Seventh-day Adventists
accept the Bible as their only creed and
hold certain fundamental beliefs to be
the teaching of the Holy Scriptures.
These beliefs, as set forth here,
constitute the church's understanding
and expression of the teaching of
Scripture. Revision of these statements
may be expected at a General Conference
session when the church is led by the
Holy Spirit to a fuller understanding of
Bible truth or finds better language in
which to express the teachings of God's
Holy Word.
1. The Holy Scriptures: The
Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments,
are the written Word of God, given by
divine inspiration through holy men of
God who spoke and wrote as they were
moved by the Holy Spirit. In this Word,
God has committed to man the knowledge
necessary for salvation. The Holy
Scriptures are the infallible revelation
of His will. They are the standard of
character, the test of experience, the
authoritative revealer of doctrines, and
the trustworthy record of God's acts in
history. (2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Tim. 3:16,
17; Ps. 119:105; Prov. 30:5, 6; Isa.
8:20; John 17:17; 1 Thess. 2:13; Heb.
4:12.)
2. The Trinity: There is one
God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a
unity of three co-eternal Persons. God
is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing,
above all, and ever present. He is
infinite and beyond human comprehension,
yet known through His self-revelation.
He is forever worthy of worship,
adoration, and service by the whole
creation. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor.
13:14; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Tim.
1:17; Rev. 14:7.)
3. The Father: God the eternal
Father is the Creator, Source,
Sustainer, and Sovereign of all
creation. He is just and holy, merciful
and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love and
faithfulness. The qualities and powers
exhibited in the Son and the Holy Spirit
are also revelations of the Father.
(Gen. 1:1; Rev. 4:11; 1 Cor. 15:28; John
3:16; 1 John 4:8; 1 Tim. 1:17; Ex. 34:6,
7; John 14:9.)
4. The Son: God the eternal
Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ.
Through Him all things were created, the
character of God is revealed, the
salvation of humanity is accomplished,
and the world is judged. Forever truly
God, He became also truly man, Jesus the
Christ. He was conceived of the Holy
Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He
lived and experienced temptation as a
human being, but perfectly exemplified
the righteousness and love of God. By
His miracles He manifested God's power
and was attested as God's promised
Messiah. He suffered and died
voluntarily on the cross for our sins
and in our place, was raised from the
dead, and ascended to minister in the
heavenly sanctuary in our behalf. He
will come again in glory for the final
deliverance of His people and the
restoration of all things. (John 1:1-3,
14; Col. 1:15-19; John 10:30; 14:9; Rom.
6:23; 2 Cor. 5:17-19; John 5:22; Luke
1:35; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 2:9-18; 1 Cor.
15:3, 4; Heb. 8:1, 2; John 14:1-3.)
5. The Holy Spirit: God the
eternal Spirit was active with the
Father and the Son in Creation,
incarnation, and redemption. He inspired
the writers of Scripture. He filled
Christ's life with power. He draws and
convicts human beings; and those who
respond He renews and transforms into
the image of God. Sent by the Father and
the Son to be always with His children,
He extends spiritual gifts to the
church, empowers it to bear witness to
Christ, and in harmony with the
Scriptures leads it into all truth.
(Gen. 1:1, 2; Luke 1:35; 4:18; Acts
10:38; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Cor. 3:18; Eph.
4:11, 12; Acts 1:8; John 14:16-18, 26;
15:26, 27; 16:7-13.)
6. Creation: God is Creator of
all things, and has revealed in
Scripture the authentic account of His
creative activity. In six days the Lord
made "the heaven and the earth" and all
living things upon the earth, and rested
on the seventh day of that first week.
Thus He established the Sabbath as a
perpetual memorial of His completed
creative work. The first man and woman
were made in the image of God as the
crowning work of Creation, given
dominion over the world, and charged
with responsibility to care for it. When
the world was finished it was ``very
good,'' declaring the glory of God.
