Do Seventh-day Adventists have their own Bible?

Why Adventists don’t have their own Bible

As Adventists, we don’t have our own Bible translation because we believe that the canon of the Bible as it exists today—both the Old Testament and the New Testament—is the reliable and unchanging Word of God. It was cherished, protected, and passed down to us through the ages, and we value it as the foundation of all our doctrines and teachings. Through it, God communicates with us by the Holy Spirit and points us to Jesus Christ.

We highlight this in our fundamental belief #1.

Here’s how the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists puts it in an official statement¹:

“The Holy Scriptures stand as the infallible revelation of God’s will, the norm for Christian values and life, the measure of all things within human experience, and the sole reliable guide to salvation in Christ.”

During the Reformation, Protestants called this philosophy sola scriptura—the Bible and the Bible alone. It means that the Bible is our ultimate authority and guide.

And, since Adventists indeed uphold the Bible in this way, we need to address some of the misconceptions that have cropped up about this.

Why do people think Adventists have their own Bible?

Even though Adventists don’t have their own Bible, people may think that for a few reasons:

• Our unique doctrines and beliefs
• Our use of Ellen G. White’s writings
• The Clear Word paraphrase

Our unique doctrines and beliefs

Adventists have many similar beliefs to other Christians—salvation by faith in Jesus; the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of the world; heaven, where Jesus will take His followers at the Second Coming; and more.

But some of our beliefs are unique, such as the seventh day as the Sabbath; death as a sleep in the grave until Jesus returns; and Jesus’ work in the heavenly sanctuary. These beliefs involve a different interpretation of certain Scriptures than you might have heard before.

But these Adventist beliefs come from the same Bibles most Christians are already familiar with, such as the King James Version, English Standard Version, or the New International Version, to name a few.

Our use of Ellen G. White’s writings

Adventists accept the writings and teachings of Ellen G. White as a product of the biblical gift of prophecy (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:28). As a result, people wonder if we treat her writings as Scripture.

We don’t. The Bible instructs us to “test everything [and] hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, NKJV). This means checking whether what we’re reading or learning aligns with the Bible. In this way, we test Ellen White’s writings—just like we would any other books or materials. And that alone shows that her prophetic writings are not the authoritative standard. Rather, her books were written to encourage further Bible study and assist fellow Christians in applying Scripture to daily life.

The Clear Word paraphrase

In 1994, Jack Blanco—a theology professor at Southern Adventist University—published a paraphrase of the Bible called The Clear Word, basing it on thoughts he wrote during his own personal Bible study. This book’s fast-growing popularity caused it to be misrepresented as a Bible, leading people to think that it was an Adventist translation, similar to the Book of Mormon or the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation.

But a quick look at the book’s preface of the 2004 edition says otherwise:

“The Clear Word is not a translation, but a devotional paraphrase of Scripture expanded for clarity…. It should not be considered a study Bible. Excellent translations of the Scriptures are available for such purposes.”

It is a devotional tool with an Adventist interpretation of Bible texts—but it was never meant to be used as the primary source for Bible study or worship services. Jack Blanco himself never wanted people to take it as such.

And the Seventh-day Adventist Church has never claimed it is a Bible, as stated by Dr. Jud Lake, an Adventist theologian who wrote a paper about The Clear Word.

When this book was first published, it became popular with those wanting help and encouragement while studying trickier parts of Scripture. Due to this, it became a frequent resource at small group Bible studies and more. But regardless of how this devotional book was originally described or circulated among individual Adventists or local congregations, Dr. Lake clarified,

“. . .The Clear Word is not a translation, nor is it a study Bible. . . . This devotional paraphrase, therefore, is intended for private devotional reading only. It is not for serious study, teaching, preaching, or public reading of Scripture.”²

This paraphrase was the thoughts of one man, commenting on the Bible. It can never be equal to a Bible.

What are different Bible translations, and what do Adventists use?

All Bible translations that exist today can fit into three different categories: literal, dynamic equivalents, and paraphrases. These translations are all based off of the original Greek and Hebrew texts copied and passed down through the centuries. 

The official Adventist Church doesn’t officially have a preferred translation, and its members use and own a variety. It’s common for people to own multiple versions for study purposes. Let’s learn more about them.

Literal translations

Literal translations of the Bible aim to translate the Hebrew and Greek texts as directly as possible. For this reason, they are sometimes called word-for-word translations.

Examples of literal translations are:

• The King James Version (KJV)
• The New King James Version (NKJV)
• Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

Many people, Adventists included, prefer literal translations for in-depth Bible study because they tend to be closest to the original text.

Dynamic equivalents

Dynamic equivalents, also known as thought-for-thought or meaning-to-meaning translations, are all about conveying the message of the text, rather than the exact words. Sometimes the same words can have different connotations in different languages, cultures, or periods of history. So the translators of these versions made sure to consider the historical and cultural background of the text so it could best be expressed in modern terms, while preserving the intent of the Bible writers.

Dynamic equivalents include:

• The New International Version (NIV)
• The Good News Translation (GNT)
• The New Living Translation (NLT)
• The Revised English Bible (REB)
• The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Paraphrases

Paraphrases focus on interpreting the Bible text rather than merely expressing what it says. Thus, they don’t fit the definition of a Bible translation and should be used as study aids, not Bibles.

Some paraphrases are:

• The Living Bible
• The Message
• The Clear Word

And if a paraphrase seems to assert a different idea than you find in a Bible translation, it’s wise to consider the Bible as the standard, not the paraphrase. Some who own paraphrases of the Bible have many different ones, so they can also compare between them as well.

To give you an idea how different translations affect the text, here’s a comparison of 1 Corinthians 13:4 between literal, dynamic, and paraphrases.

Literal (New King James Version)	Dynamic (New International Version)	Paraphrase (The Message)
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up.”3	“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”4	“Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head.”5

What about the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary?

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary is just that—a commentary. It’s not a Bible and doesn’t claim to be. Instead, it’s a verse-by-verse analysis of the Bible, put together by theologians to help Adventists in their study.

Adventists use the SDA Bible Commentary in the same way that other Christians might use well-known commentaries like Matthew Henry’s Commentary or The MacArthur Bible Commentary.

Again, the Bible must be our standard to test the teachings of the commentary—not the other way around.

Adventists cherish the same Bible other Christians do

The Advent Movement, which eventually became the Adventist Church, began with people from various Christian denominations—Baptist, Congregationalist, Methodist, etc. When these individuals started Seventh-day Adventism, it was because they felt that it was necessary for Christians to continue studying the Bible to discover new things and new applications of its timeless truths.

That remains our priority to this day. The Bible alone is the foundation of our faith, and there’s always more we can learn from it. And it’s an essential part of getting to know Jesus more deeply.