Biblical doctrines that sustain
our faith

The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration. The inspired authors spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. In this Word, God communicated to humanity the knowledge necessary for salvation, being the infallible standard of character, the test of experience, the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God's acts in history.

Biblical Basis

There is one God, eternally existing in a unity of three co-eternal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing, above all and ever-present. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension, yet may be known through His self-revelation. Forever worthy of worship, reverence, and service by all creation.

Biblical Basis

God, the eternal Father, is the Creator, Originator, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation. He is just and holy, merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in love and faithfulness. The qualities and powers manifested in the Son and the Holy Spirit are also revelations of the Father.

Biblical Basis

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. Eternally true God, He also became true man, Jesus the Christ. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived and experienced temptation as a human being, yet perfectly exemplified the righteousness and love of God.

Biblical Basis

God, the eternal Holy Spirit, was active with the Father and the Son in creation, incarnation, and redemption. He inspired the authors of the Scriptures. 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.

Biblical Basis

God is the Creator of all things and has revealed in the Scriptures the authentic account of His creative activity. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and everything that lives upon the earth, resting on the seventh day of that first week. He thus instituted the Sabbath as a perpetual memorial of the completion of His creative work.

Biblical Basis

Man and woman were created in the image of God, with individuality, and the power and freedom to think and act. Although created as free beings, each is an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit, dependent on God for life, breath, and everything else. When our first parents disobeyed, they denied their dependence and fell from their exalted position.

Biblical Basis

All humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan, centered on 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 his self-exaltation transformed himself into Satan, the adversary of God.

Biblical Basis

The life of Christ in perfect obedience to the will of God, and His sufferings, death, and resurrection constitute the only means of atonement for human sin. Those who by faith accept this atonement may have eternal life, and all creation can better understand the infinite and holy love of the Creator.

Biblical Basis

By the infinite love and mercy of God, Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Led by the Holy Spirit, we feel our need, acknowledge our sinful nature, repent of our transgressions, and exercise faith in Jesus as Lord and Christ, as substitute and example.

Biblical Basis

The church is the community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In continuity with God's people of Old Testament times, we are called out of the world. We gather for worship, fellowship, instruction in the Word, celebration of the Lord's Supper, service to all humanity, and worldwide proclamation of the gospel.

Biblical Basis

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 to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the hour of judgment, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the nearness of His second coming.

Biblical Basis

By baptism we confess our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and bear witness to our death to sin and our purpose to walk in newness of life. We acknowledge Christ as Lord and Savior, become part of His people, and are received as members of His church. Baptism is a symbol of our union with Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, and the reception of the Holy Spirit.

Biblical Basis

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 Savior. In this experience of communion, Christ is present to meet with His people and revive them. As we partake, we joyfully proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Preparation for the Supper includes self-examination, repentance, and confession.

Biblical Basis

The great principles of God's Law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. They express the love, will, and purposes of God in relation to human conduct and relationships, and are binding upon all people in all ages. These precepts are the basis of God's covenant with His people and the standard in the divine judgment.

Biblical Basis

The gracious 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 immutable 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.

Biblical Basis

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 through faithful service to Him and to our fellow human beings, and through the return of tithes and offerings for the proclamation of His gospel.

Biblical Basis

We are called to be a godly people who think, feel, and act in harmony with the principles of heaven. So that the Spirit may reproduce in us the character of our Lord, we involve ourselves only with those things that will produce Christlike purity, health, and joy in our lives. This means that our recreation and entertainment should meet the highest standards of Christian taste and beauty.

Biblical Basis

Marriage was divinely instituted in Eden and confirmed by Jesus as a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship. For the Christian, the marriage commitment is to God as well as to the spouse, and should only be entered into between partners who share the same faith. Mutual love, honor, respect, and responsibility are the framework of this relationship.

Biblical Basis

There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord and not by man. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefit of His atoning sacrifice, offered once for all on the cross. At His ascension He was enthroned as our great High Priest, beginning His intercessory ministry.

Biblical Basis

The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church, the grand climax of the gospel. The coming of the Savior 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. The wicked will be slain. The fulfillment of most of the prophecies indicates that Christ's coming is imminent.

Biblical Basis

The wages of sin is death. But God, the only one who is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day, death is a state of unconsciousness for all people. When Christ, our life, appears, the righteous resurrected and the righteous living will be glorified and caught up to meet their Lord. The second resurrection, that of the wicked, will occur a thousand years later.

Biblical Basis

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 completely desolate, without living human inhabitants, but occupied by Satan and his angels. At its conclusion, Christ, His saints, and the Holy City will descend from heaven to earth. The wicked dead will then be resurrected.

Biblical Basis

In 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 God Himself will dwell with His people, and suffering and death will have passed away. The great controversy will be ended, and sin will exist no more.

Biblical Basis