The theology of the Seventh-day Adventist Church resembles early Protestant Christianity, combining elements from Lutheran, Wesleyan-Arminian, and Anabaptist branches of Protestantism. Adventists believe in the infallibility of the Scripture's teaching regarding salvation, which comes from grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The 28 fundamental beliefs constitute the church's current doctrinal positions, but they are revisable under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and are not a creed.
There are many teachings held exclusively by Seventh-day Adventists. Some distinctive doctrines of the Seventh-Day Adventist church which differentiate it from other Christian churches include: the perpetuity of the seventh-day Sabbath, the state of unconsciousness in death, conditional immortality, an atoning ministry of Jesus Christ in the heavenly sanctuary, and an 'investigative judgment' that commenced in 1844. Furthermore, a traditionally historicist approach to prophecy has led Adventists to develop a unique system of eschatological beliefs which incorporates a commandment-keeping 'remnant', a universal end-time crisis revolving around the law of God, and the visible return of Jesus Christ prior to a millennial reign of believers in heaven.
(For differing theological perspectives, see the articles on Progressive Adventists and Historic Adventists.)
Overview
Official beliefs
The Seventh-day Adventist denomination expresses its official teachings in a formal statement known as the 28 Fundamental Beliefs. This statement of beliefs was originally adopted by the church's General Conference in 1980, with an additional belief (number 11) being added in 2005. The 2015 General Conference session in San Antonio, Texas made some changes to the wording of several fundamental beliefs. Also significant are the baptismal vows, of which there are two versions; candidates for church membership are required to accept one.
In addition to the fundamental beliefs, a number of "Official Statements " have been voted on by the church leadership, although only some of these are doctrinal in nature. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary is a significant expression of Adventist theological thought.
Source of authority
View of Scripture The first fundamental belief of the church stated that "The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of [God's] will." Adventist theologians generally reject the "verbal inspiration" position on Scripture held by many conservative evangelical Christians. They believe instead that God inspired the thoughts of the biblical authors, and that the authors then expressed these thoughts in their own words.. This view is popularly known as "thought inspiration", and most Adventist members hold to that view. According to Ed Christian, former JATS editor, "few if any ATS members believe in verbal inerrancy".The Adventist Theological Society , an interview of Ed Christian by John McLarty.
Adventists generally reject higher critical approaches to Scripture. The 1986 statement Methods of Bible Study, "urge[s] Adventist Bible students to avoid relying on the use of the presuppositions and the resultant deductions associated with the historical-critical method."
Role of Ellen White
Seventh-day Adventist approaches to theology are affected by the level of authority accorded the writings of Ellen White. Mainstream Adventists believe that White had the spiritual gift of prophecy, but that her writings are subject to testing by the Bible, which has ultimate authority.
According to one church document, "her expositions on any given Bible passage offer an inspired guide to the meaning of texts without exhausting their meaning or preempting the task of exegesis.". Compare "The Inspiration and Authority of the Ellen G. White Writings", document was issued by the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. It has received worldwide review and input, although is not an official statement. It concludes that a proper understanding will avoid the two extremes of regarding her "writings as functioning on a canonical level identical with Scripture, or […] considering them as ordinary Christian literature."
Because of Ellen's endorsement of some of Alonzo Jones and E.J. Waggoner's positions in 1888, many went on to accept nearly everything they said a truth. However, Jones led those who would not seek Bible counsel alone into four false ideas, 1) to use Ellen's works as basis for sermons, 2) verbal inspiration of all her writings, 3) her writings were inerrant with no factual errors, and 4) literary and historical context of a statement was not important. Ellen rejected these positions and Jones eventually became Ellen's most vocal enemy. However, some SDAs still accept and promote these uses of Ellen's writings.
Relation to other groups
Adventist theology is distinctly Protestant, and yet in common with many restorationist groups, Adventists have taught that the majority of Protestant churches have failed to "complete" the Reformation by overturning the doctrinal errors of Roman Catholicism (see also Great Apostasy) and "restoring" the beliefs and practices of the primitive church—including seventh-day Sabbath keeping, adult baptism and non-immortality of the soul.
Adventists typically do not consider themselves part of the Fundamentalist Christianity community: "Theologically, Seventh-day Adventists have a number of beliefs in common with Fundamentalists, but for various reasons have never been identified with the movement... On their part, Adventists reject as unbiblical a number of teachings held by many (though not all) Fundamentalists..."
