Covenant Primitive Baptist Church

Directions to Meeting Place

From the South

From I-40, leave at Highway 58 (Exit 356) and go North toward Oak Ridge. Highway 58 will turn into Highway 95. Follow Highway 95 to Oak Ridge. Turn left on Illinois (Highway 62 from Knoxville) and right on Robertsville Rd. We are located on the corner of Robertsville and Raleigh.

From the North

From I-75, leave at Highway 61 (Exit 122) and to South toward Clinton. Between Clinton and Oak Ridge, Highway 61 will merge into Highway 95. Follow Highway 95 to Oak Ridge Turn right on Illinois (Highway 62 from Knoxville) and right on Robertsville Rd. We are located on the corner of Robertsville and Raleigh.

Christian Obedience

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
– John 14:23

We believe that the believer will show his love and devotion to the Lord by living in obedience to the word of God. This does not mean that he will live a sinless life, because there is none without sin (I John 1:10). The believer cannot live in obedience to God by his own power and wisdom. However, the Spirit of God works so effectually in the lives of His children that they overcome the world and purify themselves thereby (I John 3:3; I John 5:4-5). Therefore, the obedience of the Christian is of grace just as much as the salvation from his sins and the wrath of God.

History

Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.
– Jeremiah 6:16a

Primitive Baptists identify themselves with the faithful followers of Christ through history back to the apostles and Jesus Christ, their Head.
Primitive Baptists differ from most Baptists in that they do not have any denominational headquarters nor any organizational hierarchy and each congregation answers to the Lord for its faith and practice. Primitive Baptists subscribe to the original doctrines of the Baptists as outlined in the London Baptist Confession of Faiths of 1643 and 1689 and the Philadelphia Baptist Confession of Faith of 1742.
In the 1830’s, a division occurred among the Baptists over the doctrine of the atonement and the inventions of many modern practices. Those who maintained the original beliefs of the Baptists were designated as “Old School” or “Primitive” Baptists.

Congregational Worship

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
– Hebrews 10:25

Christ shed his blood for the body of Christ – a congregation of believers, I Corinthians 12:27. Christ ordained the church to uphold and to maintain the truth (I Timothy 3:15). God ordained to manifest His glory in the assembly of the saints (Ephesians 3:21) and that the "fulness of him that filleth all in all" is in the church (Ephesians 1:23). This declares that the highest manifestation of God and the closest communion with Christ is found in the congregation of the Lord. Since it is the duty of believers to assembly together to the glory of God, we invite you to come and assemble with us as we engage in New Testament worship and experience this blessing of God.

Singing

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
– Colossians 3:16

Our worship services begin with scriptural reading and prayer to instill a spirit of reverence in our hearts as we come before the Lord and to implore His divine assistance to bless us to properly worship Him.
Each member of the congregation has liberty to select songs at each service. This aids in the congregation knowing each other better that we might join together in worship and praise Christ in one spirit.

Preaching

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
–II Timothy 4:2

As we need the blessing of the Lord to praise and worship Him in song, we equally realize the need for the Lord to bless the ministry of His word. Therefore, we pray for God to bless the minister to clearly open the Scriptures and to bless the people with a heart to receive the word of God. God ordained the preaching of the word to comfort, exhort, and instruct His people and great emphasis is placed on it. We believe it is the duty of the pastor-teacher to proclaim Jesus Christ and Him crucified as the only source of eternal life (John 17:3) and the only hope for sinners. It is our desire that he minister the whole counsel of God to all.

Counsel

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
–Romans 15:13-14

We believe that the Bible provides the answers to the problems of life and that modern philosophies and psychology do not have these answers. The pastor and others in the congregation are ready to minister to those in need of biblical counsel. We believe that God gave everything needful in the Scriptures for man to face the challenges and trials of life, and that those who know the word of God are able to supply the counsel needed.

Our Faith

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
– Jude 3

We believe in the inspiration of the Scriptures and that they are our only rule of faith and practice. We believe in the Trinity, and that God is sovereign, ruling according to His will in heaven and on earth. We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and that He completed the work He came to do. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). We believe that Christ bodily rose from the dead for the justification of His people and that He is alive in heaven and will return to the earth to judge the righteous and the unrighteous.
We believe that man fell in Adam and thereby became totally unable to recover himself from this condition and that he can only be declared righteous by the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ imputed to him. Only the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, operating immediately on the heart (soul) of man, can cause a man to be born again. We believe that those who are born again will walk in obedience to Christ as evidence of the work of God in his heart. We believe in the resurrection of the dead of the just and unjust. We believe that the righteous will be resurrected unto glory to live with the Triune God forever and that the wicked will suffer everlastingly under the just penalty of God for their sins.
We believe that the ordinances of the congregation are baptism and the Lord’s supper. We believe that these ordinances are only types (pictures) of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord and in no way confer grace nor are they sacramental. However, they are not to be taken lightly and every believer is commanded by the Lord to observe them. We believe each member is to occupy the role of a servant. We are to serve the Lord Jesus Christ out of love, devotion, and gratitude for what He has done for us and to honor Him in every detail of our lives.