Essentially the Orthodox Church shares much with the other Christian Churches in the belief that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, and a belief in the incarnation of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection. The Orthodox Church differs substantially in their way of life and worship from Protestants and Roman Catholics. The main areas of divergence are as follows.
Apostolic Succession
Orthodoxy — This is an important part of Orthodox belief and ensures continuity with the church that Christ founded.
Protestants — With the exception of the Anglicans and some Lutherans, this idea is rejected. Rather it is important to emphasize continuity of teaching with that of the apostles.
Roman Catholic — As in Orthodoxy, this is of vital importance to the church. There is also some degree of mutual recognition of the validity of Orthodox ordinations.
Bible Composition
Orthodox — Accept the 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books, but also a collection of books not found in the original Hebrew Bible, known as the Deuterocanonicals (Apocrypha).
Protestants — Reject the deuterocanonicals as not being inspired scripture.
Roman Catholics — Agree with the validity of the Apocrypha.
Significance of the Eucharist
Orthodox — Commonly termed the ‘Mystic Supper’ or ‘Divine Liturgy.’ This makes present Christ’s sacrifice and therefore forgiveness of sins is obtained through it. It is also considered a spiritual encounter with the Risen Christ.
Protestants — The Eucharist, like Baptism, is only a symbol of grace. The sacrificial nature of the Eucharist is rejected.
Roman Catholic — The position is similar to the Orthodox. The Eucharist is also known as the ‘Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.’
Authority of the Pope
Orthodox — As the Bishop of Rome, he has a primacy of honor in Orthodox theology, not of jurisdiction. His authority is no greater or lesser than any of his fellow Bishops in the church.
Protestant — The Pope is the leader of the Catholic church, having no authority to speak for the church as a whole.
Roman Catholic — The Pope is the ‘Vicar of Christ,’ i.e. the visible head of the church on earth and spiritual successor of St. Peter. He has supreme authority within Christendom.
Salvation
Orthodox — Salvation is “faith working through love” and should be seen as a lifelong process. The ultimate aim of every Orthodox Christian is to obtain Theosis or union with God.
Protestant — Salvation is the free and unmerited gift of God to man. It is obtained by grace through faith in Christ alone. Through Christ’s atoning sacrifice, we are rendered acceptable to God and judged righteous (justified) in his sight.
Roman Catholic — Salvation is by grace, specifically sanctifying grace, which is given initially through Baptismal regeneration and then maintained through the Sacraments, which are ‘channels of grace.’
