By: Nina Bueno
A question has recently come to mind as I have been learning in many of my classes about the purpose of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church and the reasons it exists. In Church History, we have learned how the SDA Church developed from the Millerites and what made it different from other Sabbatarians and Adventists at the time. In World Missions, we have been studying the remnant church’s core purpose to spread the three angels’ messages to the world.
Overall, I’ve felt impressed that the identity of SDAs is a special one: We have been called to spread the Gospel to the world in fulfillment of the Great Commission.
But I have also wondered: Is this why people in our church are SDA? What is our focus as a church now? And do we need to return to God’s original purpose for His disciples and remnant people?
As this was percolating in my mind, I decided to ask some of my friends from different cultures and backgrounds why they are SDA. These are the responses I got:
- “Because I was raised as one, I did my own research, and I believe what I have been taught.”
- “It’s the closest thing to the Bible.”
- “Looking at other religions, I haven’t found another one that genuinely follows the Bible precisely.”
- “It gives me hope because it shows there is a solution for sin and there will be an end to all this pain and suffering.”
- “Haystacks!”
- “I love Jesus!”
- “God saved me. [It has] biblical truth [and is] sola scriptura.”
- “I was led to it. I went to SDA college without knowing it was Christian, and it was the first form of Christianity I actively engaged in.”
- “Because honestly, this was the faith I was born into and the more I learn about [it], the more I’m like ‘this is right.’ This is where God chose to put me, and this is where I will stay.”
- “Because I think it’s the closest to biblical accuracy that a denomination has ever gotten.”
- “Cause if I believe in the Sabbath and the state of the dead, where else am I going to go?”
- “Because the Adventist church as a whole has a desire to follow Jesus and the Bible, and this is represented by [their] doctrine. [It has a] focus on missions [and sharing the] saving gospel with other people, which we are called to do. [Also, I was] born SDA.”
Many of the respondents were born into an SDA family. But for some, the faith is newer, not one they grew up with. And yet, in both cases, they stayed.
While people are rejecting the faith from both outside and inside the church, there are still so many that have accepted the faith and have chosen to stay. But why?
Is it because their parents told them to? Is it because they saw a Revelation presentation on some beasts and were scared into it? Is it really because our haystacks and potlucks are so good?
Why are they SDA? Why am I? Why are you?
Looking through my friends’ responses, I saw an overwhelming trend, one that truly made me proud and my heart full. Stated in one way or another, the majority declared that the reason they are SDA is because this church proclaims Bible truth.
Whether they grew up in the faith and then did their own research or discovered and accepted it later in life, the focus and reasoning was the same: Because the Adventist Church focuses on following Jesus and the Bible and that is reflected in their doctrine.
This lines up perfectly with the official mission statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church: “Make disciples of Jesus Christ who live as His loving witnesses and proclaim to all people the everlasting gospel of the Three Angels’ Messages in preparation for His soon return (Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Rev 14:6-12).”
It also says: “Seventh-day Adventists affirm the Bible as God’s infallible revelation of His will, accepting its authority in the life of the Church and of each believer, and its foundational role for faith and doctrine.”
The friends I talked to are SDA because they have a desire to follow Jesus and His Bible truth and commands. And this church has the same desire.
We desire to spread the message of the gospel, the message of Jesus, with the world—to be missionaries following Christ’s Great Commission. And so, the question remains as the message continues to spread. Why should others become SDA? Because of a desire to follow Christ and the Bible as closely as possible with a community, a fellowship, a church of believers. All of the doctrines and the beliefs come simply to this focus: a relationship with Christ.
Why am I SDA? Because I desire to follow Christ to the fullest and to grow as deep in my relationship with Him as possible. And I desire to share Him with others so they may grow in those same ways.
Do you have the same desires? Think about it, truly. Why are you SDA? And if you’re not, but you have these same desires, perhaps this is a step you would like to take. We have chaplains on this campus who would love to assist you in that next step!
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV).
