Expert: Elder Greg Madden - 5/17/2007

Question
Hello,
What can you tell me about the differences between Orthodox believers and Baptists, Pentecostals ?What do Orthodox believers think about a personal relationship with God ? believers think  

Answer
Madeleine,

Thank you for your questions. I will do my best to answer them for you.

First, your question about the difference between orthodox churches and Baptist and Pentecostals. Baptist and Pentecostals are both protestant- evangelical-Christians. This means that they both agree in four essential points that unite them. They are...

1. Emphasis on the conversion experience, also called being saved, or new birth or born again after John 3:3. Thus evangelicals often refer to themselves as born-again Christians. This experience is said to be received by "faith alone" and to be given by God as the result of "grace alone".
2. The canon of the Bible as the primary, or only, source of religious authority, as God's revelation to humanity. Thus, the doctrine of sola scriptura is often affirmed and emphasized. Bible prophecy, especially as interpreted according to dispensationalist, is often emphasized.
3. Encouragement of evangelism (the act of sharing one's beliefs) -- in organized missionary work or by personal encounters and relationships with others.
4. A central focus on Christ's redeeming work on the cross as the only means for salvation and the forgiveness of sins.

So with this in mind, let us examine the orthodox church...

There are many American denominations that can be classified as Eastern Orthodox.

Some of the major Eastern Orthodox groups and their U.S. membership statistics are:

Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America - 1,995

The American Carpatho - Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church-13,327

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America - 65,000

Armenian Apostolic Church of America - 200,000

Armenian Church of America, Diocese of the - 414,000

Coptic Orthodox Church - 180,000

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - 1,954,500

Orthodox Church in America - 1,000,000

Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America - 65,000

Serbian Orthodox Church in U.S.A. and Canada - 297,000

Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch (Archdiocese of the U.S.A. and Canada) - 36,000

Eastern Orthodox Churches trace their beginning to the establishment of the Christian church on the day of Pentecost. They separated from the western Latin Church (Roman Catholic) in A.D. 1054.

Their claim that Orthodox churches have the same faith and practices as the early church is negated by the fact that there is no unified faith and practice in Orthodox churches today. There are significant differences between Orthodox churches. Churches differ in both their ecclesiastical customs and in theology. The parallel church hierarchy that often exists in the same city demonstrates these divisions between Orthodox groups. The nationalism found among Orthodox churches demonstrates their lack of unity and universality.

One important difference between Eastern Orthodoxy and evangelical Christianity is the way the two groups approach theology. Evangelical Christianity uses a creation-fall-redemption model to interpret God's revelation, while Eastern Orthodoxy uses a creation deification (theosis) principle. Evangelicals emphasize the results of the fall. Sin is a violation of God's law that warrants death. Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law by suffering the penalty of sin in our place. The righteousness of Jesus is imputed to all who believe in Him. Salvation can only be received by grace through faith, and is not the result of good deeds.

Eastern Orthodoxy follows a mystical approach to God. They teach that God can be known experientially, but not intellectually. God transcends the ability of language to describe or human logic to understand. God is both unseen and incomprehensible. In other words, God is an enigma.

Since they believe that God is incomprehensible, Orthodoxy has not emphasized the development of systematic theology. Rather, they have stressed the achievement of a mystical union with God. This mystical union with God is referred to as deification (theosis).

Eastern Orthodoxy believes that Adam was created as a child. They believe he was not a mature being and only possessed the capacity for perfection. Because of this view, Orthodoxy does not view the fall of humanity as seriously as evangelicals do. For the Orthodox, the problem of sin is not as grave as Western Christians assert. Orthodox theologians support this notion of sin by differentiating between person and nature. They reason that though humanity possesses the freedom to sin through an act of the will, humanity's nature is to be in communion with God. Because of this nature, and people naturally proceed towards fellowship with God.

According to the Orthodox, the sin of Adam and Eve affected only themselves. Their descendants inherited no sin or guilt because of the fall of the first parents. The fall resulted in their descendants becoming mortal and subject to physical death. This mortality resulted in an increased tendency to sin, but only because humanity was subject to physical needs. Humanity's mortality makes people prone to sin. The sin of Adam and Eve created a barrier of mortality between God and humanity. Only God could do away with this barrier. God removed this obstacle through the incarnation of Christ.

The Orthodox understanding of Adam's fall results in an impaired view of the results of sin. In Orthodoxy, the result of the fall is mortality, not the doctrine of original sin as taught in Scriptures.

The Orthodox teach that the sacrament of baptism provides participants with new life. Faith in Christ and repentance from sin are not necessary for this new life. This is demonstrated by the fact that the Orthodox baptize infants. The sacramentalism of the Orthodox competes for the need of a personal faith in Christ as the only Biblical means of salvation which is taught by evangelicals.

Madeleine, I hope that this helps. Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Elder Greg Madden

http://www.forministry.com/USOKPENTEMMM1