Fundamental Beliefs
A simply-worded version of the Fundamental Beliefs of Adventism, based on the General Conference published version.
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Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Beliefs
1. The whole bible is a reliable record of who God is and his plans.
2. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equally God and all were involved in creation and redemption.
3. God the Father is the loving Creator.
4. God the Son became a human, Jesus, to show what God is like, save humankind, and restore the universe from the consequences of evil.
5. God the Holy Spirit empowers and leads to truth and spiritual growth.
6. God created a perfect earth in six days and rested on the seventh day, Sabbath (Saturday).
7. Human beings were made in God’s image with the freedom of choice and action. By choosing evil, humanity became subject to death.
8. The whole universe is engaged in a conflict over the nature and character of God that was begun by Satan and those who followed the rebellion he started in heaven.
9. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus reconciles people to God.
10. Through faith, people can be sure of salvation now and in the judgment at the end of time.
11. Spiritual growth and maturity comes through prayer, Bible study, community worship and the transforming power of God’s Spirit.
12. The church is a community of faith that believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
13. At this time in history a group of believers has chosen to accept the responsibility to represent God in a special way, believing that time is short and everyone needs the opportunity to be saved.
14. The church is made up by people from all over the world, each with a witness and role, but with no distinctions of race, culture, learning, nationality, wealth or gender.
15. Baptism by immersion is a public act to show death to one’s former way of life and a decision to live for God as part of a community of faith.
16. The Lord’s Supper and washing one another’s feet are expressions of faith in the cleansing and life-giving power of Jesus, and the commitment to humbly serve others the way Jesus did.
17. Believers are to use their God-given gifts for the common good of church and humanity.
18. The prophetic voice is a spiritual gift to lead people to a better understanding and experience of God and is exemplified in modern times in the ministry of Ellen White.
19. The Ten Commandments reveal God’s character and are the unchanging principles on which his universal government is based.
20. The seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) is celebrated with worship and fellowship and is a memorial of God’s creative and redemptive power.
21. Believers are accountable to God as stewards of their time, talents, the earth and its resources.
22. Believers are to care of their bodies—a temple for the Holy Spirit, through adequate exercise, rest, a healthy diet, and avoidance of harmful substances such as alcohol and tobacco.
23. Marriage is a mutual, exclusive commitment between one man and one woman.
24. As a High Priest, Jesus ministers in heaven for believers, working with the Father and the Holy Spirit to answer the charges of Satan the Accuser, demonstrating that God always acts rightly.
25. Jesus is coming again in a literal, visible, worldwide event as the final act of redemption.
26. When Jesus returns, he will resurrect the righteous dead and take them and the righteous living with him to heaven.
27. Those who are saved will spend one thousand years reviewing God’s acts as part of the end-time judgment. After that, sin, sinners, Satan and death will come to a final end.
28. God will create a new earth where he will live with the righteous in love and joy that never ends. There will be no more suffering, sin, or death, and the great controversy between good and evil will have ended forever.
For a fuller description of what Adventists believe see:
http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental/index.html
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