“The Scriptures constitute our supreme rule of faith and practice and the standard by which all teaching and experience is to be tested,” according to a resolution on the Holy Bible voted by delegates to the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A vote on a second resolution, citing the importance of the writings of Ellen G. White, one of the church’s founders, is anticipated on Sunday, July 3.

The Bible resolution came from an earlier Spirit of Prophecy measure that was adopted by the Adventist business session in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2000. At that time, Jurrien Den Hollander, an Adventist pastor from the Netherlands, reminded delegates of the primacy of the Bible in Adventist belief, and asked if a resolution affirming that could be presented.

The Bible resolution reads:

“As delegates to the 2005 General Conference Session in St Louis, Missouri, we reaffirm the centrality of the Scriptures in the message and life of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In them the beauty, love, and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ are revealed and offered to us as a gift of salvation through faith in His atoning sacrifice. Through them God reveals Himself to us, conveying an authentic expression of His character, a true conception of the nature of reality, a reliable record of His acts, a revelaton of His purpose and an expression of His loving will for us. The Scriptures constitute our supreme rule of faith and practice and the standard by which all teaching and experience is to be tested. Their divine origin invests them with an authority and a message that is relevant to and transcends all cultures and can satisfy our deepest needs.

“Given the unique nature and importance of the Scriptures and the manifold benefits their systematic study brings to the Church, we the delegates of the General Conference in Session appeal to all Seventh-day Adventist believers around the world to make intentional provision in their daily routine for regular, prayerful reading of the Scriptures. Moreover, because biblical truths are for the benefit of all, especially those who will come to Christ, we urge every believer to actively seek ways to share the message of th Scriptures with others in order to prepare the world for the soon coming of our Lord.”

The resolution was passed on a show of voting cards among the delegates present. Discussion began on the Spirit of Prophecy resolution but was tabled to accommodate a second report from the Nominating committee, which led to the re-election of Pastors Matthew Bediako as world church secretary and Robert Lemon as treasurer for the world church.