COOSA BAPTIST ASSN. (Ga) NOT CALVINIST

 The Coosa Baptist Assn. is the OLDEST association in northwest Georgia, founded in 1835 from churches that were even older. There has never been a division among them with regards to doctrine. they continue to this day, but are now known as the Northwest Baptist Association.

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.

 A casual reader may think these to be Calvinist articles, however this is not the case. How can we be sure? 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 Coosa says nothing of being elected to salvation, only that God's people are chosen to be "holy and without blame". Article six merely states those who are in Christ, have been effectually called. This is not synonymous with irresistible grace.

 All these points are clues, but some may still say that  this association was 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 of 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."

All this info can be found in "This history of the Coosa Baptist Association, Georgia". (see pics)







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