(Gen. 1; 2; Ex. 20:8-11; Ps. 19:1-6;
33:6, 9; 104; Heb. 11:3.)
7. The Nature of Man: Man and
woman were made in the image of God with
individuality, the power and freedom to
think and to do. Though created free
beings, each is an indivisible unity of
body, mind, and spirit, dependent upon
God for life and breath and all else.
When our first parents disobeyed God,
they denied their dependence upon Him
and fell from their high position under
God. The image of God in them was marred
and they became subject to death. Their
descendants share this fallen nature and
its consequences. They are born with
weaknesses and tendencies to evil. But
God in Christ reconciled the world to
Himself and by His Spirit restores in
penitent mortals the image of their
Maker. Created for the glory of God,
they are called to love Him and one
another, and to care for their
environment. (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7; Ps.
8:4-8; Acts 17:24-28; Gen. 3; Ps. 51:5;
Rom. 5:12-17; 2 Cor. 5:19, 20; Ps.
51:10; 1 John 4:7, 8, 11, 20; Gen.
2:15.)
8. The Great Controversy: All
humanity is now involved in a great
controversy between Christ and Satan
regarding the character of God, His law,
and His sovereignty over the universe.
This conflict originated in heaven when
a created being, endowed with freedom of
choice, in self-exaltation became Satan,
God's adversary, and led into rebellion
a portion of the angels. He introduced
the spirit of rebellion into this world
when he led Adam and Eve into sin. This
human sin resulted in the distortion of
the image of God in humanity, the
disordering of the created world, and
its eventual devastation at the time of
the worldwide flood. Observed by the
whole creation, this world became the
arena of the universal conflict, out of
which the God of love will ultimately be
vindicated. To assist His people in this
controversy, Christ sends the Holy
Spirit and the loyal angels to guide,
protect, and sustain them in the way of
salvation. (Rev. 12:4-9; Isa. 14:12-14;
Eze. 28:12-18; Gen. 3; Rom. 1:19-32;
5:12-21; 8:19-22; Gen. 6-8; 2 Peter 3:6;
1 Cor. 4:9; Heb. 1:14.)
9. The Life, Death, and
Resurrection of Christ: In Christ's
life of perfect obedience to God's will,
His suffering, death, and resurrection,
God provided the only means of atonement
for human sin, so that those who by
faith accept this atonement may have
eternal life, and the whole creation may
better understand the infinite and holy
love of the Creator. This perfect
atonement vindicates the righteousness
of God's law and the graciousness of His
character; for it both condemns our sin
and provides for our forgiveness. The
death of Christ is substitutionary and
expiatory, reconciling and transforming.
The resurrection of Christ proclaims
God's triumph over the forces of evil,
and for those who accept the atonement
assures their final victory over sin and
death. It declares the Lordship of Jesus
Christ, before whom every knee in heaven
and on earth will bow. (John 3:16; Isa.
53; 1 Peter 2:21, 22; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4,
20-22; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 19-21; Rom. 1:4;
3:25; 4:25; 8:3, 4; 1 John 2:2; 4:10;
Col. 2:15; Phil. 2:6-11.)
10. The Experience of Salvation:
In infinite love and mercy God made
Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for
us, so that in Him we might be made the
righteousness of God. Led by the Holy
Spirit we sense our need, acknowledge
our sinfulness, repent of our
transgressions, and exercise faith in
Jesus as Lord and Christ, as Substitute
and Example. This faith which receives
salvation comes through the divine power
of the Word and is the gift of God's
grace. Through Christ we are justified,
adopted as God's sons and daughters, and
delivered from the lordship of sin.
Through the Spirit we are born again and
sanctified; the Spirit renews our minds,
writes God's law of love in our hearts,
and we are given the power to live a
holy life. Abiding in Him we become
partakers of the divine nature and have
the assurance of salvation now and in
the judgment. (2 Cor. 5:17-21; John
3:16; Gal. 1:4; 4:4-7; Titus 3:3-7; John
16:8; Gal. 3:13, 14; 1 Peter 2:21, 22;
Rom. 10:17; Luke 17:5; Mark 9:23, 24;
Eph. 2:5-10; Rom. 3:21-26; Col. 1:13,
14; Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 3:26; John 3:3-8;
1 Peter 1:23; Rom. 12:2; Heb. 8:7-12;
Eze. 36:25-27; 2 Peter 1:3, 4; Rom.
