What We Belive

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.) Back to Top

2. The Trinity:

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.) Back to Top

3. 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.) Back to Top

4. 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.) Back to Top

5. 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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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 Savior’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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top

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.) Back to Top