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Who areSeventh-dayAdventists?MANY STRENGTHS. ONE MISSION.A Seventh-day Adventist Organization LLUHEALTH.ORG

Mission“To continue the teaching andhealing ministry of Jesus Christ.”Loma Linda University Health is a uniqueplace where a campus and a medical centercome together in service to the world. We arerooted deeply in the history and beliefs of theSeventh-day Adventist Church, gaining fromthat relationship a special understanding ofwhat it means “to make man whole.” Throughthis brochure we want to share with you theunique beliefs that guide us each day as weseek “to continue the teaching and healingministry of Jesus Christ.”Sincerely,Richard H. HartPresident, Loma Linda University HealthSeventh-day AdventistsThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is oneof many Christian communities of faith. Wetreasure the knowledge that we are loved andaccepted by the Creator God. Our name comesfrom the biblical observance of the seventh-daySabbath and a belief in the second coming or“advent” of Jesus to this world. Adventists attendchurch on Saturday—joining together forworship, fellowship and Bible study. The Bible isthe source of our Christian beliefs.The church is a safe place for healing andgrowth. The Adventist Church welcomesall people to its worship services. Formalmembership includes being baptized byimmersion, which symbolizes our union withGod, the forgiveness of sins and our desire toenter into a new life. The most important goalof the Adventist church is to exemplify the loveof God and to proclaim hope for people in atroubled world. Church membership is our wayof declaring that we need God and each otherfor life to be meaningful. (Ezekiel 36:26; 1 John4:7; 1 Corinthians 12:14-26)

Perfect BeginningsAdventists believe in the biblical account ofcreation. God made everything — the heavens,the earth, the sea and every living thing. Hiscreation was glorious and perfect in everydetail. The Bible says, “God saw all that Hehad made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31NIV) His crowning work was the creation ofman and woman — formed in His own image.Adam and Evespoke with theirCreator face-toface. God did notforce His children’slove and obedience,but gave them thefreedom to obeyor disobey Him.(Genesis 1:1; Genesis1:26; Psalm 33:6-9;Joshua 24:15)Trouble BeginsSadly, Adam and Eve chose to disobey Godand experienced the effects of sin. Their sindistanced them from their loving Creator. Thetrust relationship was damaged, and they couldno longer communicate with Him face-to-face.The earth, once a place of life, joy, peace andlove, now also became a place of death, disease,suffering, sorrow, hatred and misery. This wasthe beginning of human distress.(Genesis 3:8-11, 17-19)The Rest of the StoryBut thankfully, this is not the end of the story!There is good news, really good news. Even beforeAdam and Eve made their fatal choice, God hadprepared the plan of salvation — a plan to bringback perfect harmony between God and the

people He created and loves.Jesus came to earth and died inorder to restore the perfect worldthat had been marred by sin.(1 Peter 1:18-20; Ephesians 1:3-4;Matthew 25:34)on our behalf. Because of His great love for us,He died on a cross, was resurrected and went toheaven, where He is now with the Father. YetHe is with us through His Holy Spirit — ourComforter — every day, every minute. (John1:14; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 4:14-15; John 14:16)The Gift ofa New LifeThe Recipe for JoyThe death of Jesus teaches usthat sin is best understood,not simply as breaking thelaw, but rather as breakingthe loving heart of God. Thedeath of Jesus on our behalfteaches us that God’s love isso great He will do whateverit takes to restore our eternalfriendship with Him. Godgave us the ultimate gift of HisSon, and He continues to giveus abundant life daily as partof that gift of grace. (John 3:16;Romans 3:23-24;2 Corinthians 5:17)The Gift Giver:Perfect God,Perfect ManSalvation and new life are giftsfrom Jesus, who is God inhuman form — divinity andhumanity perfectly united.Because He is God, He hasthe power and authority toforgive and save us. BecauseHe is human, he experiencesour joys and sorrows.Although born into a sinfulworld, He lived a perfect lifeIn His Ten Commandments, God explainshow we can have a loving relationship withHim and with each other. The commandmentsare a trustworthy guide for living an abundantlife. The first four commandments guide us inour relationship with God, while the remainingsix remind us to treat our fellow human beingswith love and respect.Obedience to these commandments requireschoices. When we love someone, we naturallychoose to express our affection and appreciation.That’s how it is when we love God. Living theChristian life arises from gratitude to God and adesire to honor Him. And when we fall short ofHis plan for us, God reminds us that He offersforgiveness as a gift of grace through Jesus.In addition to the Ten Commandments, welearn how to live from Jesus’ teachings andexample. He teaches us to love God, to love

