Mission
To glorify God through the teaching of His Word so that we are equipped to live according to His Word and share the good news of His Word with others. In short, we at First Baptist strive to:
Teach the Word. Live the Word. Share the Word.
Beliefs
God
The God of the Bible is the one true God that exists self-sufficiently and eternally (1 Timothy 1:17). God is a spiritual being (John 4:24). God’s nature and character are both constant and perfect (Malachi 3:6, Psalm 18:30). God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16), righteous (Psalm 50:6), merciful (4:31), gracious (2 Corinthians 12:9), patient (2 Peter 3:8-9), and loving (Romans 5:8, John 3:16). God exists as three persons in one: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, Genesis 1:26).
Jesus Christ
Jesus is the son of God and the second person in the trinity. He is both fully God and fully man (John 1:1-4, John 10:30). Being fully God, Jesus possesses the attributes and nature of God (John 10:30, John 14:9). Jesus was born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20-23). Jesus was tempted in every way while on earth (Matthew 4:1-11) but He remained perfect in the face of temptation (Hebrews 4:15-16). Jesus surrendered His life for us through crucifixion (Luke 23:26-46) and raised from the dead on the third day, so that any who repent of their sins and believe in Him can be forgiven of their sins and receive eternal life with God (1 Corinthians 15:3, Romans 10:9, Acts 2:38-39).
The Bible
The Bible was written by humans through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is given to us by God to equip us for this life (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21). The Bible is perfect and infallible (Psalm 119:160). The Bible provides the guide and instruction for a Christian life (John 8:31-32, Psalm 119:105).
Man
Man was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26) from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). Adam and Eve are literal, historical people, and their disobedience to God brought sin and its consequences (death) into God’s creation (Genesis 3:17-19, Romans 5:12). The entering of sin into the world disrupted man’s fellowship and communion with God, as God cannot co-exist with sin (1 John 1:5). Man’s depravity prevents us from being able to re-establish fellowship with God by any strength or ability of our own (Isaiah 64:6). It is by grace alone through faith alone that anyone can be reconciled to God (Ephesians 2:8-9). This grace comes solely in the form of Christ (John 14:6).
Salvation
Salvation is the means to man’s justification and reconciliation to God. Salvation cannot be earned but is purely and entirely the result of God’s perfect grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation comes through faith in Jesus that is always accompanied by the repentance of sin (John 14:6, Acts 2:38-39, James 2:17). When we put our faith in Christ and repent of our sins, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) which begins the work of sanctification in our lives (Philippians 1:6).
The Church
The church is made up of all believers who have trusted in Christ and repented of their sins for salvation (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). The word for “church” in Greek is the word “ekklesia” is defined as “people called out from the world and to God” (Matthew 16:18). Jesus is the head of the church and is the only hierarchal authority for the governing of local bodies of believers (Colossians 1:18). The Bible provides a model in which elders are given authority to lead and direct the local body of believers in service to Jesus as the head of the church (Titus 1:5, 1 Timothy 5:17-22). Jesus has given the church two ordinances to observe, which are baptism and the Lord’s supper (Matthew 28:19, Luke 22:13-20).
First Baptist Ellington is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention and our beliefs align with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.