We all believe in God and when it comes to one’s life faith is a small word but it encloses a huge part of our life. It helps one sail through the difficult times when everything else seems grim. People have different faiths and beliefs in this world.
Pentecostal and Apostolic cultures have some common characteristics but they have a lot of differences. Pentecostal is a person who is a member of Pentecostal churches including the Protestant Christians that believe in the live manifestations of the holy spirit. On the other hand, an Apostolic is a person who is a member of the Apostolic church and they are a group of Devout Christian who spread the words about Jesus and his teachings.
Many people get confused with the difference between these two terms. In this article, I will tell you about Pentecostal and Apostolic culture and the main difference between their views and beliefs. So read the full article to know about them and the difference between these Christian groups.
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About Pentecostal
Pentecostalism believes in the Holy Trinity and divine gifts such as healing and has been in existence since the 1900s. Their unique identity is their belief in speaking in different tongues. It was a protestant Christian movement and the word Pentecostalism comes from ‘Pentecost’. Pentecost is regarded as a day when The Holy Spirit was supposed to be descending upon the Earth and they talk to the followers of Jesus Christ in foreign languages and thus belief in different tongues exists.
They believe in Baptism by the Holy Spirit and perform Water Baptism and Baptism into the body of Christ. They also believe in the Bible and regard it to be exactly true and without error and interpret the Bible very literally. They consider that the most key aspects in the process of healing are Prayer and Faith and they also agreed upon that Jesus is a healer. The five values which govern the spirituality of a Pentecostalism believer are individual experience, orality, spontaneity, asceticism, and a commitment to biblical authority.
One of the best features of these churches is that they ordain women to serve as missionaries, pastors, or preachers. Despite having very strict rules, their worship is more free-flowing and spontaneous.
About Apostolic
Apostolic refers to apostles which is a group of early Christians whose purpose was to spread the teachings of Jesus. There are a lot of variants of Apostolic churches including many who also follow Pentecostal doctrine and also who don’t. These churches are led by their most prime members and chief apostle. They believe in Baptism by Immersion and the followers of Apostolic churches differ in their opinion of God. They do not believe in the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit instead they believe God to be in one form only. They believe that all the forms are another form of Jesus. In Apostolic culture, to achieve one’s salvation, one must repent for sins and be baptized by Immersion.
All the theological beliefs of the Apostolic Church are noted down in its confession of faiths which are better known as Tenets. However, certain beliefs are common, one of which is that their scriptures, such as the Bible, are the inerrant word of God. Their sacraments are baptized by Immersion and Last Supper and they also have faith in the return of Jesus and in interpreting the Bible for its literal meaning.
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Main Difference between Pentecostal and Apostolic
The two Christian cultures share some common characteristics but have many differences. Pentecostal is a person who is a member of Pentecostal churches including the Protestant Christians that believe in the live manifestations of the holy spirit. On the other hand, an Apostolic is a person who is a member of the Apostolic church and they are a group of Devout Christian who spread the words about Jesus and his teachings.
The following are the main differences between Pentecostal and Apostolic which are mentioned below in brief:
- The main difference between them is that Pentecostals believe in God having three faces that are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit or better known as the Holy Trinity while Apostolic believe these to be the manifestations of one God.
- In Pentecostalism, the route to salvation is through accepting Jesus Christ as their savior while in Apostolicism, the route to salvation is through the atonement of their sins and through being baptized by Immersion.
- Pentecostalism believes in Baptism performed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost while Apostolicism believes in Baptism that is performed in the name of Jesus.
- Apostolicism has very rigid rules and modesty in dress code while Pentecostalism does not have a dress code and is not rigid as well.
- Pentecostal refers to the power from above that once bestowed upon a believer shows evidence through speaking in unknown tongues while Apostolic refers to the ones sent by God and the apostles were early Christians who spread the teachings of Jesus.
The Final Words
Pentecostal was a Protestant Christian movement while the Apostolic movement was its offshoot. So, there are a lot of similarities in some of their doctrines including the belief in the Bible is the inerrant word of God and that is the absolute truth and without error. But they are a lot different in opinion on the belief like Godheads. Pentecostals’ view is that God has three faces while Apostolic views are that God is only one.
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But overall both these branches are known far and wide. I hope this article was helpful and now you have got the difference between Pentecostal and Apostolic.