Theological roots While Adventism stands within the larger stream of Protestantism that emerged from the 16th-century Reformation led by figures like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli, its theological formation was more directly shaped by 19th-century American Restorationism and revivalist movements. Although Adventists shared certain convictions with groups like the Anabaptists—such as believer's baptism and a commitment to Sola Scriptura—the movement did not descend from the Radical Reformation. Instead, its founders were influenced by the Christian Connexion, Methodism, and the ethos of the Second Great Awakening, all of which emphasized a return to biblical faith, personal piety, and preparation for Christ's second coming. Adventism's focus on biblical prophecy, seventh-day Sabbath observance, and the conditional immortality of the soul set it apart from both Magisterial and Radical Reformation traditions.
Restorationism was a vital force in many 19th century American religious movements. Restorationists believe that the Reformation, which began in the 16th century, would not be complete until the last vestiges of tradition were gone. Roman Catholic errors needed to be overturned and the teaching of the Bible firmly in place. They espoused Sola Scriptura, wanting Biblical evidence for every position. The Bible was to be their only guide-book in faith and practice. Its largest impact was the fostering of the getting back to the Bible attitude. Christian Connexion made an extremely large impact on Millerite Adventism and Sabbatarian Adventism. However, like many restorationist groups, Adventists typically believe that the majority of Protestant denominations have failed to "complete" the Reformation by "restoring" the beliefs and practices of the primitive church, such as Sabbath keeping, adult baptism, and the non-immortality of the human soul. Captain Joseph Bates described the seventh-day Sabbath as one of things that needed to be restored to the church before Christ would return.
Another doctrine which historically differentiated the Earlier, or Pioneer period of the Seventh-day Adventist Church from other Protestant denominations was the non-trinitarian belief in God as the Father, Christ as the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of both God and of Jesus. This teaching was based on their early study of the Bible in meetings held in the 1840s and 1850s. Their Pioneer founder, Ellen White, said: “I do not wish to ignore or drop one link in the chain of evidence that was formed as, after the passing of the time in 1844, little companies of seekers after truth met together to study the Bible and to ask God for light and guidance. . . . The truth, point by point, was fastened in our minds so firmly that we could not doubt. . . . The evidence given in our early experience has the same force that it had then. The truth is the same as it ever has been, and not a pin or a pillar can be moved from the structure of truth. That which was sought for out of the Word in 1844, 1845, and 1846 remains the truth in every particular." Letter 38, 1906, pp. 1, 2. (To the Wahroonga Sanitarium Family, January 23, 1906.) {E. G. White, Manuscript Releases Volume 1, p. 52} Of these doctrinal Truths which they then held James S. White, her husband and General Conference President, wrote: “THE POSITION OF THE REMNANT As fundamental errors, we might class with this counterfeit (Sunday) sabbath other errors which Protestants have brought away from the Catholic church, such as sprinkling for baptism, the TRINITY, the consciousness of the dead and eternal life in misery. The mass who have held these fundamental errors, have doubtless done it ignorantly; but can it be supposed that the church of Christ will carry along with her these errors till the judgment scenes burst upon the world? We think not...Here are they [in the period of a message given just before the Son of man takes his place upon the white cloud, Rev.xiv,14] that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." This class, who live just prior to the second advent, will not be keeping the traditions of men, neither will they be holding fundamental errors relative to the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. And as the true light shines out upon these subjects, and is rejected by the mass, then condemnation will come upon them. ... Solemn dreadful, swiftly-approaching hour!” {J. S. White, Review & Herald, September 12, 1854} Yet, the SDA Church recently has labeled that earlier Pioneer leadership position "in error," and has since officially changed the doctrinal position on the "Godhead" into a fully Evangelical teaching of the Trinity at the Dallas General Conference of SDA in 1980.
The Methodist or Wesleyan movement was influential in early 19th-century America. Its freewill orientation (as opposed to the predestination perspective of the Puritan heritage) seemed to line up with the experience of a nation nurtured in a frontier mentality where anything could be accomplished if one willed it and worked at it. Methodism popularized such ideas as Christ dying for all people rather than for just a predestined elect; that people had free will rather than a predestined will; that God's Spirit worked with every person through prevenient grace to wake them up to a sense of their need to turn to Christ; that people could accept salvation through a faith response to God's Holy Spirit; that one could resist grace and harden the heart; and that a Christian could fall from grace through apostasy. Those theological concepts stood in sharp contrast to the inherited Puritan/Calvinistic mentality that had dominated colonial Christianity. Adventists also accepted with Wesley the Reformation concept of justification by faith. To counteract antinomianism, Wesley emphasized sanctification as a process of becoming more like Jesus. Justification was the work of a moment while sanctification was the work of a lifetime. The concept the perfection was the dynamic biblical concept in which one lived in a growing state of perfect love toward God and other people.