Official beliefs of

Church of God
(Seventh Day)

• the Bible is the dependable and authoritative Word of God. No other writing is of such divine origin or is necessary for Christian faith and practice.
• God the Father is the almighty Creator and loving Provider, eternal King and Judge of the universe.
• Jesus Christ, the preexistent Son of God, is the Savior, Lord, and eternal Redeemer of all who truly believe.
• the Holy Spirit is the presence of God in believers - convicting, converting, teaching truth, prompting obedience, bearing fruit, distributing gifts, and empowering witness.
• humans are sinners by birth and by choice. Because our first parents disobeyed, sin and death follow on us all. We also have sinned in thought, word, deed, and in omission.
• Salvation is the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. It originates in God's grace, is achieved by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and is personally received by faith.
• saving faith includes repentance, which activates obedience and good works through love - all produced by the Holy Spirit within. The regenerate Christian is obedient to the terms of the gospel, to the words of Christ, and to the enduring law of God summarized in the Ten Commandments. All the commandments remain as standards of holiness, including observance of the seventh-day Sabbath.
• all people who have trusted Christ unto obedience are members of the spiritual body, the church of God. The mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel, introduce others to the Lord, teach them to obey His Word, and nurture spiritual growth in all believers.
• Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances for the church that confirm faith in Him: baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, accompanied by footwashing.
• Jesus Christ shall return from heaven at the end of this age. The dead shall be raised from their sleep in the grave, and all humans shall be judged according to their works. The righteous shall be changed to immortality to live forever with the Lord; the wicked shall be completely consumed in the lake of fire. There shall be a new heaven and a new earth as the home of the redeemed for all eternity.

Our Beginning . . .
The Church of God (Seventh Day) grew from the efforts of dedicated advent believers living in Michigan and Iowa in the late 1850's. In 1863, the Michigan church began to extend its influence into the eastern and central U.S. through a publication called The Hope of Israel. This magazine invited fellow Christians to assemble at conferences and camp meetings, and created interest in their distinctive doctrines: the second advent of Christ and the seventh-day Sabbath.

Through these means, the General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day) was organized in 1884 and incorporated in Missouri in 1899. Its offices were located in Stanberry, Missouri, until 1950, when they were transferred to Denver, Colorado.

Over the years, The Hope of Israel also moved from Michigan to Iowa, then to Missouri. After several name changes, it is now known as the Bible Advocate. After 133 consecutive years, this flagship publication of the Church continues to be published and mailed monthly from the Denver offices.

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