Seventh-Day Adventist Beliefs
Seventh-Day Adventists beliefs
What Adventists Believe
As a Christian church, Seventh-day Adventists are a faith community rooted in the beliefs described by the Holy Scriptures. Adventists describe these beliefs in the following ways:
God's greatest desire is for you to see a clear picture of His character. When you see Him clearly, you will find His love irresistible.
For many, "seeing God clearly" requires that they see God's face. However, how He looks is not the issue. Seeing and understanding His character is what's most important. The more clearly we understand Him, the more we will find His love irresistible. As we begin to experience His love, our own lives will begin to make more sense.
God most clearly reveals His character in three great events. The first is His creation of man and woman--and His giving them the freedom of choice. He created humans with the ability to choose to love Him or to hate Him! The death of Jesus Christ, God's only Son, on the cross as our substitute is the second great event. In that act He paid the penalty we deserve for our hateful choices toward God and His ways. Jesus' death guarantees forgiveness for those choices and allows us to spend eternity with Him. The third event confirms the first two and fills every heart with hope: Christ's tomb is empty! He is alive, living to fill us with His love!
Jesus' disciple John wrote that if everyone wrote all the stories they knew about Jesus, the whole world could not contain them. Our knowledge of God helps us understand His love, character, and grace. Experiencing that love begins a lifelong adventure in growth and service. This knowledge and experience powers our mission to tell the world about His love and His offer of salvation.
Scripture is a road map. The Bible is God's voice, speaking His love personally to you today.
The Bible speaks the Creator's directions to us, like a detailed road map that clearly shows the exit ramp directly into heaven. It is also much like an owner's manual for a life ready to be lived on the cutting edge of liberty.
Sometimes His voice speaks through stories, such as those of David and Goliath, Ruth and Boaz, Naaman's little servant girl, Christ on the cross, and fisherman Peter learning how to tend sheep. Some of these stories teach us how to handle the troubles we face each day. Others fill us with hope and peace. Each of them is like a personal letter from God to you.
Portions of Scripture are direct instructions and laws from God such as the Ten Commandments, recorded in Exodus 20. These tell us more about God and His expectations for us. When people asked Jesus to summarize these commands, He focused on the way God's love affects the way we live. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul," He said. "And love your neighbor as you love yourself."
On other pages the Bible gives God's practical advice and encouragement through parables, lists, promises, and warnings. Amazingly, though many different writers throughout thousands of years wrote the Bible, each page describes the same God in ways we can understand and apply in our lives today. This book is always His voice talking personally to anyone who is willing to read and hear.
God loves us even when we choose to reject His love. In those times He allows us to walk away into the life of our own choices. Yet He is still there, always ready to redeem us from the results of our decisions.
Jesus is the one who never changes in a universe that always does. Jesus is Creator, Sustainer, Saviour, Friend, God's Son, and God Himself!
Everything in this world is always changing, even our desires, interests, skills, and body shapes. But Jesus? He's consistent. He's always the same. Sure, He's always surprising us and touching our lives in thousands of new and different ways, but His character is unchanging. He's God's Son, the Creator, our Saviour, and Friend.
Jesus has promised to be all of that, and more, for each of us. We can trust His promises because He is God. When the words of Colossians say "in Him all things hold together" (1:17, NIV) that includes everything in our lives. He keeps us whole when the enemy is trying to make us fall apart.
Seventh-day Adventists believe that Jesus is one of the three persons, called the Trinity, who make up our one God. The Bible describes Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit as each being committed to our growth as Christians and to our salvation as their children. They made this salvation possible when Jesus came to Bethlehem as a human baby. He lived a life perfectly in accord with God's will and then died innocently for all of our sins. He was placed in a borrowed tomb, but He came back to life three days later. Now he is in heaven interceding with the Father for us, preparing for our deliverance from sin and death.
When everything may be falling apart, when you feel totally alone in the universe, Jesus is right there in the center of it all, offering personal peace and hope. Allow Him into your life. He immediately begins "remodeling" who you are and how you live. Jesus, in fact, is busily transforming His followers into accurate representatives of God's character.
Look to Jesus, and you'll be looking into the understanding and loving face of God.
God's vision for you is life as He lives it! God loves you, and wants to give you the highest quality of life imaginable.
No, not a second-rate existence somewhere on earth, but the highest quality of life imaginable, here and in eternity with Him! That's what God wants us to have. The best!
