Orthodox Christianity

Not to be confused with Eastern Orthodox Christianity,1 orthodox2 Christianity within this context refers to Christianity that adheres to the established doctrines found within the Bible and accepted by the three major traditions of Christianity. There are five essential doctrines3 that characterize orthodox Christianity as listed below:

  1. God
    • There is only one God, triune in nature, who is made up of the three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who together comprise the one, perfectly unified God.
  2. Jesus Christ
    • Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man. He was born of a virgin, died for the sins of the world upon the cross, and was physically raised from the grave. Only through him can one be saved.
  3. Mankind
    • Humanity was created in God’s image, but forever distinct from God, and is morally responsible to God. All of humanity is born into sin and requires a savior.
  4. Salvation
    • There is nothing one can do to merit or earn their salvation through gaining God’s favor. Salvation is through grace alone and achieved through the atoning work of Christ in his death and resurrection.
  5. Scripture
    • The Old and New Testaments are divinely inspired by God, are inerrant, and authoritative.
  1. A tradition of Christianity alongside other traditions such as Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. ↩︎
  2. According to Merriam-Webster, the word “orthodox” can be defined as “conforming to established doctrine, especially in religion;” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “orthodox,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orthodox. ↩︎
  3. This list of essential doctrines is based on the work of Ron Rhodes, The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions: The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine, and Our Response (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 22-23.
    It can be argued that there are more than five essential doctrines of orthodox Christianity, but for simplicity’s sake, I have kept the list to the five I view as essential. ↩︎