The RefineryThe Refinery’s
Statements of Faith
1. The Bible: We believe that the Bible — the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments — is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, and sufficient Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21). It is our supreme and final authority in all matters of faith, doctrine, and Christian living, given by God for teaching, correction, and training in righteousness, that the people of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (Psalm 119:105, Isaiah 8:20).
On the Translation We Use
The Scriptures quoted throughout this website are drawn from the New Living Translation (NLT). The reason the NLT is used throughout this site is that it faithfully conveys the meaning and spirit of the original text rather than offering a strict word-for-word rendering. The NLT is a full translation — produced by ninety scholars working directly from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts — not a paraphrase. Its translation philosophy prioritizes the clear communication of what the inspired writers actually meant, in language that today's reader can receive without unnecessary obstacles. This choice serves the heart of what The Refinery exists to do: bring the living Word of God to ordinary people, in language that does not stand between them and the voice of the Lord. We hold every translation under the supreme authority of the original Scriptures, and we honor the faithful work of other English translations. The NLT is the translation we have chosen for the teaching of this ministry because it lets the Word do its work plainly.
2. God: We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — equal in power, glory, and majesty (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14). He is holy, sovereign, just, and loving; the Creator and Sustainer of all things; perfect in wisdom, infinite in power, and unchanging in His goodness (Genesis 1:1, Psalm 90:2, Hebrews 1:3, James 1:17).
3. Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man — one Person with two natures (John 1:1, 14; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life (Luke 1:35; Hebrews 4:15), and was crucified as the substitute for sinners, bearing the wrath of God in our place and accomplishing full atonement for our sin (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2). He rose bodily from the dead, vindicating His finished work (Romans 1:4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4); He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, where He intercedes for His people (Acts 1:9-11; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25); and He will return in power and glory to judge the living and the dead and to establish His kingdom forever (Matthew 25:31; Revelation 19:11-16).
4. The Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, fully God, eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son, and equal in power and glory with them (John 14:26; John 15:26; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture (2 Peter 1:20-21) and illuminates the minds of believers to understand it (1 Corinthians 2:10-14; Ephesians 1:17-18). He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-11), regenerates those who believe (John 3:5-8; Titus 3:5), indwells every Christian (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19), seals them for the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14), and sanctifies them into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22-23).
The Spirit empowers believers for witness, service, and the building up of the church (Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:11-13). We believe the Holy Spirit continues to distribute spiritual gifts to His church as He wills, for the common good and the glory of Christ. We hold every spiritual experience, impression, and prophetic word to the standard of Scripture, knowing that the Spirit never contradicts the Word He inspired (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; 1 John 4:1; Galatians 1:8).
Above all, the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, takes what is His, and declares it to His people (John 16:14). The fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — is the surest evidence of His work in the believer's life (Galatians 5:22-23).
5. Salvation: We believe that all people are by nature sinful and separated from God, dead in trespasses and sins, and under His righteous judgment (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3). Salvation is the gracious work of God from beginning to end, originating in His sovereign love (Ephesians 1:4-5; John 6:44), accomplished in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ, and applied to sinners by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5-7).
We believe salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone (Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 3:21-26). It is received through repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior — and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; Romans 10:9-10).
Those who are in Christ are justified — declared righteous before God based on Christ's perfect obedience and atoning death (Romans 5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21); adopted as sons and daughters into God's family (John 1:12; Romans 8:15-17); sanctified by the Spirit into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:23); kept by the power of God through faith (1 Peter 1:3-5; John 10:27-29); and will one day be glorified with Him forever (Romans 8:30; 1 John 3:2).
6. The Church: We believe the Church is the body of Christ — one, holy, and apostolic — composed of all True Believers from every nation, tribe, and tongue, united to Christ by the Holy Spirit and to one another in love. Christ alone is the Head of His Church, and to Him every member is called to walk in surrendered obedience under His Word (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 7:9-10).
The universal Church is manifested visibly in local churches: gathered congregations of believers where the Word of God is faithfully preached, the sacraments are rightly administered, the people of God are shepherded by qualified elders, deacons serve the body, and discipline is lovingly exercised for the purity of the body and the restoration of the wandering (Acts 2:42; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Matthew 18:15-20; Hebrews 13:17).
We believe Christ has given gifts to His Church for her building up — apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, teachers, and the many other gifts God distributes among His people for the common good (Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 28; Romans 12:6-8). These gifts continue in the church today, though not to deliver new Scripture, for the Scriptures have been given once for all (Jude 3). The apostolic and prophetic giftings now function not as foundational, Scripture-bearing offices, but as servants sent by God, gifted by His Spirit, to call His people back to His Word. Such servants bring no new revelation, but proclaim what God has already said, always under the testing of Scripture (1 Corinthians 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21; 1 John 4:1).