8:1-4; 5:6-10.)
11. The Church: The church is
the community of believers who confess
Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. In
continuity with the people of God in Old
Testament times, we are called out from
the world; and we join together for
worship, for fellowship, for instruction
in the Word, for the celebration of the
Lord's Supper, for service to all
mankind, and for the worldwide
proclamation of the gospel. The church
derives its authority from Christ, who
is the incarnate Word, and from the
Scriptures, which are the written Word.
The church is God's family; adopted by
Him as children, its members live on the
basis of the new covenant. The church is
the body of Christ, a community of faith
of which Christ Himself is the Head. The
church is the bride for whom Christ died
that He might sanctify and cleanse her.
At His return in triumph, He will
present her to Himself a glorious
church, the faithful of all the ages,
the purchase of His blood, not having
spot or wrinkle, but holy and without
blemish. (Gen. 12:3; Acts 7:38; Eph.
4:11-15; 3:8-11; Matt. 28:19, 20;
16:13-20; 18:18; Eph. 2:19-22; 1:22, 23;
5:23-27; Col. 1:17, 18.)
12. The Remnant and Its Mission:
The universal church is composed of all
who truly believe in Christ, but in the
last days, a time of widespread
apostasy, a remnant has been called out
to keep the commandments of God and the
faith of Jesus. This remnant announces
the arrival of the judgment hour,
proclaims salvation through Christ, and
heralds the approach of His second
advent. This proclamation is symbolized
by the three angels of Revelation 14; it
coincides with the work of judgment in
heaven and results in a work of
repentance and reform on earth. Every
believer is called to have a personal
part in this worldwide witness. (Rev.
12:17; 14:6-12; 18:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:10;
Jude 3, 14; 1 Peter 1:16-19; 2 Peter
3:10-14; Rev. 21:1-14.)
13. Unity in the Body of Christ:
The church is one body with many
members, called from every nation,
kindred, tongue, and people. In Christ
we are a new creation; distinctions of
race, culture, learning, and
nationality, and differences between
high and low, rich and poor, male and
female, must not be divisive among us.
We are all equal in Christ, who by one
Spirit has bonded us into one fellowship
with Him and with one another; we are to
serve and be served without partiality
or reservation. Through the revelation
of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures we
share the same faith and hope, and reach
out in one witness to all. This unity
has its source in the oneness of the
triune God, who has adopted us as His
children. (Rom. 12:4, 5; 1 Cor.
12:12-14; Matt. 28:19, 20; Ps. 133:1; 2
Cor. 5:16, 17; Acts 17:26, 27; Gal.
3:27, 29; Col. 3:10-15; Eph. 4:14-16;
4:1-6; John 17:20-23.)
14. Baptism: By baptism we
confess our faith in the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, and
testify of our death to sin and of our
purpose to walk in newness of life. Thus
we acknowledge Christ as Lord and
Saviour, become His people, and are
received as members by His church.
Baptism is a symbol of our union with
Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, and
our reception of the Holy Spirit. It is
by immersion in water and is contingent
on an affirmation of faith in Jesus and
evidence of repentance of sin. It
follows instruction in the Holy
Scriptures and acceptance of their
teachings. (Rom. 6:1-6; Col. 2:12, 13;
Acts 16:30-33; 22:16; 2:38; Matt. 28:19,
20.)
