Comparing Calvinist and Non Calvinist Articles of Faith

When discerning whether old Baptist articles of faith are Calvinist or Non Calvinist, it is important to know the nuances of how they are written. Below are the articles of faith of the Concord Association in Georgia and the Coosa Association right next door to them. You may notice a few spelling "errors" but I have posted these exactly as originally written. The similarities between the two are striking, especially considering they hold two different doctrines. The Coosa Association is the OLDEST of the two, being founded in 1835, from churches in in an even older association founded in 1796, in a rare example of being called simply "the Association of the Baptist Churches of Christ" carrying with them the same articles of faith.

Concord Association Articles of Faith 

1. We believe in the only true and living God: and that there is a trinity of persons within the God-head, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.

2. We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, and the only rule of faith and practice.

3. We believe in the fall of Adam, and the imputation of his sin to his posterity, the corruption of the human nature, and in the impotency of man to recover himself by his own free will an ability.

4. We believe in the everlasting love of God to his people, and in their eternal election to grace and glory; that there was a covenant of grace or redemption made between the Father and the Son, before the world began, in which there salvation was secured, and they in particular are redeemed.

5. We believe in the justification of sinners before God, only by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to them.

6. We believe that all those chosen in Christ will be effectually called, regenerated, converted, sanctified and supported by the power and spirit of God so that they shall persevere in grace, and not one of them be finally lost.

7. We believe that good works are the fruits of faith,  and follow justification, and are evidences of our gracious state in the sight of men and angels.

8. We believe there will be a resurrection of the dead and a general judgement, and the happiness of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked will be eternal.

9. We believe that the visible church of Christ is a congregation of faithful persons, who have gained Christian fellowship with each other, and have agreed to keep up a godly discipline (agreeably to the rules of the New Testament) for the reclaiming of the disorderly, either in faith or practice.

10. We believe that true believers in Jesus Christ are the only subjects of baptism' that the immersion of the person in water is baptism;that immersion and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of the gospel to be kept up by the visible church until the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that none but believers immersed by a lawful administrator have a right to partake of the Lord's Supper.

11. we believe that there are only two scriptural officers in the church, the minister and deacon; that the minster only is authorized to administer the ordinance after he himself has been called of God to the ministerial work, and come under the hands of a presbytery of ministers by request and approval of the church of his membership' that deacons become such by an election by the church and ordination by a presbytery, as set forth in the sixth chapter of Acts.

12. We believe it is the duty of every heaven-born soul  ( and those only) to become members of the visible church by a public profession of faith in Jesus, and immersion, so as to have a right to partake of the Lord's Supper at every legal opportunity.

Articles of Faith of the Coosa Association 

Article first: We believe in the one true and living God and that there are a trinity of persons in the godhead, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost; and that there are not three gods but one.

Article second: We believe that the scriptures of the old and new Testaments are the word of God and the only rule of faith and practice.

Article third: we believe in the fall of Adam, the corruption of human nature, the impotency and unwillingness of man to recover himself from his depraved state.

Article fourth: We believe in the everlasting love of God to his people, and that he chose them in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and without blame before him in love, and that there was a covenant of grace or redemption between the Father and the Son before the world was. 

Article fifth: We believe that sinners are justified in the sight of God only by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them.

Article sixth: We believe that all those chosen in Christ will be effectually called, regenerated, converted, sanctified and supported by the spirit and power of God, so that they should persevere in grace, and not one of them finally be lost.

Article seventh: We believe that good works are the fruits of faith and follow after regeneration, and that they only justify in the sight of men and are evidences of our gracious state. 

Article eighth: We believe that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a general judgement, and that the happiness of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked will be eternal.

And as to Gospel order:

1st. We believe that the visible church of Christ is a congregation of proper (illegible) believers who have gained Christian fellowship with each other and have given themselves to the Lord and to one another, and have agreed to keep up a holy disciplin with each other agreeable to the rules of the Gospel.

2nd. We believe that Jesus Christ is the great head of the church and only lawgiver; and the government is with the body and is the privilege of each individual  and thet the disciplin of the church is intended for the reclaiming of those Christians and members who may be disorderly, either in principal or practice, and must be kept up for God's glory and the peach and unity of the church,

3rd. We believe that water baptism and the Lord's supper are ordinances of the Gospel to be continued till the Lord's second coming, and to be administered only by orderly Baptist ministers who have been regularly ordained. 

4th. That true believers in Christ Jesus are the only subjects for baptism and that immersion is the mode.

5th. That none but regularly baptized church members have a right to commune at the Lord's table. 

6th. That is is the duty of every heaven-born soul to become a member of the visible church, to make a public profession of his faith, to be baptized so as to have a right to, and partake of the Lord's supper at every opportunity during life.

 As anyone can see, these two sets of articles are extremely similar. A casual reader may think both to be Calvinist articles, however this is not the case. The articles of the Concord Association are Calvinist, while those of the Coosa are not. How can we be sure? The third article of the Concord says Adam's sin is "imputed to us" meaning we are born guilty of his sin. The third article of the Coosa says nothing of the imputation of Adam's sin, only that we are "corrupted" and "depraved". Notice it does not say totally depraved. The fourth article of the Concord says "eternal election" and "in which their salvation is secured, meaning "election" is synonymous with being chosen for salvation before the world began. The use of the word "particular" echoes that only a certain number are thus elected. The fourth article of the Coosa says nothing of being elected to salvation, only that God's people are chosen to be "holy and without blame". Article six of both associations are virtually the same. I am surprised however, that the Coosa does not list "converted" before "regeneration" as this could be construed to mean regeneration before belief' / faith. I assume that they believed regeneration and conversion occurred simultaneously, as that's the only option if they rejected the calvinistic version of election.

 All these differences are clues, but some may still say the basic meaning is the same and that both associations were Calvinist. Luckily there is proof that will remove any doubt that the Coosa Association was not Calvinist. But let's go through the list once more.

1) The Coosa Association does NOT say we are born guilty of Adam;s sin, nor that we are TOTALLY depraved.

2) The Coosa Association does not declare that only a certain number are chosen for salvation, only that God's PEOPLE were chosen to be holy.  

The clinch pin proof, is in a query by Lookout Church to the Coosa Association 1853 which asks "Doth the 4th and 6th articles of the Coosa Association hold forth a limited atonement so that a part of the human family is, and forever has been excluded from grace and glory according to the covenant agreement, and that the Spirit doth not strive with them to bring them to repentance so that a part of the human family is entirely left out of the covenant?" The answer given by the Coosa Association states "Neither the bible nor the 4th and 6th articles referred to, hold forth a limited atonement, so that a part of the human family is and forever has been excluded from grace and glory, according to covenant agreement; so that they could not be saved, if they would; but that all who will may participate of the benefit of the atonement, according to Gospel requisitions."





 







 

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