The Scripture, The Trinity, The Father, the Son, the Holy Espirit,
- 1. The Holy Scriptures
- 2. Trinity
- 3. Father
- 4. Son
- 5. Holy Spirit
- 6. Creation
- 7. 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
The Bible is the word of God, showing us how to live. It reveals God’s will and teaches us timeless lessons we can apply to all parts of our lives. This book tells us who God is, where we came from, how much God loves us, and how we can live out His love in our own lives. That alone makes it the most precious book on earth—a steady constant in a world that is always changing. Perhaps that’s why the Bible remains the most-read book in the world. The Bible is also a unique anthology of complex ideas and concepts. It is meant to be read with attentive care. So let’s take a closer look at the many roles the Bible can play in our spiritual lives: The Bible was written by humans with varying perspectives The Bible as our roadmap for life The Bible as a revelation of God’s will The Bible’s timeless messages of perpetual relevance The Bible as a declaration of God’s love BELIEF 1: HOLY SCRIPTURES 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 has committed to humanity the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the supreme, authoritative, and infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the definitive revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history. (Ps. 119:105; Prov. 30:5, 6; Isa. 8:20; John 17:17; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Heb. 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20, 21.) A man studying the Bible.
WRITTEN BY DIVINE INSPIRATION TO DIVERSE HUMAN BEINGS God’s holy word, the Bible, is unique among all other books. It was written by more than 40 authors living on three different continents over a span of 1,500 years—yet its words were inspired by God. He inspired human authors and through them, He communicated His will to the rest of humanity (2 Peter 1:20-21). That’s why the Bible does so well at reaching people at differing points in their lives, amid different situations, and with a wide spectrum of perspectives. The Bible reveals God, but through human eyes, so we can relate. These days, people question everything. They question the news, authority figures, and even themselves. It’s almost a default mindset when there’s so much contradictory information confronting us each day from a variety of media. It can sometimes feel like there’s no real right answer to anything. But even amid all the confusion and noise of the world, the Bible can be the one source of information that is completely trustworthy. It teaches us the right way to live, reveals God’s character, and holds the answer to all our big questions. 2 Timothy 3:16 even describes Scripture as “breathed out by God,” and “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (ESV).
Genesis tells us the story of the 6-day creation week, followed by the first Sabbath. God’s relational love is introduced right away as he creates a perfect world, then personally forms the first two human beings to populate this planet.
Seventh-day Adventists hold to this creation account in Genesis and the idea of intelligent, loving design. The attention, foresight, and tender care God displays in this process inspires us to live grateful lives to honor our Creator.
To discover the meaning packed into the creation story, let’s look closely at:
- The creation week
- The first Sabbath established immediately after
- How the Godhead spoke the earth into existence
- The importance of knowing God as our creator
- What the creation story means for us today
The Bible’s account of God creating the earth is more than just a documentation of the earth’s divine beginnings. It tells us who we are, where we came from, and what amazing things God has planned for humanity.
BELIEF 6: CREATION
God has revealed in Scripture the authentic and historical account of His creative activity. He created the universe, and in a recent six-day creation the Lord made “the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them” and rested on the seventh day. Thus He established the Sabbath as a perpetual memorial of the work He performed and completed during six literal days that together with the Sabbath constituted the same unit of time that we call a week today. The first man and woman were made in the image of God as the crowning work of Creation, given dominion over the world, and charged with the responsibility to care for it. When the world was finished it was “very good,” declaring the glory of God. (Gen. 1-2; 5; 11; Exod. 20:8-11; Ps. 19:1–6; 33:6, 9; 104; Isa. 45:12, 18; Acts 17:24; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2; 11:3; Rev. 10:6; 14:7.)
