Doctrine
Our beliefs come from Scripture alone.
Seventh-day Adventists accept the Bible as their only creed (Sola Scriptura — “the Bible only”). The 28 Fundamental Beliefs below express the church's understanding of the teaching of Scripture. They may be revised at a General Conference Session whenever the Holy Spirit leads the church to a fuller understanding of Bible truth or better language to express it.
Part 1
Who God is and how He has revealed Himself to us.
The Old and New Testaments are the inspired, written Word of God. Through them God gives the knowledge needed for salvation; they are the standard of character, the test of experience and the trustworthy record of His acts in history.
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There is one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal Persons. God is all-powerful, all-knowing and ever present, beyond full human understanding yet known through His self-revelation, and worthy of worship by all creation.
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God the eternal Father is Creator, Source, Sustainer and Sovereign of all. He is just and holy, merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The qualities seen in the Son and the Spirit are also revelations of the Father.
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The eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. Through Him all things were created and God's character is revealed. Fully God and fully human, He lived a sinless life, died for our sins, rose again and ministers for us in the heavenly sanctuary, and He will come again.
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The eternal Spirit was active in creation, the incarnation and redemption. He inspired the writers of Scripture, filled Christ's life with power, draws and convicts people, renews those who respond and gives spiritual gifts to the church.
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Part 2
How we were made, and what it means to be human.
God has revealed in Scripture the authentic, historical account of His creative work. In a recent six-day creation He made the heavens and the earth and all living things, and rested on the seventh day, establishing the Sabbath as a lasting memorial.
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Man and woman were made in the image of God, free to think and act, as indivisible units of body, mind and spirit. When our first parents sinned, humanity fell; yet God in Christ reconciles the world to Himself and by His Spirit restores His image in us.
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Part 3
God's plan to rescue us and make us whole in Christ.
All humanity is involved in a great conflict between Christ and Satan over God's character, His law and His rule. Sin began in heaven and entered our world, distorting God's image in us. God sends the Holy Spirit and His angels to guide and protect us.
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In Christ's life of perfect obedience, His suffering, death and resurrection, God provided the only means of atonement for sin. His death is substitutionary and reconciling; His resurrection proclaims God's triumph over evil and assures final victory.
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In infinite love God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us. Led by the Spirit we sense our need, repent, and by faith accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Through grace we are justified, adopted as children of God and given assurance of salvation now and in the judgment.
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By His death Jesus triumphed over the forces of evil. In Him we have peace, joy and freedom from fear. As we spend time with Him in prayer, Scripture, worship and service, the Spirit transforms us into His likeness day by day.
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Part 4
The community of believers God calls together.
The church is the community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. We gather for worship, fellowship, instruction in the Word and the Lord's Supper, for service to humanity and for proclaiming the gospel to all the world.
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In the last days, a time of widespread apostasy, a remnant is called to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. It proclaims the arrival of judgment hour, salvation through Christ and the nearness of His second coming, as pictured by the three angels of Revelation 14.
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The church is one body with many members from every nation, race, language and people. In Christ we are a new creation; distinctions of race, culture, status or gender must not divide us. Through the Spirit we are united in fellowship and witness.
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By baptism we confess our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus and testify of our death to sin and our purpose to walk in newness of life. Baptism is by immersion and follows instruction in Scripture and acceptance of its teachings.
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The Lord's Supper is participation in the emblems of Jesus' body and blood, an expression of faith in Him as Lord and Saviour. The preparatory foot-washing signifies renewed cleansing and a willingness to serve one another in humility. It is open to all believing Christians.
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Part 5
How faith shapes the way we live each day.
God gives every member spiritual gifts to use in loving ministry for the common good of the church and humanity. Given by the Spirit as He wills, these gifts provide the abilities the church needs to fulfil its God-given mission.
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Prophecy is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and an identifying mark of the remnant church. Adventists believe it was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White, whose writings give comfort, guidance and correction, while the Bible remains the standard by which all teaching is tested.
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The great principles of God's law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in Christ's life. They express God's love, will and purposes. Obedience is not the way of salvation but the fruit of it, flowing from a heart grateful for God's grace.
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After six days of creation the Creator rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people. Kept from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, it is a day of delightful communion with God and one another, a sign of our redemption in Christ and of our sanctification.
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We are God's stewards, entrusted with time, opportunities, abilities, possessions, the blessings of the earth and its resources. We acknowledge His ownership by faithful service and by returning tithes and giving offerings for the proclamation of the gospel.
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We are called to be a godly people who think, feel and act in harmony with biblical principles. Because our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, we care for them wisely, choosing what is pure and wholesome and avoiding what harms body, mind or spirit.
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Marriage was divinely established in Eden as a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship. Families are called to grow in love, mutual respect and faithfulness, and parents to bring up their children to love and obey the Lord.
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Part 6
The blessed hope: Christ's return and all things made new.
There is a sanctuary in heaven where Christ ministers on our behalf, making available the benefits of His atoning sacrifice. In 1844 He entered the second phase of His ministry, a work of investigative judgment that reveals who are abiding in Him and vindicates God's justice.
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The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church and the grand climax of the gospel. His coming will be literal, personal, visible and worldwide. The near-complete fulfilment of prophecy shows it is near, so we are to be ready at all times.
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The wages of sin is death, but God, who alone is immortal, grants eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state for all people. When Christ returns, the righteous dead will be raised and, with the living righteous, glorified and caught up to meet their Lord.
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The millennium is the thousand-year reign of Christ with His saints in heaven between the first and second resurrections. At its close Christ, His saints and the Holy City descend, the wicked are raised, and fire from God consumes them and cleanses the earth, freeing the universe from sin forever.
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On the new earth, where righteousness dwells, God will provide an eternal home for the redeemed and a perfect environment for life, love, joy and learning in His presence. God Himself will dwell with His people; suffering and death will be no more, and the great controversy will be ended.
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This page follows the official 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church — read the full statements at adventist.org/beliefs.
