This video introduces the 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Pastor Ted Wilson explores their origin and development, and welcomes us to a series of lessons to follow in which each of the fundamental belief is explored in detail. Here are the key points:
- The Seventh-day Adventist Church bases all its beliefs on the Bible alone and does not have a set creed. Instead, it has a collection of 28 fundamental beliefs that express what they believe the Bible teaches.
- The church began as a movement in the mid-19th century to prepare people for Christ’s second coming. This was initiated by William Miller, who proclaimed the message of the first angel of Revelation 14.
- After the Great Disappointment in 1844 when Jesus did not return as expected, a small group remained and continued to study the Scriptures. They discovered further truths such as the full meaning of the three angels’ messages of Revelation chapter 14, the importance of keeping holy God’s seventh-day Sabbath, the non-immortality of the soul, the state of the dead, and the second coming of Christ.
- By 1863, the group officially organized and chose the name Seventh-day Adventist, reflecting their belief in the importance of the seventh-day Sabbath and the second advent of Jesus Christ.
- The church’s first formal statement of beliefs was published in 1872 and listed 25 points drawn from Bible study. Over the years, this has been revised and expanded to the current 28 fundamental beliefs.
- The fundamental beliefs are dynamic and may be added to as the church is led by the Holy Spirit to a fuller understanding of Bible truth. The most recent addition was the statement “Growing in Christ”, added in 2005.
- The present form of the 28 fundamental beliefs is the result of wording revisions made at the 2015 General Conference session held in San Antonio, Texas.
