The Great Commission

  

     We believe that as Christ’s disciples, he has sent us into the world in his place, to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person, so that each person may receive forgiveness of sins. We believe further that Christ has given us the Holy Spirit and his promised special presence to fulfill this task. See Mark 16:15, John 20:21, Luke 22:47, Acts 1:8 & Matthew 28:19-20.

   

     According to Matthew 28, the great commission involves the making of disciples, which involves preaching the Gospel. It also requires teaching believers to “observe all things” that Jesus commanded. We believe that implies the need for church planting and Bible translation work as well. The word “nations” in Matthew 28 is translated from the Greek word “ethnos” and carries the idea of a tribe, race, or people group. We define a people group as “a group of people with their own distinct language and culture”. Therefore, we believe the heart of Jesus and the responsibility we have is not simply to “countries” but “people groups” and furthermore to “every creature”. This goal is our personal philosophy, locally and globally. Therefore we are willing to support anyone who is endeavoring to fulfill this goal, who aligns with our philosophy, according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

We believe that it is every individual believer and every churches responsibility to be involved in fulling the Great Commission by:

1. Surrendering to Christ (Romans 12:1)

2. Actively sharing the Gospel with those around them

3. Financially supporting other ministries

4. Prayer

5. Sending Missionaries out both domestic and foreign

​

​

Biblical view of Sanctification

  

     Our view of sanctification emphasizes the ability and responsibility of the believer to walk in the Spirit by surrender, faith, and obedience. As a believer walks in the Spirit, he accesses the life of Jesus Christ. When the believer does this, he will produce the fruit of the Spirit. We believe that believers can walk in the Spirit and know it, and that they have the responsibility to do so. We believe this to simply be the Biblical teaching of sanctification.

      We reject the concept of sanctification by works, laws, standards, or manmade traditions. This does not mean that we are Antinomian, or that we believe that the Christian life is without any governing principles, but rather that the power to live the Christian life comes from Christ himself, in the believer, and not the attempts of the believer to imitate or work up the fruit of the Spirit.

​

     Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? [2] God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

​

     Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

​

     1 Corinthians 9:21 “To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.”

     We believe that someone who walks in the Spirit will be lead by the Holy Spirit to walk in holiness as defined by the scriptures and the scriptures alone. In other words, we believe the goal of sanctification, and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, is NOT to help the believer conform to manmade measures of sanctification, but rather to enable the believer to walk in holiness as it is defined in the scriptures.

​

     Galatians 5:16-25 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. [17] For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. [18] But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, [20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, [21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, [23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. [24] And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

     We believe in the reality and work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. We also believe in the historic Baptist distinctives of individual soul liberty and the priesthood of every believer. We believe that every believer has the responsibility and the liberty to be lead by the Holy Spirit, free from the opinions, preferences, or convictions of others, in areas that the scriptures do not explicitly address. (See Romans 14)

     There is a lot of contention and separation over “standards” in our day and age, and we believe much of the contention stems from erroneous theology in relation to sanctification. It is oftentimes the result of a lack of practical application of individual soul liberty and the priesthood of every believer. We recognize that good men differ in the areas of certain “standards”, but we believe every believer must follow their own conscience and the leading of the Holy Spirit. This means we don’t demand that others conform to the peculiars of our own conscience or preferences. We also perceive that some standards that are preached are not clearly and plainly taught in the scriptures. We have perceived that there exists a tendency for some to preach their own personal preferences, standards or applications of biblical principles as though those personal preferences, standards and applications are equal to the infallible, inspired, biblical commandments themselves. Many people take these often subjective manmade standards and use them as a test for sanctification or even worse as a means of sanctification itself. We passionately reject the practice or preaching of such a view of sanctification. We take seriously Jesus’ warning of the leaven of the Pharisees. They were teaching the commandments of men as doctrine and they had often elevated their own traditions above the very words of God.

​

 

     Matthew 15:1-2, 9 “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, [2] Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. …..[9] But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
 

      Matthew 16:6 “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

​

     Matthew 12:1-2 “At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. [2] But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.”

     We do want to say, as a balance, that we recognize that there does exist a true Antinomian spirit and attitude out there. We reject the idea that anyone who does not conform to our personal preferences and opinions are Antinomian, but we equally reject any form of Christianity that seeks to ignore the plain teachings of the word of God and seeks to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness.

​

     Jude 1:4 “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

     We are also very concerned with many people who have what they consider to be the “right standards” but yet who manifest little, if any, of the fruit of the Spirit. We reject the practice of pastors, preachers, or teachers usurping the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of other individuals, and teaching their own personal preferences, opinions, and applications as if they are as binding as the very words of God.

     Here at Lake Valley Baptist Church, we desire to be involved with and to support ministries that understand Biblical Sanctification. Therefore, we do not desire to be involved with nor support ministries that make external subjective manmade standards as a focus of their ministry. We believe such a practice is an outgrowth of an improper understanding of sanctification and the role of the Holy Spirit.