A formal, official statement of doctrinal beliefs, as for instance the Apostles’ Creed or the Westminster Confession. Seventh-day Adventists have no formal creed, although a statement of beliefs may be found in the denominational Yearbook and Church Manual ( see Doctrinal Statements ). Seventh-day Adventists consider the entire Bible to be their creed: “The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration through holy men of God who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. In this Word, God has committed to man the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are the infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, and the authoritative revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history” (Church Manual, p. 23).
This is in harmony with what James White declared as early as 1847: “The Bible is a perfect, and complete revelation. It is our only rule of faith and practice” ( A Word to the Little Flock , p. 13) The earliest SDA periodical, Present Truth , made a similar declaration: “The Bible is our chart—our guide. It is our only rule of faith and practice, to which we would closely adhere” ( Present Truth 1:46, December 1849).
The covenant signed by those organizing themselves into a church contained the simple declaration: “taking the name, Seventh-day Adventists, covenanting to keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus Christ” ( Review and Herald 18:148, Oct. 8, 1861).