FOREWORD:

If everyone adhered to the Word of YHWH (Yahweh, the Creator) instead of relying on man-made theology with its myriad religions and denominations, there would be no need for "statements of faith."

Be that as it may, we at The Refiner's Fire want to show the world there is only one ELOHIM/God whose Hebrew Name is translitered into English as "YHWH") who gave mankind His Torah - Divine Instructions in Righteousness to live by, without which we would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living.

He also sent to earth His Divine Messiah, Yeshua who was to teach, preach and proclaim the Kingdom of ELOHIM, and do everything His Father told him to do - including martyr himself to become our Final Sin Sacrifice. (See Luke 4:43; Deuteronomy 18:15-18; John 6:35-40; John 12:44-50.)

Unlike most Christian denominations, we do NOT teach that Grace and Mercy first started when Yeshua came into the world; rather, that Grace and Mercy have always been around, as we see in the Garden of Eden when God allowed Adam and Eve to continue living after they sinned. And, although the Torah was officially given at Mt. Sinai on stone tablets (see Exodus 24:12), YHWH's Divine Instructions have also been around since the Garden of Eden when YHWH gave the very first commands to Adam and Eve.

YHWH (most likely pronounced Yah-way) is ELOHIM/God; there is no other Creator. (See Genesis through Deuteronomy.) His Messiah, Yeshua (most likely pronounced Ye-shoo-ah) is a part of YHWH who was with Him since the beginning; he is "the Word Made Flesh" (John 1:1 and 14) and "the Arm of YHWH" (Isaiah 53:1), sent by YHWH as a human with a divine Nature - to teach and preach Torah face-to-face. He didn't come to replace his Father as God, nor did he change Torah in any way; he merely taught, reiterated and expounded on it.

(NOTE: Our use of the term "martyr" is intentional because traditional Jews love to point out that "G-d never required human sacrifice!" Well, Y'shua wasn't a "human sacrifice" because nobody "sacrificed" Him. He was a Divine Offering who willingly went to the cross/stake. In other words, Yeshua martyred Himself as our behalf, against which there is no law.)

The Bible consists of the following: The Tanach, or Tanakh (erroneously referred to as "the Old Testament"); AND the Brit Chadasha (erroneously referred to as the "New Testament" as if it somehow replaced the "old"). The Tanach contains the Torah (the first five Books that contain all of YHWH's Divine Instructions in Righteousness), along with the Writings and the Prophets, which were all written in Hebrew and Aramaic. (Torah, by the way, is the only harmonious, infallible and authoritative Word of God!)

We see in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture that was written by the Spirit is profitable for instruction, decisive refutation,for correction, and deep extensive learning in righteousness; that the man of Elohim may become perfect and complete for every good work. In order to KNOW God and His Divine Messiah, it is imperative that we constantly read AND study the ENTIRE Bible, from Genesis to Revelation!

YHWH (Yahweh) is "Echad" (one) as declared in the Sh'ma (Deuteronomy 6:4). This is the plural form of "one" (as in one dozen eggs, or one bunch of grapes). God is never referred to as Yachid, which is "one" in the singular form - such as one grape, or one egg. He is NOT a "trinity" (which would actually limit Him) who has manifested Himself in several ways and allowed men to see or feel His Presence, for instance, in the "Holy of Holies"; in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21); and His Spirit was inside of His "Son" Yeshua HaMashiyach who was "the Word made flesh" (John 1:14, Psalm 33:6, Isaiah 53, and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).

Yeshua, although a human who was born and died, had a divine qnoma (please see explanation) and was indelibly linked to his Father through that divinity. As the "arm" of YHWH (Exodus 6:6, Isaiah 53:1) - and we know the "arm" is part of the whole body!), he was not a demi-God or part of a "trinity". He was YHWH's Divine MESSIAH!

Translated from the Hebrew, Yeshua means "YHWH is Salvation." He is the "seed of a woman" as promised in Genesis 3:15; and his virgin birth was a sign to Israel of his Messiahship. Yeshua did not come to replace his Father or his Father's Torah (Matthew 5:17-20). Spiritual deliverance and salvation are available to those who place their trust in Yeshua's atoning death and His divine interpretation of Torah. As he said in John 14:6 - "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by me."

The regenerating work of the Spirit of YHWH is essential to salvation. This is not a separate Spirit distinct from YHWH, it is the Spirit of YHWH - the same Spirit as described in Genesis 1 and John 4:24. We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit and in the exercise of all of the Biblical gifts of the Spirit.

No one is justified through "keeping the Law of Moses." Rather, the Torah was given as a guide for set apart living. Without Torah, man would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living! (Remember, sin is transgression of the Torah - 1 John 3:4.) Since YHWH is immutable, the spiritual principles embodied in Torah are binding upon believers today. In Numbers 15:13-16, YHWH tells mankind that ALL who believe in Him must be Torah observant:

Numbers 15: 13 "'Everyone who is native-born must do these things in this way when he brings an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 14 For the generations to come, whenever an alien or anyone else living among you presents an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, he must do exactly as you do. 15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: 16 The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.'"

Please re-read the above in case you missed it: Any Torah-less non-Jew/Hebrew/Israelite who does not yet believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is an "alien"/foreigner. However, if they do wish to accept Him, then they are to do exactly as those who are already belong to Him!

Because there is a spiritual unity between all believers in Yeshua, everyone must adhere to Torah. We are all one in Messiah (Ephesians 2:15). YHWH did not hand down separate rules for His natural and adopted children, as revealed in Numbers 15 above.

Jeremiah 31:32 tells us that YHWH made His "new covenant" not with the Gentiles or Christians or Muslims or anyone else except the Houses of Israel and Judah. He did, however, extend His grace and mercy to the Gentiles who, once they become believers in Yeshua, automatically become part of "Israel"! And God told Israel: "I give you good instruction: Do not forsake my Torah" (Proverbs 4:2). And Paul reiterated this when he said: Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. (Romans 3:31)

YHWH has a special, everlasting covenant relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (who were called "Hebrews" - which means "to cross over" - and their descendants. However, today anyone who believes in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is part of Israel, spiritually, and is considered an equal participant in the Kingdom. In the end times, all Israel (which all believers are part of!) will turn to YHWH and accept Yeshua as the Messiah promised in the Torah (and specifically in Isaiah 53). Then will the Law go forth from Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.