15. The Lord's Supper: The
Lord's Supper is a participation in the
emblems of the body and blood of Jesus
as an expression of faith in Him, our
Lord and Saviour. In this experience of
communion Christ is present to meet and
strengthen His people. As we partake, we
joyfully proclaim the Lord's death until
He comes again. Preparation for the
Supper includes self-examination,
repentance, and confession. The Master
ordained the service of foot washing to
signify renewed cleansing, to express a
willingness to serve one another in
Christlike humility, and to unite our
hearts in love. The communion service is
open to all believing Christians. (1
Cor. 10:16, 17; 11:23-30; Matt.
26:17-30; Rev. 3:20; John 6:48-63;
13:1-17.)
16. Spiritual Gifts and
Ministries: God bestows upon all
members of His church in every age
spiritual gifts which each member is to
employ in loving ministry for the common
good of the church and of humanity.
Given by the agency of the Holy Spirit,
who apportions to each member as He
wills, the gifts provide all abilities
and ministries needed by the church to
fulfill its divinely ordained functions.
According to the Scriptures, these gifts
include such ministries as faith,
healing, prophecy, proclamation,
teaching, administration,
reconciliation, compassion, and
self-sacrificing service and charity for
the help and encouragement of people.
Some members are called of God and
endowed by the Spirit for functions
recognized by the church in pastoral,
evangelistic, apostolic, and teaching
ministries particularly needed to equip
the members for service, to build up the
church to spiritual maturity, and to
foster unity of the faith and knowledge
of God. When members employ these
spiritual gifts as faithful stewards of
God's varied grace, the church is
protected from the destructive influence
of false doctrine, grows with a growth
that is from God, and is built up in
faith and love. (Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor.
12:9-11, 27, 28; Eph. 4:8, 11-16; Acts
6:1-7; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; 1 Peter 4:10, 11.)
17. The Gift of Prophecy: One
of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is
prophecy. This gift is an identifying
mark of the remnant church and was
manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G.
White. As the Lord's messenger, her
writings are a continuing and
authoritative source of truth which
provide for the church comfort,
guidance, instruction, and correction.
They also make clear that the Bible is
the standard by which all teaching and
experience must be tested. (Joel 2:28,
29; Acts 2:14-21; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev.
12:17; 19:10.)
18. The Law of God: The great
principles of God's law are embodied in
the Ten Commandments and exemplified in
the life of Christ. They express God's
love, will, and purposes concerning
human conduct and relationships and are
binding upon all people in every age.
These precepts are the basis of God's
covenant with His people and the
standard in God's judgment. Through the
agency of the Holy Spirit they point out
sin and awaken a sense of need for a
Saviour. Salvation is all of grace and
not of works, but its fruitage is
obedience to the Commandments. This
obedience develops Christian character
and results in a sense of well-being. It
is an evidence of our love for the Lord
and our concern for our fellow men. The
obedience of faith demonstrates the
power of Christ to transform lives, and
therefore strengthens Christian witness.
(Ex. 20:1-17; Ps. 40:7, 8; Matt.
22:36-40; Deut. 28:1-14; Matt. 5:17-20;
Heb. 8:8-10; John 15:7-10; Eph. 2:8-10;
1 John 5:3; Rom. 8:3, 4; Ps. 19:7-14.)
19. The Sabbath: The
beneficent Creator, after the six days
of Creation, rested on the seventh day
and instituted the Sabbath for all
people as a memorial of Creation. The
fourth commandment of God's unchangeable
law requires the observance of this
seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest,
worship, and ministry in harmony with
the teaching and practice of Jesus, the
Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a
day of delightful communion with God and
one another. It is a symbol of our
redemption in Christ, a sign of our
sanctification, a token of our
allegiance, and a foretaste of our
eternal future in God's kingdom. The
Sabbath is God's perpetual sign of His
eternal covenant between Him and His
people. Joyful observance of this holy
time from evening to evening, sunset to
sunset, is a celebration of God's
creative and redemptive acts. (Gen.
2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Luke 4:16; Isa.
56:5, 6; 58:13, 14; Matt. 12:1-12; Ex.
31:13-17; Eze. 20:12, 20; Deut. 5:12-15;
Heb. 4:1-11; Lev. 23:32; Mark 1:32.)
