Resolution on the Holy Bible

Documents July 6, 2015

As delegates to the 2015 General Conference Session in San Antonio, Texas, we reaffirm our commitment to the authority of the Bible as the infallible revelation of God and His will. In them, God revealed His plan to redeem the world through the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and mediation of Jesus Christ. As a trustworthy record of God’s acts in history from creation to new creation and framed with doctrinal and ethical instructions, the Scriptures shape the intellectual and practical experience of believers.

We recognize that the Scriptures offer a divine perspective to evaluate the intellectual and ethical challenges of the contemporary world. Given current redefinitions of God-given institutions, such as marriage for example, commitment to God’s written revelation remains necessary more than ever. Only the biblical worldview of a loving God battling to redeem creation from sin and evil provides believers with a coherent framework to understand reality and obey God’s law.

We reaffirm that amidst the hopelessness and relativism of the contemporary world, the Bible presents a message of hope and certainty that transcends time and culture. The Bible gives certainty that in Jesus our sins have been forgiven and death has been defeated. The Scriptures also announce that He will soon return to put an end to sin and to recreate the world. While waiting for the consummation of all things, the Bible calls us to live a holy life and become heralds of the everlasting gospel, taking every opportunity and means to announce the good news by word and deed.

Given the importance of the Scriptures, the benefits of their study to the Church, and the challenges posed by the contemporary world, the delegates of the General Conference in Session appeal to all Seventh-day Adventist believers to read and study the Bible daily and prayerfully. Moreover, because of the special challenges faced by new converts and young people, we urge every believer to seek ways to share the Bible with these groups in a special way and foster their confidence in the authority of the Scriptures. We also urge pastors and preachers to base their sermons on the biblical text and to make of every sermon an occasion to uphold the authority and relevance of God’s word. Let us show the beauty, love, and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ revealed in the Scriptures. Let us think and act in accordance with the biblical hope of the soon return of Jesus, our Lord.

This statement was approved and Resolution was voted by the General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventists Church in Atlanta, Georgia, June 24-July 3, 2010. Revised by the General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventists Church in San Antonio, Texas, July 2-11, 2015.