This is not intended to be a definitive statement of Christian Faith; merely a basis for general agreement as it would pertain to the HCE membership.
SECTION A – The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13)
SECTION B – The Godhead
We believe in one God, eternally existing and manifested in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14)
SECTION C – The Person and Work of Christ
1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. (John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a vicarious sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal physical resurrection from the dead. (Romans 3:24-25; 1Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
SECTION D – The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became separated from God; and that man is totally depraved, and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23, 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12)
SECTION E – Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God, brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. (Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10; John 1:12; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
SECTION F – Marriage
We believe that marriage is a union ordained by God and is only between one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:6-9; Ephesians 5:31; Leviticus 18:22)