The ongoing governing offices of the local church are elders — a plurality of qualified men appointed to oversee and shepherd the flock together — and deacons, who serve the body. We do not accept the modern pattern that places one man as the final spiritual authority over a congregation, exalts the office above the body, or concentrates the gifts of Christ in a single leader. The New Testament knows nothing of such an office. At the foot of the cross we stand as equals — saved by the same grace, indwelt by the same Spirit, and beloved by the same Father. There are no first-class or second-class Christians in the body of Christ (Galatians 3:28; 1 Peter 2:9). Christ alone is the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4), and the gifts of His Spirit are distributed throughout the body for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). Elders lead in plurality, in mutual accountability, and in submission to the Word of God; they do not lord it over the flock but serve as examples to it, and they receive the gifts of the body with humility, knowing that the Spirit speaks through every member of Christ (1 Peter 5:1-3; 1 Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 4:15-16). The giftings named in Scripture — including those of Ephesians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 12:28, and Romans 12:6-8 — are given by Christ to His Church and exercised throughout the body in unity with the elders' oversight, who shepherd and test them for the equipping of the saints and the building up of Christ's body (Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21).
The mission of the Church is to glorify God, preach the gospel to every creature, make disciples of all nations, build up the body of Christ in love, and be a faithful witness to Jesus Christ in the world until He returns (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 2:9-12). The local church is the ordinary means by which Christ shepherds, equips, and sanctifies His people; every believer is called to belong to one and to live in faithful, accountable fellowship within it (Hebrews 10:24-25).
7. Baptism and the Lord's Supper: We believe baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances instituted by Christ for His church, to be observed by believers under the oversight of their local church (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Baptism is the immersion in water of one who has personally repented and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a public confession of faith and a symbol of the believer's union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection — the old life buried with Him, the new life raised in Him (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38-41; Acts 8:35-38; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21). Baptism does not save, but it bears witness to the salvation already received by grace through faith.
The Lord's Supper is the observance instituted by Christ in which His church partakes of bread and the cup. It is a remembrance of His sacrifice, a proclamation of His death until He comes, and a true participation in the body and blood of Christ by faith — for at the table, by His Spirit, the risen Christ Himself meets and feeds His people, nourishing them with all the benefits of His finished work. It is also a witness to the unity of the body, for we who are many are one body, partaking of the one bread (1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32; John 6:53-58; Matthew 26:26-29). We come to the table soberly, examining ourselves and feeding on Christ by faith with thanksgiving. The Lord's Supper is observed by those who have professed faith in Christ and walk in repentance and obedience to Him.
8. The Second Coming: We believe in the personal, visible, bodily, and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ — the same Jesus who ascended into heaven will come again in the same way, at a time appointed by the Father and known to Him alone (Acts 1:9-11; Matthew 24:36; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Titus 2:13; Revelation 1:7).
At His return, the dead will be raised — the faithful to eternal life with Christ, the unbelieving to judgment (John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:12-13). Living believers will be transformed and forever conformed to the image of the risen Christ (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2). Christ will judge the living and the dead in righteousness, and His eternal kingdom will have no end (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 11:15).
We look for the new heavens and new earth, in which righteousness dwells, where God will dwell with His people, where every tear will be wiped away, and where the redeemed will reign with Christ in glory forever (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-7; Revelation 22:3-5). In this hope, we labor faithfully, watch soberly, and pray with the church of every age: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).
9. The Final Judgment and Eternity: We believe that all people will stand before the judgment seat of Christ — for the Father has committed all judgment to the Son, who alone is worthy to judge the living and the dead (John 5:22-27; Acts 17:31; 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 9:27).
The unrepentant will be judged according to their works and found guilty, condemned to eternal punishment — the just penalty of sin against an infinitely holy God (Matthew 25:41, 46; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 20:11-15). Those who are in Christ — whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life — will not come into condemnation, for the righteousness of Christ is theirs by faith (John 5:24; Romans 8:1; Revelation 20:15). They will be raised in glory, welcomed by their Lord, and granted to dwell with Him forever in the new creation.
In that day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). The redeemed will see Him face to face, the tears will be wiped from every eye, and they will dwell with God in unbroken joy, beholding His glory, serving Him, and reigning with Christ forever (1 John 3:2; Revelation 21:3-4; Revelation 22:3-5). The justice of God will be fully revealed, His mercy fully magnified, and Christ will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28).
10. Christian Living: We believe that all who have been saved by grace are called to live as those who belong to Christ — pursuing holiness in heart, mind, and conduct, walking in daily repentance and faith, bearing the fruit of the Spirit, and growing into the likeness of the Lord Jesus (Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3:1-17; Galatians 5:22-25; 2 Peter 3:18).
The Christian life is not lived in our own strength but by the grace of God, through the means He has appointed — the Word, prayer, the fellowship of the local church, and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us into the image of Christ (John 17:17; Philippians 4:6-7; Hebrews 10:24-25; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Our obedience flows not from fear or self-effort, but from gratitude — we love because He first loved us, and we obey because He has set us free (1 John 4:19; Galatians 5:1; Titus 2:11-14).
Believers are called to be salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16), to do good to all people and especially to the household of faith (Galatians 6:10), to bear faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20; 1 Peter 3:15), and to love one another as Christ has loved them (John 13:34-35). We live in this present age as those who look for the appearing of our Savior, knowing that when He appears we shall be like Him — and this hope purifies us, even now (Titus 2:13; 1 John 3:2-3).