Beliefs

A brief summary of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are listed below.

We believe that the Holy Bible shows us how God guided human history and our place in God’s plan. We believe the Bible is truth that will guide us in life and keep us safe from evil.

We believe that there is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God lives forever, is all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing, and always here. God is the only Being worthy of our worship and is our Creator, Redeemer, and Friend.

We believe God the Father is the beginning of love and life. He sent His Son to save us from sin and to show us what He is like. God the Father is holy, full of mercy, faithful, and gracious.

We believe Jesus became human to save us. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus is God and also human. He died on the cross for our sins in our place and was raised from the dead. He is now in heaven and will come back to take us to be with Him forever.

We believe the Holy Spirit was there when the world was created. He inspired the Bible writers and gave Jesus power when He was on earth. He gives spiritual gifts to the church. The Holy Spirit shows us what sin is and teaches us what truth is.

We believe that God created this world, with the humans, animals and plants, in 7 days. He created man and woman to take care of the world and wants us to live a balanced life that includes time to play and relax.

We believe man and woman was made in the image of God. Humans are free beings but we depend on God for our life and breath. The first man and woman disobeyed God so now we all live with the effects of sin in our bodies such as sickness and death.

We believe that there is a great battle between good and evil, between God and Satan. Satan wants us to believe lies about God’s character. God gives us freedom to choose and we can see through history God’s great love for us because He came to save us.

We believe that God sent Jesus, His Son, to live a perfect life in our place and die for us because of our sins. When we believe in Jesus and accept His sacrifice, God gives us eternal life (John 3:16).

We believe that after we accept Jesus’ gift to die in our place for our sins, the Holy Spirit leads us to live a holy life. The Holy Spirit builds our faith and helps us leave our broken lives behind. We can be sure that we have salvation as long as we choose God.

We believe we have hope in this life because the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and we have salvation. We become more like Jesus when we pray, read the Bible, sing praises, worship in church, help others, and share the good news of salvation with others.

We believe the church is God’s family on earth. When we go to church, we worship, study the Bible, celebrate communion, and serve others together. Our authority comes from Jesus and we learn about Him in the Bible.

We believe that in the last days of earth, there will be a group of people called the remnant who will have a special work to do. They will tell others that Jesus is coming back soon and remind everyone that God is our Creator and there is a judgment happening in heaven.

We believe that the church is made up of many people who speak different languages and come from different countries but we are united in Jesus. We are all equal in Jesus and our differences should not divide us. We share one faith and hope.

We believe that baptism shows our faith in Jesus and our trust in His forgiveness of our sins. When we are baptized by immersion, we show that we believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection. At baptism, we receive the Holy Spirit to help us live a new life in Jesus.

We believe Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, shows that we accept Jesus’ death for us. When we wash each other’s feet, we humbly serve one another and our hearts are united in love. It is a reminder that Jesus is coming back.

We believe that the Holy Spirit gives each of us skills and talents to serve God and the church. These gifts include things such as faith, prophecy, teaching, administration, and compassion. They are used to help the church become spiritually mature and be united in faith and knowledge of God.

We believe that the Holy Spirit gave the gift of prophecy to a woman called Ellen G. White. Her writings clearly say that everything should be tested by the Bible. Her writings are useful for comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction for the church.

We believe that the law of God, or the Ten Commandments, tell us what God wants us to do and reflects God’s character. The Ten Commandments tell us how to act towards God and others. Jesus obeyed the law perfectly as our example and our substitute.

We believe that the 7^th day of the week is the Sabbath, just as God created it in Genesis 2:3. We believe it is a gift from God to rest and spend time with God and others. The Sabbath reminds us of God’s creation and Jesus’ grace.

We believe God gave us the responsibility to take care of ourselves, other human beings, our resources, and our world. God wants us to wisely take care of what He gives us and blesses us as we live for Him. We give tithe and offerings to help support the church.

We believe that the Holy Spirit helps us to honour God in our minds, bodies, and spirits. We should dress simply, eat healthily, and only use things that produce pure and joyful experiences in our lives. We shouldn’t drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, or use drugs or narcotics because they harm our bodies.

We believe that God created man and woman in His image and to be in relationship. Marriage is God’s ideal for a happy life and for children to grow up in security and love. Marriage is between a man and a woman and God blesses the family that is close to each other.

We believe Jesus’ sacrifice gives us confidence to come to God because we know we are forgiven. Jesus is now in the heavenly sanctuary investigating our lives for all to see that His judgments are righteous and that we can be saved.

We believe that Jesus will come again and will resurrect those who believed in Him and take them to heaven. We look forward to the Second Coming even though we don’t know the exact day or time as Jesus said. When Jesus comes back, every person on the earth will see Him.

We believe that after we die, we don’t know anything anymore but we are unconscious until Jesus’ Second Coming. When Jesus comes back, the righteous who died will be resurrected and go to heaven with Jesus and the unrighteous who died will be resurrected a thousand years later.

We believe that while the saved are in heaven with Jesus for the thousand years after the first resurrection, Satan and his followers will be trapped on earth by themselves. When God returns to the earth, He will resurrect the lost for a final judgment before destroying sin and sinners.

We believe God will destroy our sinful world, create a new perfect world, and live with us forever. We will finally reach our true potential and live in the love and joy God has created for us. Suffering and death will be completely gone forever.