20. Stewardship: We are God's
stewards, entrusted by Him with time and
opportunities, abilities and
possessions, and the blessings of the
earth and its resources. We are
responsible to Him for their proper use.
We acknowledge God's ownership by
faithful service to Him and our fellow
men, and by returning tithes and giving
offerings for the proclamation of His
gospel and the support and growth of His
church. Stewardship is a privilege given
to us by God for nurture in love and the
victory over selfishness and
covetousness. The steward rejoices in
the blessings that come to others as a
result of his faithfulness. (Gen.
1:26-28; 2:15; 1 Chron. 29:14; Haggai
1:3-11; Mal. 3:8-12; 1 Cor. 9:9-14;
Matt. 23:23; 2 Cor. 8:1-15; Rom. 15:26,
27.)
21. Christian Behavior: We are
called to be a godly people who think,
feel, and act in harmony with the
principles of heaven. For the Spirit to
recreate in us the character of our Lord
we involve ourselves only in those
things which will produce Christlike
purity, health, and joy in our lives.
This means that our amusement and
entertainment should meet the highest
standards of Christian taste and beauty.
While recognizing cultural differences,
our dress is to be simple, modest, and
neat, befitting those whose true beauty
does not consist of outward adornment
but in the imperishable ornament of a
gentle and quiet spirit. It also means
that because our bodies are the temples
of the Holy Spirit, we are to care for
them intelligently. Along with adequate
exercise and rest, we are to adopt the
most healthful diet possible and abstain
from the unclean foods identified in the
Scriptures. Since alcoholic beverages,
tobacco, and the irresponsible use of
drugs and narcotics are harmful to our
bodies, we are to abstain from them as
well. Instead, we are to engage in
whatever brings our thoughts and bodies
into the discipline of Christ, who
desires our wholesomeness, joy, and
goodness. (Rom. 12:1, 2; 1 John 2:6;
Eph. 5:1-21; Phil. 4:8; 2 Cor. 10:5;
6:14-7:1; 1 Peter 3:1-4; 1 Cor. 6:19,
20; 10:31; Lev. 11:1-47; 3 John 2.)
22. Marriage and the Family:
Marriage was divinely established in
Eden and affirmed by Jesus to be a
lifelong union between a man and a woman
in loving companionship. For the
Christian a marriage commitment is to
God as well as to the spouse, and should
be entered into only between partners
who share a common faith. Mutual love,
honor, respect, and responsibility are
the fabric of this relationship, which
is to reflect the love, sanctity,
closeness, and permanence of the
relationship between Christ and His
church. Regarding divorce, Jesus taught
that the person who divorces a spouse,
except for fornication, and marries
another, commits adultery. Although some
family relationships may fall short of
the ideal, marriage partners who fully
commit themselves to each other in
Christ may achieve loving unity through
the guidance of the Spirit and the
nurture of the church. God blesses the
family and intends that its members
shall assist each other toward complete
maturity. Parents are to bring up their
children to love and obey the Lord. By
their example and their words they are
to teach them that Christ is a loving
disciplinarian, ever tender and caring,
who wants them to become members of His
body, the family of God. Increasing
family closeness is one of the earmarks
of the final gospel message. (Gen.
2:18-25; Matt. 19:3-9; John 2:1-11; 2
Cor. 6:14; Eph. 5:21-33; Matt. 5:31, 32;
Mark 10:11, 12; Luke 16:18; 1 Cor. 7:10,
11; Ex. 20:12; Eph. 6:1-4; Deut. 6:5-9;
Prov. 22:6; Mal. 4:5, 6.)