each other and to love ourselves. He eagerlygives us the gift of His love to make such lovepossible. (Exodus 20:3-17; Deuteronomy 10:13;John 13:34-35; John 14:15; 1 John 3:16)God Listens When We PrayThrough prayer we open our hearts to God asif talking with a friend. If we can talk, we canpray. Indeed, if we can think, we can pray. Notopic is too greator too small. Jesustaught His disciplesto praise God intheir prayers, to askfor daily bread andto share the burdenson their hearts.While God already knows what we need,prayer provides the way for us to receive thegood things He wants to give us.But sometimes we don’t feel as if we receivewhat we ask for, and that can be very difficult.We don’t always understand why our prayersare not answered as we wish, but through faithwe can be absolutely sure that God still loves us,has our best interests in mind and is with us, nomatter what happens.Too often ourconversationswith God areone-sided. It isimportant thatwe not only talkto God, butthat we listento Him as well.If we’re willingto listen, we canhear God’s voicethrough Bible

study, through the still small voice of His HolySpirit, through His created wonders in natureand through our deepest human relationships.(Psalm 55:22; Romans 12:12; Jeremiah 29:11-12;Psalm 119:10-11)Guarding Our Good HealthGod desires that each of us reach our fullpotential. Seventh-day Adventists believethat a wholesome lifestyle contributes to goodphysical, mental and spiritual health.Why are Adventists so passionate about goodhealth? The Bible says, “Don’t you know thatyou yourselves are God’s temple and that God’sSpirit lives in you? For God’s temple issacred, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians3:16-17 NIV) Enjoying a healthful diet,refraining from harmful substances, and gettingadequate exercise, water and rest are veryimportant ways to care for our body-temples.(1 Corinthians 10:31; 3 John 2)Rest From Stress, Fear and AnxietyThe Bible tells us that after God created theworld in six days, He rested on the seventhday. He sanctified the Sabbath — set it apartas a holy day. Later, when He gave the TenCommandments to Moses, God explained theSabbath in more detail (Exodus 20:8-11). TheSabbath is a day to remind us that God is theCreator and worthy of our worship.The Sabbath is not an ordinary day forordinary activities. The Sabbath is a day toput aside work, secular pursuits and selfinterests — a day to shut out the clamorand pressures of everyday life to receive theneeded gifts of peace and rest. The Sabbathis a special day to worship the creator andcommune with Him.

Celebrated from sunset Friday to sunsetSaturday, the Sabbath is a spiritual experienceas well as a time of physical rest. During Hisearthly ministry, Jesus made it clear that theSabbath was made for our benefit. It was not tobe a burden or encumbered with unreasonableman-made rules. Jesus celebrated the Sabbathby attending the synagogue, healing the sickand spending time with those He loved.Following Jesus’ example of healing, Adventisthospitals continue to meet the needs of theirpatients during the Sabbath hours. All essentialmedical care and services are provided everyday. (Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:27;John 5:1-16)Happily Ever After Adventists believe that Jesus will return to thisearth to take us home with Him forever. “I amgoing there to prepare a place for you,” Jesussaid. “When everything is ready, I will comeand get you, so that you will always be with mewhere I am.” (John 14:2,3 NLT) On that happyday, the entire universe will know beyond a

doubt that God is indeed a God of forgivenessand love, and that His ways are best.The Bible says Jesus will come in glory todeliver His people and to restore all things.Loved ones who have rested asleep in theirgraves will be called back to life to join us inour new home in a perfect world — a worldfree from pain, suffering and death. We donot know all the details about heaven, but webelieve it is a very real place: a place wherepeople from every generation, every cultureand every nation on earth will experienceeverlasting life, love and joy in fellowship withone another and with our wonderful Lord.(Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:1617; Revelation 21:3-4)

Seventh-day Adventistsand HealthIn 1866, Adventist pioneers established theWestern Health Reform Institute, the church’sfirst medical institution. The Battle Creek,Michigan, facility offered the best medicaltreatment of the day, with an emphasis onpreventing disease through lifestyle changessuch as nutrition, exercise and cleanliness.Early Adventist medical reformers insisted onproviding whole person care, which includedphysical, mental and spiritual healing. At thisfacility, each person was valued as a child ofGod, which led caregivers to provide a positivehealing environment and extraordinary patientcare.Soon similar centers were established across theUnited States and throughout the world. Oneof these was Loma Linda University MedicalCenter, founded in 1905. Today, Seventhday Adventist hospitals, clinics and otherhealthcare facilities extend their circle of careand friendship to all, without regard to religiousaffiliation. Doctors, employees, volunteers andothers who help fulfill the mission of Adventisthealthcare represent a wide diversity of religionsand cultures.

If you would like to learnmore about Seventh-dayAdventist beliefs and lifestyle,please contact:Campus Ministries909-558-8348Chaplain Services909-558-4367Employee Spiritual Care909-558-7261Center for Spiritual Life and Wholeness909-558-7786Your questions are always welcome.Loma Linda University Health is a not-for-profithealth and education system founded on theSeventh-day Adventist heritage of Christianhealthcare.For more information, visit www.lluhealth.orgCover photograph: David FerryPhotographers:Daryl Bruhl, Dexter Emoto, David Ferry, Ron GraybillPS122610 (10-14)

Seventh-day Adventists The Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of many Christian communities of faith. We treasure the knowledge that we are loved and accepted by the Creator God. Our name comes from the biblical observance of the seventh-day Sabbath and a belief in the second com