The gracious Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God’s unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God’s kingdom. The Sabbath is God’s perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God’s creative and redemptive acts. (Gen. 2:1-3; Exod. 20:8-11; 31:13-17; Lev. 23:32; Deut. 5:12-15; Isa. 56:5, 6; 58:13, 14; Ezek. 20:12, 20; Matt. 12:1-12; Mark 1:32; Luke 4:16; Heb. 4:1-11.)
THE LAW OF GOD
The Ten Commandments show us God’s will and love for us. Its guidelines tell how to relate to God and others. Jesus lived out the law as both our example and perfect substitute. |
THE SABBATH
The Sabbath is God’s gift to us, a time for rest and restoration of our connection to God and others. It reminds us of God’s creation and Jesus’ grace. |
STEWARDSHIP
God entrusts us with responsibility for ourselves, our world, our fellow humans, and our material resources. God blesses our efforts as we live for Him. |
CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR
God calls us to live in light of His grace, knowing the infinite cost God paid to save us. Through the Spirit we glorify God in our minds, bodies and spirits. |
MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY
Created in God’s image, male and female, we are designed to live in relationships. Marriage is God’s ideal for to live in harmony, and for children to grow up in security and love. |