What
Seventh-day Adventists Believe
We do not have a
formal "creed," because we do not want to "freeze truth in its tracks"
and stop searching our Bibles for new truth - or for a clearer understanding
of "old truth".
But we Adventists
have developed a Statement of Fundamental Beliefs which sets forth our
current understanding of basic Bible truth. In this section, we will summarize
how we understand the major teachings included in our statement of beliefs.
We won't give a full presentation of each subject, but the summaries that
follow will cover the major points of each one.
The Trinity
How Everything Began
The Bible
Salvation
Sabbath and the Family
The Church
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
Spiritual Gifts
Christian Lifestyle
The Sanctuary
What Happens When We Die
The Second Advent of Christ
The
Trinity
We believe that God is the creator and King of the universe. Three
distinct persons make up the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. Althoughthe word Trinity, which Christians use to describe this
three-person God, is not in the Bible, the fact that God indeed consists
of three persons is clearly taught there.
The three persons
of the Godhead share certain common characteristics that set them apart
from all other beings in the universe. God is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing,
unchangeable, and able to be everywhere at once. He is the source of all
love, life, and power. And though He constantly supervises His entire vast
creation, He is a personal God who wants to be the close Friend of each
person on earth.
Perfect unity
exists in the Trinity. Their goals, plans, and opinions are identical.
They never disagree. Their very thoughts are open to each other. Though
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate persons, they think,
act, and feel as one. They actually are one God in three persons.
Perfect equality
also exists in the Trinity. All three of its members are fully God. No
one member is less divine than the others. The Father did not create the
Son or the Holy Spirit - all three have existed together from eternity
and have no beginning. The Holy Spirit is not simply God's power - a divine
force. He is a fully equal member of the Godhead.
God is infinitely
patient, fair, and truthful. But the quality with which His name is most
synonymous is love.
| Deuteronomy
6:4 |
John
14:16,17 |
1 John
3:20 |
| Genesis
1:26; 3:22 |
2 Corinthians
13:14 |
Jeremiah
32:17 |
| Matthew
3:16,17 |
1 Timothy
6:15,16 |
Malachi
3:6 |
| Matthew
28:19 |
Psalms
139:7-12 |
John
1:1-3 |
Under