Doctrinal Agreement – Grove Church Planting Network

We believe the Bible is God’s inspired, inerrant, infallible Word, which serves as our final authority in faith and practice, and is true in all that it affirms and is sufficient to lead every person to find salvation and live a joyful life that pleases God in every way. It is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, beliefs, and opinions should be evaluated.

We believe in one infinite and personal God, the holy, just, self-existent, boundless, good, loving Creator and Sustainer of all things eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each equal in power and glory. He has made himself known in creation and throughout history in mighty acts and through his Word—Jesus Christ being that Word incarnate. His purposes are always accomplished.
We believe in the providence of God where from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and perpetually upholds, directs and governs all creatures and all events; yet so as not in any wise to be the author or approver of sin nor to destroy the human will and responsibility of intelligent creatures.
We believe election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life-not because of foreseen merit in them, but of His mere mercy in Christ-in consequence of which choice they are called, justified, and glorified.

We believe in the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, who took on human nature when the Holy Spirit overshadowed the virgin Mary causing her to conceive and give birth to Jesus Christ, who uniquely was both fully God and fully man.
We believe Jesus Christ redeemed sinners from God’s infinite and just penalty against sin by obeying God’s law in every way, dying for our sins on the cross, satisfying God’s wrath by the blood of his atoning death, crediting believers with his righteousness, and proclaiming the surety of our salvation with his physical resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ is humanity’s sole hope for salvation.
We believe Jesus ascended to heaven, remaining both fully God and fully man, where he now sits at the right hand of God interceding for believers forever, from which he will return bodily to judge the living and the dead.

We believe the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, convicts the world of sin, and righteousness, and judgment and that he regenerates, indwells, and seals all believers until the Day of the Lord.
We believe the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures and guides Christians toward the truth of God’s Word. The duty and privilege of every Christian is to be filled with and led by the Holy Spirit.
We believe the Holy Spirit, sanctifies believers, from regeneration to glorification, transforming them into the image of Christ, by leading them to put sin to death and live by faith in God, making them partakers of his holiness.
We believe the Holy Spirit brings about a change of heart in regeneration quickening the dead in trespasses and sins enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the Word of God, and renewing their whole nature, so that they love and practice holiness. It is a work of God’s free and special grace alone.
We believe the Holy Spirit gives individual Christians diverse gifts for the common good of the church.

We believe that Satan is a personal being. He is the enemy of God, the accuser, and tempter, of God’s people, and the deceiver of all men. Christians should not fear Satan but resist him knowing he is God’s defeated enemy, not equal, destined along with all those who follow him to eternal punishment in the lake of fire.

We believe God created Adam and Eve “very good” as the only creatures in his own image and likeness, both male and female, innocent and fully able to worship, glorify, and enjoy God, exercising dominion over the earth as stewards.

We believe God created both sexes, male and female, equal in dignity and value with complementary roles both in the home and in the church.
We believe God designed marriage to unite one man and one woman in a lifelong, joyful covenant of love to display the profound mystery of Christ and his church.
We believe God gifts some individuals with singleness that they may serve him more freely without the cares that come with marriage and its attendant responsibilities.
We believe God created sex for marriage, and all sexual activity outside of marriage is sin.

We believe Adam’s intentional disobedience of God’s command initiated mankind’s rebellion against God. Therefore all mankind became sinners by nature and by choice. Mankind is subsequently inclined toward evil, alienated from God, and stands judged without defense or excuse. Adam’s Fall subjected relationships to brokenness and creation to corruption.

We believe that, apart from the grace of Jesus Christ, the whole of humanity stands justly condemned by God as rebellious sinners and therefore worthy of eternal punishment.
We believe that the salvation of sinners is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, whom the Father sent to take upon himself our nature freely, yet without sin, to fulfill God’s law and die in our place, and having risen bodily from the dead to sit enthroned in heaven as both Lord and Savior.
We believe that everyone who repents and believes the gospel stands justified before God not because of any human works but solely on the basis of the righteousness of Christ credited to the believer’s account through faith in the Redeemer’s death on our behalf, resulting in the pardon of sin and adoption as Children of God to eternal life.

Election is God’s gracious eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life-not because of foreseen merit in them, but solely due to his sovereign, free display of mercy in Christ resulting in regeneration, calling, justification, sanctification, and glorification.

We believe Jesus Christ is the head of the universal church—the body and bride of Christ. It is made up of all the children of God throughout the ages.
We believe local churches are God’s plan for glorifying himself by making disciples of all nations through the proclamation of the gospel. Local churches consist of elders, deacons, and members.
We believe that the local church is the proper context for observing the ordinances of baptism and communion, and practicing church discipline.
We believe that faithful church membership is the primary context for engaging in the “one anothers” of the Bible and exercising the spiritual gifts.
We believe Christians are commanded to be baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit upon repentance and credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
We believe Christians take part in communion with Christ and one another by eating the bread and drinking the cup in commemoration of their Savior’s death on their behalf and their right relationship with God and faithful fellowship with other believers.
We believe the right exercise of church discipline is necessary to protect and promote the purity of the church.

We believe God alone is Lord of the conscience; and He hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in anything contrary to His word, or not contained in it.
We believe government leaders are ordained by God, and subjection to them in all lawful things commanded by them ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

We believe Jesus will soon return bodily to conquer his enemies. God will create new heavens and a new earth where all of his children will dwell with him forever in glory.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all people—the unsaved to a judgment of eternal conscious punishment in Hell and the saved to eternal life.