Seventh-day Adventists Believe

Table of Contents
We Gratefully Acknowledge . . . v
To the Readers of
This Book . . . vii
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
Chapter 1 The Word of God 4
Chapter 2 The Godhead 16
Chapter 3 God the Father 28
Chapter 4 God the Son 36
Chapter 5 God the Holy Spirit 58
THE DOCTRINE OF MAN
Chapter 6 Creation 68
Chapter 7 The Nature of Man 78
THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION
Chapter 8 The Great
Controversy 98
Chapter 9 The Life, Death and
Resurrection of Christ 106
Chapter 10 The Experience of
Salvation 118
THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
Chapter 11 The Church 134
Chapter 12 The Remnant and Its
Mission 152
Chapter 13 Unity in the Body of
Christ 170
Chapter 14 Baptism 180
Chapter 15 The Lord's Supper 184
Chapter 16 Spiritual Gifts and
Ministries 206
Chapter 17 The Gift of Prophecy 216
THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
Chapter 18 The Law of God 232
Chapter 19 The Sabbath 248
Chapter 20 Stewardship 268
Chapter 21 Christian Behavior 278
Chapter 22 Marriage and the
Family 294
2
THE DOCTRINE OF LAST THINGS
Chapter 23
Christ's Ministry in
the Heavenly
Sanctuary
312
Chapter 24 The Second Coming
of Christ 332
Chapter 25 Death and
Resurrection 348
Chapter 26 The Millennium and
the End of Sin 362
Chapter 27 The New Earth 374
The Word of God
No book has been so loved, so hated, so revered, so damned as the Bible. People
have died for
the Bible. Others have killed for it. It has inspired man's greatest, noblest ac
ts, and been
blamed for his most damnable and degenerate. Wars have raged over the Bible, rev
olutions
have been nurtured in its pages, and kingdoms crumbled through its ideas. People
of all
viewpointsfrom liberation theologians to capitalists, from fascists to Marxists,
from
dictators to liberators, from pacifists to militaristssearch its pages for words
with which to
justify their deeds.
The Godhead
At Calvary almost everyone rejected Jesus Only a few recognized who Jesus really
was
among them, the dying thief who called Him Lord (Luke 23:42), and the Roman sold
ier who
said, "'Truly this Man was the Son of God! . . . (Mark 15:39).
God the Father
The great day of judgment begins. Fiery thrones with burning wheels move into pl
ace. The
Ancient of Days takes His seat. Majestic in appearance, He presides over the cou
rt. His
awesome presence pervades the vast courtroom audience. A multitude of witnesses
stand
before Him. The judgment is set, the books are opened, and the examination of th
e record of
human lives begins (Dan. 7:9, 10).
God the Son
The wilderness had become a nightmare of vipers. Snakes slithered under cooking
pots,
coiled around tent pegs. They lurked among children's toys, lay in wait in the s
leeping pallets.
Their fangs sank deep, injecting deadly poison. The wilderness, which once had b
een Israel's
refuge, became its graveyard. Hundreds lay dying. Realizing their predicament, t
errorized
parents hurried to Moses' tent, pleading for help. "Moses prayed for the people.
"
God's answer? Mold a serpent, and lift it highand all who looked on it would live
. "So
Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and . . . if a serpent had bi
tten anyone,
when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived" (Num. 21:9).
God the Holy Spirit
Though the crucifixion had bewildered, anguished, and terrified Jesus' followers
, the
resurrection brought morning to their lives. When Christ broke the shackles of d
eath, the
kingdom of God dawned in their hearts.
Creation
The Bible account is simple. At the creative command of God, the "'heaven and th
e earth, the
sea, and all that is in them'" (Ex. 20:11) appeared instantly. A mere six days s
aw the change
from "without form, and void" to a lush planet teeming with fully mature creatur
es and plant
forms. Our planet was adorned with clear, pure, bright colors, shapes, and fragr
ances, put
together with superb taste and exactness of detail and function.
The Nature of Man
And "God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.'" God d
id not
speak into existence His crowning creation. Instead, He lovingly stooped to shap
e this new
creature from the dust of the earth.
The Great Controversy
Scripture portrays a cosmic battle between good and evil, God and Satan. Underst
anding this
controversy, which has involved the entire universe, helps answer the question W
hy did Jesus
come to this planet?
The Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ
An open door leads into the center of the universe, heaven. A voice calls "Come
in and see
what goes on here!" In the Spirit, the apostle John looks into the throne room o
f God.