The 28 Fundamental Beliefs can be organized into six categories of doctrine: God, man, salvation, the church, daily Christian life, and last-day events (restoration).
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 Doctrine of God (Theology)
Our Creator God is love, power and splendor. He is three-in-one, mysterious and infinite—yet He desires an intimate connection with humanity. He gave us the Bible as His Holy Word, the Bible, so we could learn more about Him and build a relationship with Him.
The following statements describe what the Seventh-day Adventist Church believes about God and His Word.
- The Holy Scripture
- Trinity
- Father
- Son
- Holy Spirit
2. The Doctrine of Humanity (Anthropology)
Lovingly designed as perfect beings, God created humans in His own image with free will and dominion over the earth. But sin crept in through temptation by Satan, the Devil. Now humanity’s perfection is tarnished, our bodies and minds corrupted. Our once-idyllic world continues to be in a constant struggle between good and evil.
Fortunately, God had a plan to redeem humanity through His Son, Jesus Christ. He will ultimately have victory over sin and death and restore us and our earth to its original state of beauty and perfection.
The following statements describe what the Seventh-day Adventist Church believes about the earth and humanity in the context of God’s ultimate plan.
- Creation
- Nature of Human
3. The Doctrine of Salvation (Soteriology)
Even before the creation of the earth, there was war between good and evil. Lucifer, a once-perfect and highly-regarded being, became jealous of God and wished for higher position. When God did not give him what he wanted, He became Satan. He accused God of being unfair.
Satan then led astray one-third of heaven’s angels, and God had to cast them out. To seek revenge on God, Satan began attacking His precious new creation—the earth. Knowing that humans were created with free will, He tempted them to rebel against God’s loving guidance.
But God knew this didn’t have to be the end of humanity’s story. He demonstrated just how much He loves us by sending His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die in humanity’s place, to bear the ultimate punishment sin brings (Romans 6:23, John 3:16).
However, it still comes down to choice. God never wanted forced allegiance. The option is ours. We can succumb to sin and choose to live for ourselves, or we can choose to accept Jesus’ sacrifice, follow Him, and get to know Him. And if we choose Him, He promises to guide us with His Holy Spirit and will never forsake us.
The following statements describe what the Seventh-day Adventist Church believes about the struggle between good and evil, and how there is still hope for humanity’s salvation through the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
4. God the Son (Jesus Christ)
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 human, 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 heaven to minister in the heavenly sanctuary on our behalf.
He will come again in glory for the final deliverance of His people and the restoration of all things.
(Isa. 53:4-6; Dan. 9:25-27; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-3, 14; 5:22; 10:30; 14:1–3, 9, 13; Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4; 2 Cor. 3:18; 5:17-19; Phil. 2:5–11; Col. 1:15-19; Heb. 2:9-18; 8:1, 2.)
5. The Doctrine of the Church (Ecclesiology)
CHURCH
After Jesus’ ministry on earth, He commissioned His followers to go about their lives telling others about His love and promise to return. In doing this, He also commanded to love all people as He loves all of us.
As imperfect as humanity is, God still gives us the privilege of being part of His work. In doing this, we are His Church, or the Body of Christ, all with different spiritual gifts to contribute. He encourages us to meet together, support one another, and serve together.
The following statements describe what the Seventh-day Adventist Church believes regarding the fellowship of believers around the world, God’s Great Commission, and the principles to guide organized local congregations.
6. Christian Life and Witness
All throughout the Bible we can find guidance for our daily lives. A well-known example would be the Ten Commandments in Exodus, where we are shown how to love God and how to love people—which Jesus re-emphasized in the New Testament (Matthew 22:37-40). God’s law shows us the path to follow and the pitfalls to avoid, leading us toward wholeness and balance.
Additionally, by being a Christian and following God, we answer His call to be stewards of the earth until He returns. That also includes taking care of ourselves, caring for our minds and bodies which in turn nourishes our spirit.
The following statements describe what the Seventh-day Adventist Church believes about what it means to live each day as a follower of Christ.
7. The Doctrine of End-Times (Eschatology)
God has always investigated before taking action, demonstrating His willingness to forgive and giving each one of us a chance to be part of His plan. We saw this to be true with the Garden of Eden, the Tower of Babel, the exodus from Egypt and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Before Jesus’ Second Coming, He is investigating the entire earth, everyone who has ever lived, every choice every human being has made. God wants it to be clear to us, and to the watching universe, that not one person will experience a fate they did not choose.
Christ’s return is near, meaning the final judgment of humanity, the destruction of the wicked, the end of death and sin, and the redemption of those who accept the gift of God’s salvation. And that’s not the end of the story. We will enjoy a millennium in heaven and the restoration of our earth to the paradise it once was, for us to enjoy for eternity while communing face to face with God.
The following statements describe what the Seventh-day Adventist Church believes about the end times of the earth, and what’s in store for humanity as eternity unfolds.