Our Beliefs
Our beliefs come from our understanding of the Bible which we hold as the only rule for our faith. Listed below are simple summaries of how we interpret what the Bible says on some topics. For a full list of all of our beliefs go to our summary of beliefs page or see our Frequently Asked Questions.
If you would like to know what the Bible says on any other topic please contact us using the link at the end of this page and we will endeavour to answer your question.
What Seventh-day Adventists Believe: A Simple Guide
There is only one God; that is a fact. So where does Jesus and the Holy Spirit fit into the equation? Well the easiest way to explain this is to use an egg. The egg has a shell, yolk and white but it is still classed as an egg. This is how the God Head can be explained; God is the almighty, the father, his son, Jesus is part of him and the Holy Spirit a part too. God is all-powerful, all knowing and ever-present infinite and beyond human comprehension, however through Jesus who lived a short time on this earth we are given a glimpse of what God is like. (more)
This is what Adventists believe; it is what is in the Bible. The Bible is the written word of God and is in two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Where does the Bible come from?
The Old Testament contains information about the history of man leading to the birth of Jesus Christ, and the New Testament deals with the birth of Jesus and the events after His death. We believe the information in the Bible to be true (What does the Bible say about itself?) and Adventists, as Christians, follow the teachings and learn by the examples that are written within the Bible.
The Bible reveals God; it describes our (mankind’s) predicament and reveals God’s solution. Jesus Christ is the focus of the scriptures, the Old Testament give us a picture of Jesus as the Messiah (that is the rescuer of oppressed people), the world’s redeemer; and the New Testament reveals Him, as Jesus Christ the Saviour. (How to read the Bible)
The Church 
Everybody who accepts Jesus’ offer of salvation becomes a member of God’s family the church. The church exists to serve the mental, physical, social and spiritual needs of both members and the wider community in which the church exists. The Bible calls the church the ‘body of Christ’ in which every member has significance regardless of which function they fulfil within the body. Unity is preserved as Jesus is acknowledged as the head of the church.
The Mission of God’s Church
God has given a great responsibility to the church to share the message of his love and to warn about the judgment of mankind, the approach of Jesus return and many other events which the Bible reveals will occur before Jesus comes back to earth. Every believer is called to have a personal part in sharing God’s message to a world that is becoming increasingly secular.
The Unity of the Church
As the church includes all who accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and personal friend, it exists globally, embracing people of every ethnic or language group. The head of the church is Jesus Christ who brings unity to the church through the teachings of the Bible, his love letter of faith, hope and love to his children.
Baptism
Baptism is a service in which an individual publicly demonstrates total commitment to Jesus Christ. Baptism takes place following the conversion experience. During Baptism an individual undergoes a full bodily immersion under water which symbolizes spiritual death to the individual’s old way of living without God, burial of past sins and resurrection to a new lifestyle following Jesus’ example.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper or Communion is a symbolic service which recalls the death and resurrection of Jesus and gives individuals the opportunity to renew their commitment to him. Celebrating this service together helps to foster unity among the followers of Jesus. The night before Jesus was crucified he called his disciples together for a last meal. During this meal he used unleavened bread (without yeast) and wine (unfermented grape juice) which symbolized not only his purity but also the sacrifice he was about to make. Jesus told his disciple that this service should be celebrated by his followers until he returns. The communion service is open to all who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour.
Spiritual Gifts and Ministries
Every person who experiences the love of God has the privilege and the responsibility to share the love of God with others. God enables each member of the church to do this by giving them a special ability known as a spiritual gift. Spiritual gifts are always given for the purpose of developing the church and the community.
The Gift of Prophecy
The gift of prophecy is God’s method of communicating his messages to his chosen messengers through the Holy Spirit. Since Adam and Eve disobeyed him in the Garden of Eden God has used the gift of prophecy to provide hope, instruction, guidance, and encouragement to his people. The presence of this gift is one of the identifying features of the church.
The Law of God
God’s law is the standard which defines what is right and what is wrong. The first four commandments address our responsibility to love and serve God. The last six commandments address the way we should relate to other people. As parents set loving restrictions on their children in order to protect them from harm so God requires obedience to his law for our own benefit. God seeks to lead us to obey him because we love him. (The 10 Commandments)
The Sabbath
At the end of creation week God made the seventh day (Saturday) a special day to help mankind remember him as Creator. The Sabbath was designed to preserve the relationship between God and his people, and also to give families the opportunity to spend quality time together. The Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday.
After Adam and Eve’s disobedience the Sabbath took on a new significance. It also became a sign of God’s salvation from sin and his power to change our character to be like him. The keeping of the Sabbath is one of the identifying features of God’s followers.
Stewardship
As Christians, everything we own belongs to God, our time, our talents, our material possessions including our money. We are responsible to God for the proper use of the resources entrusted to us. In order to provide for the financial and material support for the ministers of the gospel, God introduced the tithe, whereby 10% of an individual’s or family income is given back to God. The ‘returning’ of the tithe is not merely a financial transaction but is rather an exercise in faith. The believer exercises trust in God, acknowledging his dependence on God to provide for all his or her needs.
Christian Behaviour
God desires that his people think, feel and act in harmony with best principles of mental, physical and spiritual health. Whatever we allow into our bodies through food or drink can potentially affect our ability to make right or wrong choices. Similarly, what we allow into our minds through what we watch, read, listen to etc., can also influence our thinking and behaviour. We should therefore only involve ourselves in things that will help us become more like Jesus.
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All humanity is now involved in a big debate that is going on between Christ and Satan. It’s about God’s character really. Simply put - is He fair? Can He be trusted? What about His rules for living by? Is He really in charge? Does He change His mind? Can Satan take over? Understanding that this debate is going on helps us to answer the question, why did Jesus come to this planet? But first - how did human beings become involved? (more)