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The
Church Covenant
On
November 30th, 1952, we the members of the Primitive Baptists
living in the vicinity of Greenwood, Mississippi met and entered
into the following covenant:
"Forasmuch
as Almighty God, by His grace, has been pleased as we hope, to
call us out of darkness into His marvelous light, and we all
having been regularly baptized on profession of our faith in
Christ Jesus, and have given ourselves to the Lord and to each
other in a gospel way, to be governed and guided by a proper
discipline, agreeable, as we believe, to the word of God; we,
therefore, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by his
assistance, covenant and agree to keep up the discipline
of the church of which we are members in the most brotherly love
and affection toward each other, while we endeavor, punctually,
to observe the following rules; in and if need be, in the most
tender and affectionate manner, to reprove each other if we
discover anything amiss in a brother or sister, to take the
direction given by our Lord in Matthew eighteen, and not be
whispering and backbiting; we also agree, if not providentially
hindered, to attend our church meeting, and especially not to
absent ourselves from the Communion service without a lawful
excuse; not to neglect the defraying of the expenses of the
church, and not to depart from the fellowship of the church
without a regular dismission. These things we covenant and
agree to observe and keep sacred, in the name and by the
assistance of the Holy Trinity."
Articles
of Faith
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1. |
We believe
there is only one true and living God; the Father, Son and
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Holy Ghost, and these are one. |
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2. |
We believe that
the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the |
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Word
of God, and the only rule of faith and practice. |
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3. |
We believe in the doctrine of election, and that God chose His people |
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in
Christ before the foundation of the World, and that they
are regenerated by the direct and immediate work of the
Holy Spirit in time according to God's eternal purpose;
but we do most positively deny the doctrine that God
predestinated sin and wickedness. |
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4. |
We believe that
man is unable, of his own free will and ability, to
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recover himself from the fallen state he is in by nature. |
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5. |
We believe that
sinners are justified in the sight of God by the |
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imputed
righteousness of Jesus Christ alone. |
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6. |
We believe in
the final preservation of the saints in grace to Glory |
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and
that none of them shall finally be lost. |
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7. |
We believe that
baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of |
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Jesus
Christ; that true believers are the only proper subjects
and immersion the only true mode of baptism. |
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8. |
We believe in
the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, and a
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general judgment, and that the joys of the righteous and
the punishment of the wicked will be eternal. |
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9. |
We believe that
no minister has a right to administer the ordinances, |
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only
such as have been called of God and come under the
imposition of hands by a presbytery. |
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| 10. |
We believe that
the children of God should hold membership in no |
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religious society other than the Church of Christ; and we
object to our members affiliating with any organization,
secret or otherwise, that uses a religious ritual, as
their guide or other institution organized by men in the
name of religion. |
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