This is why He provides church families where we can belong. This is why He gives each of us special gifts and talents, so we can live life fully. Amazingly, this is why He's concerned about what you're doing, when you're doing it, and how you relate to Him. God doesn't want anything to get in the way of our friendship. He especially doesn't want us to get involved in anything damaging or hurtful. He's like a loving father or a good big brother. He's someone who loves you so much that He's always looking out for you.
When God designed you, He included special talents and skills that will help you become a uniquely valuable individual. These may be your ability to teach, your love for others, or your leadership skills. Still, whatever special gifts you have received, God has also provided all of the energy and wisdom necessary for you to use them well.
By the way, how God feels about death is part of the quality life He offers. For followers of Christ, death holds no fear. Remember, Jesus defeated death on Calvary and has given us freedom from death. Cemeteries, then, are filled with followers of God who are in the "peaceful pause before the resurrection." Yes, they are dead, but that death holds no power over their future. Jesus is coming to take them (and those of us who are still living) HOME! Death is almost like a wintery promise of spring.
The Seventh-day Adventist faith in today and in the future comes from seeing this life "overflowing" with hope!
Because love is the key aspect of His character, God is also deeply into gratitude. Before we even finish saying thank you, He's already busy sending more blessings.
In the heart of God is a place you can experience as home. God loves you, and wants to spend time with you personally, one on one, as two close friends.
Because you and God are friends, you will spend time together as friends do. Each morning you'll share a hello and a hug and discuss how you can face the day's events together. Throughout the day you'll talk with Him about how you feel. You'll laugh with Him at funny things and ache with Him over sadness and hurts. It's pleasant being God's friend, able to snuggle comfortably into the safety of your relationship. You can always trust Him to treat you well, because He loves you.
The seventh day (Saturday) is an extra-special part of the relationship. The Bible, from Genesis through Revelation, describes the seventh day as the one day God has set aside for focused fellowship with His people. God has named that day "Sabbath" and asked us to spend it with Him. "Remember the sabbath day," He says, "to keep it holy." The Sabbath is a whole day to deepen our friendship with the Creator of the universe! A day when we're together, Jesus with us and us with Jesus.
There's another great truth about friendship with God. It doesn't end in a cemetery, for God is planning a homecoming better than anything we can dream. A homecoming filled with angels, trumpets, Jesus, and resurrections! He's promised to being His followers, those who have accepted the offer of His life-changing love, from this earth to His home, a place He calls heaven. A place where our friendship can go on growing forever, endlessly, joyfully!
- God keeps a family albumā?"and your picture is in it. God loves you and has a plan for your life.
God's love is about you. Personally.
God made you and has a very special plan for your life. It's a plan that will fill you with hope, love, peace, and activity. In fact, when Christ paid the penalty for sin on the cross, that gave Him the right to claim you as His own. As a result, you can experience His love and priceless salvation freely and fully without limit.
By the way, pictures of everyone fill that album: Nepalese, Brazilians, Nigerians, Yupiks, Germans, people of every nation, culture, background, gender, hair color, and foot size. In God's eyes all are equally "children of the King"!
Salvation? God cleans away all our sins and replaces them with His goodness. We don't have to be "good" for Him to accept us. Nevertheless, we must accept His promise and allow Him to clean out everything the enemy has left in us. Then we begin to experience the transforming power of His love. It's like a giant war: one side pulling us toward empty pleasure and destruction, and God urging us to accept His offer of peace and purpose.
Remember, Jesus has already won the war. He is victorious! We celebrate His victory in our lives when we participate in the Lord's Supper. This meal includes three symbols:
- Foot washing (which symbolizes our commitment to love others as Jesus loves us),
- bread ("This bread is my flesh," Jesus said, "which I will give for the life of the world," John 6:51, NIV), and
- wine or grape juice ("Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life." John 6:54, NIV)
To help us understand how God can transform us into His children, Jesus modeled the process of baptism for us. Baptism symbolized dying to self and coming alive in Jesus. Seventh-day Adventists practice full immersion baptism because by being fully buried beneath the water we symbolize that God's grace fully fills us with His new life for the future. Through baptism we are truly born again in Jesus.
Eternal life, peace, purpose, forgiveness, transforming grace, hope: Everything He promises is ours, because He's offering it and He's shown we can trust Him to do exactly as He promises. Accept His gifts, and you immediately become an active part of His family, and He joyfully becomes part of yours.
1. The Word of God:
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 GodHead:
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. God 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. God 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. God 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.)