Bible - We believe the Bible is the inspired and preserved Word of God and that it is the final authority of our faith. (Psalm 12:6-7; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21) At Lake Valley Baptist we use the KJV for public preaching and teaching ministries.
God - We believe God is a Person, eternally existing, as a Trinity in unity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — three Persons and yet one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6)
Jesus Christ - We believe Jesus Christ, eternally existing, is the only begotten Son of God who became a sinless man to redeem us. He was born of a virgin and is true God and true man. (John 1:1-2; Colossians 2:9)
The Holy Spirit - We believe the Holy Spirit of God is a Person who has personality and all the attributes of Deity. The Holy Spirit was sent to regenerate, sanctify, seal, and fill all who have placed their faith in Christ. (John 14:16-17)
The Sin Nature of Man - We believe man was created in the image of God but fell through sin, bringing not only physical death, but also spiritual death or eternal separation from God. Now all mankind exists as a fallen race with an inherited sinful nature. (Romans 5:12)
The Sacrifice and Resurrection of Christ - We believe the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died as a substitutionary payment for the sins of the whole world. He physically arose from the dead and then ascended into Heaven. (Romans 5:8-9; 1 Peter 3:18)
Salvation by Grace through Faith - We believe salvation is found through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from works. Only by turning to Christ and trusting His sacrifice on the cross can a man be saved. Once saved, our relationship with God is eternally secure. (John 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9)
The Reality of Heaven and Hell - We believe for the Christian, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord Jesus Christ in a literal place called Heaven. Hell is also a real place, where those without Christ suffer separation from God. Hell is a place of literal fire and torment. (2 Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 20:14-15)
Things to Come - We believe in and expectantly await the glorious, visible, personal, return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed hope of His return has a vital bearing on the personal life, service, and mission of the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The lost will be raised to judgment and experience eternal wrath in hell. The saved will be raised to eternal joy in the new heaven and new earth in the manifested presence of God. (Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25-26)
Baptism and Communion - We believe that Christian baptism is a public declaration of and identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection signified by immersion in water. We also believe the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration by believers of Christ’s death until His return and should be preceded by a careful self-examination. (Acts 4:13; Romans 6:3-6; 1 Corinthians 11:20-29)
The Church - We believe upon accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, all believers have therefore become part of His body, the church. Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command there is the local expression of the church. The Scriptures command believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances (baptism and communion), fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world. (Acts 2:42-46; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20)
Christian Living (concerning conduct) - We believe that all believers are saints, set apart unto God. As Christians we should obey the Word of God, seek the things that are above, walk as He walked, and accept as our responsibility the duty and privilege of bearing the Gospel to a lost world. A victorious and fruitful Christian life is possible only for those who have presented themselves wholly to Christ and walk by the power of the Holy Spirit, which all believers are called to do. (Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 5:16; Romans 6, 7)
Sanctity of Human Life - We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all it’s dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Psalm 139)
Human Sexuality - We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25). We also believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other and that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4)