Similarities Between Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Seventh-day Adventism on Salvation

When we place the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church side by side, they seem vastly different. Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy stand as ancient, liturgical, and sacramental traditions, while Seventh-day Adventism is a modern, revivalist offshoot of Protestantism. Yet when we examine their teaching on salvation, we discover surprising parallels. These similarities are not evident in their rituals, but rather in their approach to grace, faith, and works.

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1. Salvation as a Process of Grace Plus Human Cooperation

Roman Catholic theology describes salvation as beginning with God’s grace but perfected through human cooperation. The Council of Trent declared: “If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone…let him be anathema” (Council of Trent, Session VI, Canon IX). Grace is infused through the sacraments, and the believer must maintain this state by obedience.

Orthodoxy, while rejecting Trent’s categories, emphasizes theosis (union with God) as a lifelong process. According to Kallistos Ware: “For Orthodoxy, salvation is not a single event but a continuing process…a growth into likeness with God.”¹

Seventh-day Adventism mirrors this approach. While speaking of salvation by grace, Adventist soteriology insists on obedience to the Ten Commandments—especially Sabbath-keeping—as essential to final acceptance. Ellen White wrote: “All who prove their loyalty to God by observing His law, and refusing to accept a spurious Sabbath, will rank under the banner of the Lord God Jehovah.”*²

All three, therefore, diminish the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work by teaching that final salvation depends on human cooperation with grace.

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2. Lack of Assurance

Roman Catholic theology warns against the certainty of salvation. The Catechism states: “No one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification…final perseverance cannot be merited.”³ Orthodoxy similarly discourages assurance, stressing lifelong struggle and sacramental participation.

Adventism’s doctrine of the investigative judgment undermines assurance more radically: Christ is said to be reviewing believers’ lives to determine who is worthy of eternal life. Richard Rice, an Adventist theologian, admits: “This doctrine has caused more distress among Seventh-day Adventists than any other teaching.”⁴

In all three systems, assurance is denied because salvation is viewed as conditional on human performance rather than the finished work of Christ.

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3. Works as a Basis of Final Acceptance

Though grace is acknowledged, works function as conditions for salvation in each system. Catholic theology teaches that “good works performed in grace truly merit eternal life.”⁵ Orthodoxy stresses fasting, sacraments, and ascetic struggle. Adventism teaches that the final crisis will hinge on Sabbath observance. The common denominator: works become the basis of divine acceptance.

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Biblical Response

In biblical perspective, in continuity with the Reformation, it offers a stark contrast:

1. Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone.
   
   
   Ephesians 2:8–9 stands against every grace-plus-works system: “For by grace you have been saved through faith…not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Salvation is wholly the gift of God. Thomas Oden, a Reformed Arminian theologian, writes: “Justification is received through faith alone, not as a work but as the empty hand receiving God’s gift.”⁶

2. True Assurance in Christ.
   
   
   Romans 8:1 declares: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Assurance is grounded in Christ’s work, not human merit. While Reformed Arminians affirm conditional security (that one may fall away by unbelief), assurance is real and present for those who trust in Christ. John Wesley preached: “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.”⁷

3. Obedience as Fruit, Not Cause.
   
   
   James 2 teaches that faith without works is dead, not that works save. Works are the evidence of salvation, never the ground of it. As Jacobus Arminius himself stated: “Good works are the fruits of faith…they follow faith as effects follow their causes.”⁸ The believer now lives under the “law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2), not the Old Covenant law, with gratitude, not legalism, as the motive.

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Conclusion

Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Seventh-day Adventism all share a common flaw: salvation is presented as grace plus human performance. This robs Christ of His glory and leaves the believer without assurance. By contrast, the biblical gospel, understood from the Sola Scriptura perspective, proclaims that salvation is by grace alone, received by faith alone, in Christ alone. Works do not secure salvation but naturally flow from it.

In short:

• Rome says: Grace plus sacraments plus works.

• Orthodoxy says: Grace plus theosis through struggle and sacraments.

• Adventism says: Grace plus law-keeping and Sabbath faithfulness.

• The gospel says: Christ saves you fully—therefore live for Him.

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Notes

1. Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Church (Penguin Books, 1993), p. 233.

2. Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6 (Pacific Press, 1901), p. 352.

3. Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994), §§2007, 2010.

4. Richard Rice, The Reign of God: An Introduction to Christian Theology from a Seventh-day Adventist Perspective (Andrews University Press, 1997), p. 256.

5. Council of Trent, Session VI, Chapter 16 (1547).

6. Thomas Oden, The Transforming Power of Grace (Abingdon Press, 1993), p. 145.

7. John Wesley, The Witness of the Spirit, Sermon 10 (1746).

8. Jacobus Arminius, The Works of James Arminius, Vol. 2 (Baker, 1986), p. 472.

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