Seventh-Day Adventism arose from the Millerite movement in the 1840s. They believe in the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ and observe the seventh day Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. Adventists have 28 fundamental beliefs organized into doctrines of God, humanity, salvation, the church, living, and restoration. They abstain from alcohol, caffeine, pork, and embrace vegetarianism. Adventists emphasize higher education, dress modestly, and strengthen their social bonds through communal Sabbath observance.
2. History
• arose from the Millerite movement of the 1840s in
upstate New York
• a phase of the Second Great Awakening
• William Miller predicted on the basis of Daniel
8:14–16 and the "day-year principle" that Jesus
Christ would return to Earth between the spring of
1843 and the spring of 1844.
3. • In the summer of 1844, Millerites came to believe
that Jesus would return on October 22, 1844,
understood to be the biblical Day of Atonement for
that year.
• When this did not happen (an event known as the
"Great Disappointment"), most of his followers
disbanded and returned to their original churches.
4. • The fourth of the Ten Commandments in the Bible
says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
• For SDA, it means from sundown Friday to
sundown Saturday (Jewish Sabbath) is on Christians
as well as Jews.
• Keeping the “seventh day” (rather than Sunday, the
first day of the week) as the weekly holy day.
• Believe that Jesus will return soon
• Advent here – Second coming of Christ
To begin the promised Kingdom of God on earth,
distinguishes Seventh-Day Adventism
5. Beliefs
• Bible as the only source of their beliefs
• Sola Scriptura - Bible as the only standard of faith and
practice for Christians.
• Adventists hold 28 fundamental beliefs that can
be organized into six categories - the doctrines of
God, man, salvation, the church, the Christian life
and last day events.
6. 28 Fundamental Beliefs
1. The Holy
Scriptures
2. The Trinity
3. The Father
4. The Son
5. The Holy Spirit
6. Creation
7. The Nature of
Humanity
8. The Great
Controversy
9. The Life, Death,
and Resurrection
of Christ
10. The Experience of
Salvation
11. Growing in Christ
12. The Church
13. The Remnant and
Its Mission
14. Unity in the Body
of Christ
15. Baptism
16. The Lord's
Supper
17. Spiritual Gifts and
Ministries
18. The Gift of
Prophecy
19. The Law of God
20. The Sabbath
21. Stewardship
22. Christian
Behavior
23. Marriage and the
Family
24. Christ's Ministry
in the Heavenly
Sanctuary
25. The Second
Coming of Christ
26. Death and
Resurrection
27. The Millennium
and the End of Sin
28. The New Earth
7. The Holy Scriptures
• The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments,
are the written Word of God, given by divine
inspiration.
8. The Trinity
• There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a
unity of three coeternal Persons.
9. The Father
• God the eternal Father is the Creator, Source,
Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation.
10. The Son
• God the eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus
Christ.
11. The Holy Spirit
• God the eternal Spirit was active with the Father
and the Son in Creation, incarnation, and
redemption.
12. Creation
• God has revealed in Scripture the authentic and
historical account of His creative activity.
13. The Nature of Humanity
• Man and woman were made in the image of God
with individuality, the power and freedom to think
and to do.
14. The Great Controversy
• All humanity is now involved in a great controversy
between Christ and Satan regarding the character of
God, His law, and His sovereignty over the
universe.
15. The Life, Death, and Resurrection
of Christ
• In Christ’s life of perfect obedience to God’s will,
His suffering, death, and resurrection, God provided
the only means of atonement for human sin, so that
those who by faith accept this atonement may have
eternal life, and the whole creation may better
understand the infinite and holy love of the Creator.
16. The Experience of Salvation
• In infinite love and mercy God made Christ, who
knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we
might be made the righteousness of God.
17. Growing in Christ
• By His death on the cross Jesus triumphed over the
forces of evil. He who subjugated the demonic
spirits during His earthly ministry has broken their
power and made certain their ultimate doom. Jesus’
victory gives us victory over the evil forces that still
seek to control us, as we walk with Him in peace,
joy, and assurance of His love. Now
18. The Church
• The church is the community of believers who
confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
19. The Remnant and Its Mission
• 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 out
to keep the commandments of God and the faith of
Jesus.
