Dean's Message | Doctrines Do Matter | Fall 2017

A warm welcome to the fall edition of our e-newsletter. Our goal is to inform the worldwide Church about how the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University is advancing the message & mission of the Adventist Church.
 
The 28 Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists begins with an important preamble, which underlines that the Bible is our only creed and rule of faith and practice. All doctrinal teaching follows this crucial statement. The Bible is and must stay the highest judge in all things, including what we say, write, and do. This is the meaning of the Protestants’ sola Scriptura principle.

The Seventh-day Adventists’ 28 Fundamental Beliefs plays a pivotal role in the formation of our Adventist identity. Each doctrine reveals at least one facet of our awesome and beautiful God. Sound doctrine must reflect biblical principles and teaching. Our Lord is the God of love, truth, and justice. There is a coherent unity between doctrine and ethics. One cannot exist without the other, because together, they form an organic and harmonious Christian life.

A correct understanding of the Christian’s foundation always springs up into loving actions toward others. True religion is practical. Living Christians cannot live in isolation, create a safe island for themselves, and enclose self in a ghetto. The Lord of freedom and order instructs His people about loving attitudes, directions of life, and teaches what is genuine love, faith, and hope.

Truth always culminates in action, and truth in Jesus unites. One cannot separate Jesus from His teaching. Stating, “I admire Jesus, but I do not agree with His sayings,” is a contradiction in itself. We can actually know and love Jesus only on the basis of God’s revelation—on what He does and says. These facts provide insights into who God is and for what He stands. These values are revealed in Jesus’s teaching, preaching, and healing. A personal relationship with God is always built on a solid foundation of knowledge: His character and His instructions. The person of Christ and His teaching always goes hand in hand. This is why the Seminary stresses biblical-theological studies, because understanding Christ’s person through his teaching is the foundation of doctrine, and doctrine really matters.
 

Jiří Moskala
Dean, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary