirit. | Baptism by immersion, given after instruction and a public profession of faith. It marks membership in the church. |
| Communion (the Lord’s Supper)Agree | An ordinance in memory of Christ’s death. It is often marked with a sense of God’s presence and healing. | Observed quarterly, in a service that includes foot washing as an act of humility. The bread and grape juice are symbols. |
| Sacraments or ordinancesAgree | Two ordinances, water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Some Pentecostal groups add foot washing. | 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 governmentVaries | Varies. The Assemblies of God combines congregational and presbyterian features, and the Church of God in Christ has bishops. | A representative system of local churches, regional conferences and a General Conference. Delegates make decisions for the world church. |
| Clergy and women in ministryVaries | Varies. The Assemblies of God ordains women, and some other Pentecostal bodies reserve pastoral office for men. | 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 saintsAgree | Mary is honored as the mother of Jesus. Pentecostals do not pray to her or the saints. | 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 | Believers go directly into Christ’s presence at death. Pentecostals hold to a literal heaven and hell and expect the return of Christ. | 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 worshipAgree | Expressive and Spirit-led, with lively music, spontaneous prayer, testimony and an openness to prophecy, tongues and healing. | A Sabbath school and a worship service on Saturday. The service is built around preaching, hymns and prayer. |
| The Holy Spirit and spiritual giftsDiffer | All the gifts of the Spirit continue today. Most teach baptism in the Holy Spirit as a separate experience after conversion, and many teach speaking in tongues as the initial sign of it. | 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. | Saturday, the seventh day. Adventists keep the biblical Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset and consider it a lasting commandment. |
| Best known for | Speaking in tongues, healing, lively worship and rapid growth in Latin America, Africa and Asia. | 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.
Learn more on this site
- What Does the Bible Say About Heaven?
- What Does the Bible Say About Hell?
- What Does the Bible Say About Judgment Day?
- What Does the Bible Say About Spiritual Gifts?
- Sabbath
- The Inspiration and Inerrancy of Scripture
- The Reliability of Scripture
- The Canon
- Textual Variants and "Lost Books" (Gnostic Gospels, Apocrypha)
- The Trinity
- The Deity of Christ
- What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?
- Grace
- Justification
- Free Will, Predestination, and Divine Sovereignty
- Baptism
- Catholic Church
- Eastern Orthodox Church
- What Does the Bible Say About Worship?
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