WHAT WE BELIEVE
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a mainstream Protestant church with approximately 19 million members worldwide, including more than one million members in North America. The Seventh-day Adventist Church seeks to enhance quality of life for people everywhere and to let people know that Jesus is coming again soon.
​
Adventists believe a Trinity of three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—make up one God. They made salvation possible when Jesus, the Son, came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem and lived a sinless life in accordance with the Father's will. When Jesus was crucified for the sins of the people of the world and arose from the dead on the third day, victory was won for everyone.
​
When He returned to heaven following the resurrection, Jesus left the Holy Spirit to serve as our Comforter and Counselor. He promised to return to earth a second time to complete His plan of salvation and take His people to heaven. Adventists are among the believers who look forward to that day.
​
Adventists believe that God is concerned with the quality of human life, and that everything—the way we live, eat, speak, think, treat each other, and care for the world around us—is part of His plan. Our families, our children, our jobs, our talents, our money, and our time are all important to Him.
01.
God
Our Creator God is love, power and splendor. He is three-in-one, mysterious and infinite—yet He desires an intimate connection with humanity. He gave us the Bible as His Holy Word, the Bible, so we could learn more about Him and build a relationship with Him.
03.
Salvation
Even before the creation of the earth, there was war between good and evil. Lucifer, a once-perfect and highly-regarded being, became jealous of God and wished for higher position. When God did not give him what he wanted, He became Satan. He accused God of being unfair.
​
Satan then led astray one-third of heaven’s angels, and God had to cast them out. To seek revenge on God, Satan began attacking His precious new creation—the earth. Knowing that humans were created with free will, He tempted them to rebel against God’s loving guidance.
​
But God knew this didn’t have to be the end of humanity’s story. He demonstrated just how much He loves us by sending His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die in humanity’s place, to bear the ultimate punishment sin brings (Romans 6:23, John 3:16).
​
However, it still comes down to choice. God never wanted forced allegiance. The option is ours. We can succumb to sin and choose to live for ourselves, or we can choose to accept Jesus’ sacrifice, follow Him, and get to know Him. And if we choose Him, He promises to guide us with His Holy Spirit and will never forsake us.
05.
Daily Living
All throughout the Bible we can find guidance for our daily lives. A well-known example would be the Ten Commandments in Exodus, where we are shown how to love God and how to love people—which Jesus re-emphasized in the New Testament (Matthew 22:37-40). God’s law shows us the path to follow and the pitfalls to avoid, leading us toward wholeness and balance.
​
Additionally, by being a Christian and following God, we answer His call to be stewards of the earth until He returns. That also includes taking care of ourselves, caring for our minds and bodies which in turn nourishes our spirit.
02.
Humanity
Lovingly designed as perfect beings, God created humans in His own image with free will and dominion over the earth. But sin crept in through temptation by Satan, the Devil. Now humanity’s perfection is tarnished, our bodies and minds corrupted. Our once-idyllic world continues to be in a constant struggle between good and evil.
Fortunately, God had a plan to redeem humanity through His Son, Jesus Christ. He will ultimately have victory over sin and death and restore us and our earth to its original state of beauty and perfection.
04.
Church
After Jesus’ ministry on earth, He commissioned His followers to go about their lives telling others about His love and promise to return. In doing this, He also commanded to love all people as He loves all of us.
​
As imperfect as humanity is, God still gives us the privilege of being part of His work. In doing this, we are His Church, or the Body of Christ, all with different spiritual gifts to contribute. He encourages us to meet together, support one another, and serve together.
06.
Restoration (End Times)
God has always investigated before taking action, demonstrating His willingness to forgive and giving each one of us a chance to be part of His plan. We saw this to be true with the Garden of Eden, the Tower of Babel, the exodus from Egypt and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
​
Before Jesus’ Second Coming, He is investigating the entire earth, everyone who has ever lived, every choice every human being has made. God wants it to be clear to us, and to the watching universe, that not one person will experience a fate they did not choose.
​
Christ’s return is near, meaning the final judgment of humanity, the destruction of the wicked, the end of death and sin, and the redemption of those who accept the gift of God’s salvation. And that’s not the end of the story. We will enjoy a millennium in heaven and the restoration of our earth to the paradise it once was, for us to enjoy for eternity while communing face to face with God.