23. Christ's Ministry in the
Heavenly Sanctuary: There is a
sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle
which the Lord set up and not man. In it
Christ ministers on our behalf, making
available to believers the benefits of
His atoning sacrifice offered once for
all on the cross. He was inaugurated as
our great High Priest and began His
intercessory ministry at the time of His
ascension. In 1844, at the end of the
prophetic period of 2300 days, He
entered the second and last phase of His
atoning ministry. It is a work of
investigative judgment which is part of
the ultimate disposition of all sin,
typified by the cleansing of the ancient
Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of
Atonement. In that typical service the
sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of
animal sacrifices, but the heavenly
things are purified with the perfect
sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. The
investigative judgment reveals to
heavenly intelligences who among the
dead are asleep in Christ and therefore,
in Him, are deemed worthy to have part
in the first resurrection. It also makes
manifest who among the living are
abiding in Christ, keeping the
commandments of God and the faith of
Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready
for translation into His everlasting
kingdom. This judgment vindicates the
justice of God in saving those who
believe in Jesus. It declares that those
who have remained loyal to God shall
receive the kingdom. The completion of
this ministry of Christ will mark the
close of human probation before the
Second Advent. (Heb. 8:1-5; 4:14-16;
9:11-28; 10:19-22; 1:3; 2:16, 17; Dan.
7:9-27; 8:13, 14; 9:24-27; Num. 14:34;
Eze. 4:6; Lev. 16; Rev. 14:6, 7; 20:12;
14:12; 22:12.)
24. The Second Coming of Christ:
The second coming of Christ is the
blessed hope of the church, the grand
climax of the gospel. The Saviour's
coming will be literal, personal,
visible, and worldwide. When He returns,
the righteous dead will be resurrected,
and together with the righteous living
will be glorified and taken to heaven,
but the unrighteous will die. The almost
complete fulfillment of most lines of
prophecy, together with the present
condition of the world, indicates that
Christ's coming is imminent. The time of
that event has not been revealed, and we
are therefore exhorted to be ready at
all times. (Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; John
14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Matt. 24:14; Rev.
1:7; Matt. 24:43, 44; 1 Thess. 4:13-18;
1 Cor. 15:51-54; 2 Thess. 1:7-10; 2:8;
Rev. 14:14-20; 19:11-21; Matt. 24; Mark
13; Luke 21; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Thess.
5:1-6.)
25. Death and Resurrection:
The wages of sin is death. But God, who
alone is immortal, will grant eternal
life to His redeemed. Until that day
death is an unconscious state for all
people. When Christ, who is our life,
appears, the resurrected righteous and
the living righteous will be glorified
and caught up to meet their Lord. The
second resurrection, the resurrection of
the unrighteous, will take place a
thousand years later. (Rom. 6:23; 1 Tim.
6:15, 16; Eccl. 9:5, 6; Ps. 146:3, 4;
John 11:11-14; Col. 3:4; 1 Cor.
15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; John 5:28,
29; Rev. 20:1-10.)
26. The Millennium and the End of
Sin: The millennium is the
thousand-year reign of Christ with His
saints in heaven between the first and
second resurrections. During this time
the wicked dead will be judged; the
earth will be utterly desolate, without
living human inhabitants, but occupied
by Satan and his angels. At its close
Christ with His saints and the Holy City
will descend from heaven to earth. The
unrighteous dead will then be
resurrected, and with Satan and his
angels will surround the city; but fire
from God will consume them and cleanse
the earth. The universe will thus be
freed of sin and sinners forever. (Rev.
20; 1 Cor. 6:2, 3; Jer. 4:23-26; Rev.
21:1-5; Mal. 4:1; Eze. 28:18, 19.)
27. The New Earth: On the new
earth, in which righteousness dwells,
God will provide an eternal home for the
redeemed and a perfect environment for
everlasting life, love, joy, and
learning in His presence. For here God
Himself will dwell with His people, and
suffering and death will have passed
away. The great controversy will be
ended, and sin will be no more. All
things, animate and inanimate, will
declare that God is love; and He shall
reign forever. Amen. (2 Peter 3:13; Isa.
35; 65:17-25; Matt. 5:5; Rev. 21:1-7;
22:1-5; 11:15.)
To
top of page
