Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24 NKJV).
The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman, and is a lifelong commitment. Fundamental Belief 23, entitled “Marriage and the Family,” states that “marriage was divinely established in Eden and affirmed by Jesus to be a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship. For the Christian, a marriage commitment is to God as well as to the spouse, and should be entered into only between a man and a woman who share a common faith. … Jesus taught that the person who divorces a spouse, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery.”[1]
In addition, the Adventist Church believes that sex outside of marriage should be avoided. Hebrews 13:4 states that “marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”
The Global Church Member Survey (GCMS) asked members whether they believe that “the Bible teaches that sexual intercourse should be exclusively reserved for marriage.”
GCMS 2018 and 2023 Church Members’ Beliefs about Sexual Intercourse Reserved for Marriage
In 2018, 68.2% strongly agreed, 24.2% agreed, 4.6% were not sure, 1.4% disagreed, and 1.7% strongly disagreed. In total, 92.4% of members agreed or strongly agreed that the Bible teaches that sex should be reserved for marriage.
In 2023, the numbers had changed very little: 67.3% strongly agreed, 25.4% agreed, 4.2% were not sure, 1.6% disagreed, and 1.5% strongly disagreed. This meant that 92.7% of members agreed or strongly agreed that the Bible teaches that sex should be reserved for marriage.
GCMS 2018 Church Members’ Beliefs about Marriage Between a Man and a Woman
When asked in 2018 whether “the Bible teaches that marriage is a union between a man and a woman,” 75.6% strongly agreed, 19.2% agreed, 3.5% were not sure, 0.6% disagreed, and 1% strongly disagreed. In total, 94.8% of members agreed or strongly agreed that the Bible teaches that marriage is “a union between a man and a woman.”
In 2023, the question was changed slightly to specify that the union of marriage is between an adult man and an adult woman.
GCMS 2023 Church Members’ Beliefs about Marriage Between an Adult Man and Woman
It is unclear whether this change in wording, or the passage of time, has caused the change, but these results demonstrated that only 66.2% strongly agreed, while 26.6% agreed, 3.9% were not sure, 1.8% disagreed, and 1.5% strongly disagreed. The total of members who agreed with the statement went down slightly to 92.8% from 94.8% in 2018.
As usual, Ellen G. White had clear-eyed and sensible things to say about marriage. In 1969, a Ministry magazine summarized her writings in this way:
(1) Jesus Christ did not “enforce celibacy,” but exalted marriage; (2) husbands and wives were to cherish their “marriage privileges”; and (3) in this relationship, “temperance” was to be the watchword and excesses were to be avoided.[2]
In other words, Jesus celebrated marriage, husbands and wives should enjoy sex, as in life generally, and everything in marriage should be sensible and moderate.
You can access the full report here.
Created in collaboration with the Institute of Church Ministry.
Published by ASTR on 2/11/2025.
[1] General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. n.d. “Official Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.” http://adventist.org/beliefs. [2] Ministry Magazine. 1969. “Ellen G. White and Marriage Relations (Concluded).” General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, April 1969. https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1969/04/ellen-g.-white-and-marriage-relations-concluded