The 28 Fundamental Beliefs
Drawn wholly from the Scriptures, and set out here in the six groups the Church itself uses.
These are not a creed. Adventists have always held that the Bible is our only creed, and that these statements may be revised when the church is led to a better understanding of Scripture. They are set out here so that anyone can see plainly what is taught in this pulpit.
The 28 are grouped by the General Conference under six headings, and that is the order followed here.
God
Who God is, and how we know anything about Him at all: the Scriptures, the Trinity, and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Beliefs 1–5The Holy Scriptures
The Bible is the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration, and is the authoritative revelation of His will and the standard by which all teaching and experience is tested.
2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17The Trinity
There is one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal Persons.
Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19The Father
God the eternal Father is the Creator, Source, Sustainer and Sovereign of all creation, just and holy, merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Exodus 34:6, 7; John 3:16The Son
God the eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. Through Him all things were created, and by Him the character of God is revealed and the salvation of humanity accomplished.
John 1:1-3, 14; Colossians 1:15-19The Holy Spirit
God the eternal Spirit drew the Scriptures, fills the life of Christ’s followers, and empowers the church for its mission.
John 14:16-18, 26; Acts 1:8Humanity
Where we came from and what we are: made by God, in His image, and wholly dependent on Him for life.
Beliefs 6–7Creation
God is Creator of all things. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and rested on the seventh day, a memorial of His completed creative work.
Genesis 1; Exodus 20:8-11The Nature of Humanity
Man and woman were made in the image of God, an indivisible unity of body, mind and spirit, dependent upon God for life and for everything.
Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 8:4-8Salvation
The great controversy between Christ and Satan, and how the life, death and resurrection of Jesus answers it for anyone who will have it.
Beliefs 8–11The Great Controversy
All humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan, concerning the character of God, His law, and His sovereignty over the universe.
Revelation 12:4-9; Job 1:6-12The Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ
In Christ’s life of perfect obedience, His suffering, death and resurrection, God provided the only means of atonement for human sin.
John 3:16; Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 2:21, 22The Experience of Salvation
By grace we are saved through faith in Jesus, born of the Spirit into a new life in which we are adopted as sons and daughters of God.
Ephesians 2:5-10; John 3:3-8Growing in Christ
By His death Jesus triumphed over the forces of evil. Abiding in Him, we are made free from the burden of past deeds and are called to grow into His likeness.
Colossians 1:13, 14; 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18The Church
What the church is for, the mission it was given, and the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Beliefs 12–16The Church
The church is the community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, called out from the world to worship, to fellowship, to instruction and to service.
Ephesians 1:22, 23; Matthew 18:18-20The Remnant and Its Mission
The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ. In the last days God has called a remnant to keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus, and to proclaim the everlasting gospel.
Revelation 12:17; Revelation 14:6-12Unity in the Body of Christ
The church is one body with many members, called from every nation, kindred, tongue and people. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female.
Galatians 3:27-29; Ephesians 4:1-6Baptism
By baptism we confess our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and testify of our death to sin and our purpose to walk in newness of life. It follows instruction in the Scriptures and an acceptance of their teaching.
Romans 6:1-6; Matthew 28:19, 20The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is a participation in the emblems of the body and blood of Jesus, preceded by the ordinance of foot-washing. It is open to all believing Christians.
1 Corinthians 11:23-30; John 13:1-17Daily Christian Life
How the faith is actually lived: spiritual gifts, the law, the Sabbath, stewardship, conduct, marriage and the family.
Beliefs 17–23Spiritual Gifts and Ministries
God bestows upon all members of His church spiritual gifts for the common good, for service and for the building up of the body.
Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:9-11, 27, 28The Gift of Prophecy
The Scriptures testify that prophecy is one identifying mark of the remnant church. Adventists believe this gift was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White, whose writings speak with prophetic authority and are a continuing source of comfort, guidance and correction, and are always subject to the Bible.
Joel 2:28, 29; Revelation 12:17; 19:10The Law of God
The great principles of God’s law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. Salvation is all of grace, and obedience is its fruit.
Exodus 20:1-17; Matthew 5:17-20The Sabbath
The gracious Creator rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of creation. It is observed from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, a day of joyful communion with God and one another.
Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Luke 4:16Stewardship
We are God’s stewards, entrusted with time and opportunities, abilities and possessions, and the blessings of the earth. We acknowledge His ownership by faithful service and by returning tithes and giving offerings.
Malachi 3:8-12; 2 Corinthians 9:7Christian Behaviour
We are called to be a godly people who think, feel and act in harmony with heaven’s principles, and to care for our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 John 2:6; Philippians 4:8Marriage and the Family
Marriage was divinely established in Eden as a lifelong union between a man and a woman. The family is the setting in which faith is passed to the next generation.
Genesis 2:18-25; Ephesians 5:21-33Restoration
Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, His return, the resurrection, and the new earth. What Adventists are named for.
Beliefs 24–28Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary
There is a sanctuary in heaven where Christ ministers on our behalf. Since 1844 He has been engaged in the second and final phase of His atoning ministry.
Hebrews 8:1-5; Daniel 8:14; Hebrews 9:11-28The Second Coming of Christ
The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church, literal, personal, visible and worldwide. The time is not revealed, and we are therefore told to be ready at all times.
Titus 2:13; Acts 1:9-11; Matthew 24:14Death and Resurrection
The wages of sin is death. God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state for all people, a sleep from which the Life-giver will wake His own.
Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; John 11:11-14The 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, after which sin and sinners are no more.
Revelation 20; 2 Peter 3:10; Malachi 4:1The New Earth
On the new earth, in which righteousness dwells, God will provide an eternal home for the redeemed. The great controversy will be ended, and sin will be no more.
2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-7; Isaiah 35Would you like to look at any of this for yourself?
A member of the church will study any of these subjects with you, in your home, here at the church, or over the phone. There is no cost and no obligation, and you are free to stop at any point.
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