Are Seventh-day Adventists different from Christians?
Well, most people see all protestant churches as the same but in reality, they are not. The Seventh-day Adventist Church may be part of the Christian faith, but its doctrine and beliefs differ from those of mainstream Christianity.
From my experience with Sabbatarians, they are more concerned with keeping the Ten Commandments of God and keeping the Sabbath day holy. The Seventh-day Adventist Church worship and observe the Sabbath day.
Established in the 18th century by Ellen G. White and other members, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has become one of the largest religious groups worldwide.
Christians and Adventists share more similarities than differences. However, this article discussed the major differences between Seventh-day Adventists and Christians.
Seventh-day Adventists
Members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church or SDA for short are believers of the Christian faith. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a protestant Christian faith known for its observance of the Sabbath day as the holy day of worship.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church worship on Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Hebrew calendar. Adventists observe the Sabbath day as a day of worship and rest from all activities.
The Christian denomination was established out of the Milerite movement in the mid-1800s. The Seventh-day Adventist Church was formed in the United States by Ellen G. White alongside others.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church was established in 1863 and has today become one of the largest Protestant religious bodies worldwide. As of May 2007, SDA is the sixth-largest international religious body in the world.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church maintains a missionary presence in over 200 countries and recognized territories.
The church is touching lives through its humanitarian projects across the world. Currently, the church operates more than 100 post-secondary institutions, hospitals, publishing houses, and over 7,000 schools worldwide.
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Christians
A Christian is a believer of Christ, a person who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ and believes he is the only way, truth, and life.
A Christian is a lover of Jesus Christ, someone who conducts him for herself in line with the belief and lifestyle of the Christian faith. Christians are spread across the world, belonging to different Christian denominations.
According to Wikipedia, about 2.3 billion people are Christians of different denominations. The United States has the largest population of Christians followed by Brazil and Mexico.
The Roman Catholics are the largest Christian denomination, with over 1.3 billion baptized members worldwide.
Christianity is made up of three major Christian groups, which are the Roman Catholic Church, Protestant groups, and Eastern Orthodox churches. The doctrines and beliefs of these Christian groups differ.
Religious traditions emphasize on several physical gestures like making the cross sign, kneeling and bowing down when required.
The majority of Christians live in the Americas- they make up 37% of all Christians around the world. About 26% of Christians live on the European continent, with 24% living in sub-Saharan Africa, and about 13% live in Asia and the Pacific.
The regions with the smallest population of Christians are the Middle East and North Africa. Only about 1% of Christians live in these regions.
Seventh-day Adventists vs Christians: Key Differences between Seventh-day Adventists and Christians
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a protestant Christian faith known for its observance of the Sabbath day as the holy day of worship.
The majority of Christian denominations across the world worship on Sundays. This is one of the major differences between Seventh-day Adventists and other Christian denominations.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is known for its dietary law. While other denominations under the Christian faith are comfortable with consuming specific seafood, Adventists consider some seafood as being unclean.
Adventists advocate for vegetarianism based on their spiritual and health principles. This is not commonly mandated in other Christian denominations.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is strongly against consuming unclean food, whether they live on land or in the sea. They believe in the “body as a temple” concept and abstain from eating that which is unclean.
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Seventh-day Adventists vs Christians: Day of Worship
The majority of Christian denominations worship on Sundays. They believe that they are not required to observe the Sabbath day or follow its laws. That is why we see many Pentecostal Churches holding services on any day of the week.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church strictly adheres to the Ten Commandments. They believe that the Sabbath day should be a day of rest and worship.
Following the Scripture, Adventists observe the Sabbath day as the seventh day of the week and the day God rested after his creation.
Observing the Sabbath day begins from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. During this period, no Adventist is expected to be engaged in any physical activities such as work, or doing business.
Every Adventist must observe the Sabbath day as the day of rest as God did after creation. The Sabbath day should be devoted to rest, and worship and not secular labour.
Seventh-day Adventists vs Christians: Jesus Christ
Every Christian denomination believes in Jesus Christ but their perception of Jesus as the son of God differs.
Both Seventh-day Adventists and Christians believe in Jesus Christ but Adventists believe that Jesus is the archangel Michael. This remains one of the most theological issues between the Adventists and mainstream Christianity.
Mainstream Christianity rejects this belief and strongly believes that Jesus Christ is divine and paid the price for our sins on the cross.
Also Read: Jews vs Samaritans: Difference and Comparison
Seventh-day Adventists vs Christians: Dietary Regulations
The Seventh-day Adventist Church maintains a strict dietary law. The church suggests a vegetarian diet and abstinence from unclean food. SDA encourages its members to maintain a kosher diet, following the dietary laws of the Old Testament.
Other Christian denominations do not follow this strict dietary law. They accept and consume almost every food available.
While mainstream Christianity sees casual drinking as permissible, Adventists advocate for the ban on alcohol and illicit drugs.
Seventh-day Adventists vs Christians: Concept of Heaven
Christians believe in the reward of God in heaven; eternal life after death.
Adventists believe in the eternal reward of God, they believe in a heavenly sanctuary reserved for the saints. They believe that Jesus Christ is doing the work of judgment in this heavenly sanctuary.
Adventists believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ when the righteous will be resurrected to ascend into heaven.
Other Christian denominations also believe in God’s reward in heaven. Although some Christians believe that the righteous will inherit the earth, many believe that the righteous will go to heaven after death.
Also Read: Mormons vs Catholics: Difference and Comparison
Seventh-day vs Adventists: Hell
Every Christian believes that there is a place for unbelievers and wicked souls- a place of eternal torment and horror called hell.
However, Adventists do not believe that hell is eternal. They believe that those who never knew Christ will be annihilated with the devil in the lake of fire during the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Seventh-day Adventists vs Christians: Baptism
The Seventh-day Adventist Church requires its members to be baptized before they can receive the Holy Communion. They don’t believe in infant baptism like the Catholic Church but they allow the baptism of teenagers.
Seventh-day Adventists vs Christians: Comparison Chart
| Seventh-day Adventist | Christians | |
| Dietary law | Encourage vegetarianism | No specific dietary laws |
| Sabbath observance | Saturday (7th day) | Sunday (1st day) |
| Health principles | Emphasis on health and wellness | Varied emphasis |
| Core beliefs | Investigative judgement, Ellen G. White’s writings | Diverse, without these specific beliefs |
Conclusion
The Seventh-day Adventist Church since being established in the 1800s has become one of the largest Christian groups in the world. Adventists and Christians both believe in Jesus Christ but their perception of Jesus differs.
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References
- Wikipedia: Seventh-day Adventist Church
- Wikipedia: Christians
- AdventistGuide: What Makes Adventists Different From Other Christians?
- Classroom.Synonym: Differences Between Christianity & Seventh-Day Adventist