20. Unity in the Body of Christ Z14
• The church is one body with many members, called
from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
21. Baptism
• By baptism we confess our faith in the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, and testify of our death
to sin and of our purpose to walk in newness of life.
22. The Lord’s Supper
• 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 Saviour.
23. Spiritual Gifts and Ministries
• God bestows upon all members of His church in
every age spiritual gifts that each member is to
employ in loving ministry for the common good of
the church and of humanity.
24. The Gift of Prophecy
• The Scriptures testify that one of the gifts of the
Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying
mark of the remnant church and we believe it was
manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White.
25. The Law of God
• The great principles of God’s law are embodied in
the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life
of Christ.
26. The Sabbath
• 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.
27. Stewardship
• 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.
28. Christian Behavior
• We are called to be a godly people who think, feel,
and act in harmony with biblical principles in all
aspects of personal and social life.
29. Marriage and the Family
• Marriage was divinely established in Eden and
affirmed by Jesus to be a lifelong union between a
man and a woman in loving companionship.
30. Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly
Sanctuary
• There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle
that the Lord set up and not humans.
31. The Second Coming of Christ
• The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope
of the church, the grand climax of the gospel.
32. Death and Resurrection
• The wages of sin is death. But God, who alone is
immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed.
33. The Millennium and the End of
Sin
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
utterly desolate, without living human inhabitants,
but occupied by Satan and his angels.
34. The New Earth
• On 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.
35. 6 Categories of their Beliefs
1. God – God Loves
2. Humanity – God Creates
3. Salvation – God Redeems
4. Church – God Inhabits
5. Living – God Transforms
6. Restoration – God Triumphs
37. Abortion
• Abortions for reasons of birth control, gender
selection, or convenience are not condoned by the
Church.
38. Baptism
• into the church is done by full immersion after
the age of accountability. It is preceded by
instruction, a personal acceptance of the
Scriptures, repentance of sins, and confession of
sins.
39. Diet
• abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and every other
"soul-defiling habit".
• abstain from caffeinated drinks such as coffee,
tea, cola drinks, etc
• avoiding red meat
• members are vegetarians who supplement their
diet with eggs and milk.
40. Divorce
• only allow divorce if one spouse has committed
adultery or fornication.
42. Education
• Higher education is highly respected within the
church.
• The rate of college graduates among the
Seventh-day Adventist church membership is
about twice the US national average.
43. Entertainment
• encouraged to watch uplifting entertainment.
• that members should "shun all questionable
worldly amusements such as the theater and
dance".
44. Evolution
• The Seventh-day Adventist church has been
quite active in the promotion of Creation Science
in opposition to the theory of evolution.
45. Homosexuality
• does not allow the ordination of homosexuals.
• Loving, committed same-sex couples cannot be
married or have their civil unions recognized or
blessed.
46. Inter-faith marriages
• forbidding dating and marriage outside of the
church
• Even marriage by a SDA member to a person
from another conservative Protestant is frowned
upon.
47. Remarriage
• ministers would generally not unite in marriage
any divorced person.
• only "...the spouse who has remained faithful to
the spouse who violated the marriage vow has
the biblical right to secure a divorce and also to
remarry. ..
• A spouse who has violated the marriage vow and
who is divorced does not have the moral right to
marry another while the spouse who has been
faithful to the marriage vow still lives and
remains unmarried and chaste.
48. • The person who does so shall be removed from
church membership. The person whom he/she
marries, if a SDA member, shall also be removed
from church membership." 6
49. Sabbath
• observe Saturday as their weekly Sabbath (from
Friday sunset to Saturday sunset).
• Their religious education classes are called
Sabbath Schools, not Sunday Schools.
• Some followers give a "Happy Sabbath" greeting
when they meet.
50. Function
Reinforces Social Unity and Stability
• They have common set of belief – Trinity
• Their practice of religion is communal – Sabbath
• They bring people together physically, facilitates
their communication and other social interaction
• All their beliefs and practices strengthen their
social bond and as a one community and one in
faith.