Why Adventism?

What do Seventh-day Adventists believe? This question is difficult for many outside the Church to answer, partly because Adventists object to having a formal creed. We believe that the understanding of God by His people is progressive, both for individuals and as a corporate body. Therefore, a creed could hinder the acceptance of new light and Scriptural understanding.

Instead of a creed, Adventists periodically publish statements of beliefs. These are revised from time to time as God leads us as His people and as it becomes necessary to clarify our beliefs for those outside and even inside the Church. These are frequently stated as The 27 Fundamental Beliefs (which recently has become 28).

This list is fairly exhaustive, so we present here a brief overview, summarized in eight S's for your edification.

1. Scriptures - Like Jesus, we believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, are God's Spirit-inspired Word (2 Timothy 3:15-16, Luke 24).
2. Salvation - Like Jesus, we believe that the major message of the Bible is God's plan of Salvation. God sent His one and only Son to earth to live a perfect life and die on the cross for sinners. As we accept His gift and believe in who He is and what He has done, we receive the gift of Salvation (Luke 19:10, Romans 10:9-10).
3. Second Coming - Jesus said that He would come a second time and that His followers could know when His coming is near. On average, one out of every eight verses in the New Testament points to this great event. His first coming was called His first advent (appearing). His second coming will be His second advent (appearing). People who believe that He will come a second time are often called "adventists", from which our Church derives part of its name. We long to be ready, by His grace, for His second advent (Matthew 24, John 14:1-3).
4. Sanctuary - We believe that Jesus is now ministering in the sanctuary in heaven where He "ever lives to make intercession for us". We believe, on the basis of Bible prophecy, that He will soon complete all aspects of His High Priestly ministry and return to earth (Hebrews 7:25, Hebrews 8:1-4; Daniel 8:14; Revelation 14:6-7).
5. Sabbath - We have chosen to follow Christ's example of worshipping on the seventh day of the week, the Bible Sabbath. This is the reason for the "Seventh-day" part of our name. On the Sabbath, Christ rested from His work as Creator and Redeemer. We worship on the Sabbath because Jesus asks His followers to express their love by keeping the commandments (Luke 4:16, John 14:15, 1 John 2:3).
6. State of the Dead - When Jesus' friend Lazarus died, Jesus described death as a sleep. Lazarus "slept" in death, until Jesus said with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" When Jesus comes the second time, His voice will awaken everyone from the grave. His friends will be resurrected to everlasting life, and His enemies to condemnation. (John 11:11-14, John 5:28-29).
7. Spiritual Gifts - Before Jesus returned to heaven after His death, He promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to His followers in a more marked manner. We believe in the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit in the church (the body of Christ) until the end of time. God desires that believers demonstrate the fruits of the spirit and that they also will manifest the gifts of the Spirit as He directs (John 16:7, Galatians 5, Ephesians 4, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12).
8. Standards - A Christian is someone who is a follower of Christ in all things. Christians must not simply believe the right teachings (orthodoxy). They also, by God's grace, will live the Christian lifestyle (orthopraxy). Christians will honor God by what they eat or drink or whatever they do (1 John 2:6, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Corinthians 10:31).

This is of course a very brief overview - if you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us. We'd be happy to answer your questions or send you additional reading material.

May God bless you as you prepare for His soon coming!