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By God's grace, still presenting the same old message from the same old Book...

Heb 2:3
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Various persons have been writing me asking if a Christian should be concerned with works and what those works are that a Christian should be concerned with. The flip side of not working is if the Christian is not concerned with works then they are not concerned about sin (Isa 1:16-17; Luke 11:24-26). A Christian that is at peace with sin is not showing vital fellowship with our Lord. They are not in a safe place, and need to consider what the Bible has to say about sin. The ones that teach Christians need not be concerned with works, making reference to works being legalism as if our Lord saves us and gives approval that we could disregard what the word has to say about our walk with the Lord do not profit those that hear them. While we are not saved according to our works, we are called and saved to work (Eph 2:10). The one that encourages that we need not be concerned with being a doer of the word is deceived (Ezek 33:31; James 1:22-25). 

Jeremiah 7:8-11
8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? 
11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

It is the Lord we are to trust, follow, and obey, and not the commandments of men (Ps 119:105). 

As for specifics about the works, what is found in the Scriptures is our road map. 

Matthew 22:37-39
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

We are called to warfare (2Cor 10:4; 1Tim 1:18-19). Keep the conscience clear and guide your conscience with the word of God.

1 Timothy 1:18-19 
19 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 
5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Don't allow any to take away your armour.

Luke 11:21-22 
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

Romans 13:11-14 
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

2 Corinthians 6:7
7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

A Person Is saved From Sin To Live Unto Righteousness

1 Peter 2:24 
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Matthew 22:37 
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Ephesians 2:10 
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Salvation is of the Lord, past, present and future.

Romans 8:30
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Phil 1:6
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

2 Tim 1:9-10
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

It would be helpful if you read the book of James. Also Matthew 5:4-11. Christians can get themselves in a mess, and none of us are beyond that, this side of glory. Listen to what the Scripture has to say, for now not being overly concerned with what various men have said to you or taught, and realize, Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

When thoughts take the Christian away and cause us to lose joy, commit thy works unto the Lord. This is a process whereby we are called to sanctify ourselves, doing works pleasing to the Lord, and by our works we have our thoughts established. The order is first, works. In our sin sick world many go about teaching all sorts of things to fill the head with every sort of thing and with that much learning think that is the way we should live (2Tim 3:7). Contrary to that, look what the Bible says (Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established). There are an abundance of teachers going about with all sorts of things we must learn thereby establishing our thoughts, but the word of God says, simply, commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established. It is the Lord that made us, and our sanctification is our being put aside to perform that which our Lord and our Maker intended. The wicked are reserved for the day of judgment. Those of the faith are to depart from iniquity.

Proverbs 16:3
3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Rev 14:12
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Rev 13:9-10
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Rev 2:2-3
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience , and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience , and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Matt 7:22-24
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity .
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Isa 1:16-17
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

The Father choose particular ones before the foundation of the earth and gave those to the Son; the Son died for those the Father gave Him; and the Holy Spirit regenerates those the Son redeemed.

Eph 1:4
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

John 10:11
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

John 17:6, 9
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

2 Tim 2:19-22
19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity .
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

1 Peter 1:2
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit , unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

2 Thess 2:13
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

With salvation there is justification, sanctification and glorification. Salvation is immediate in a sense, yet salvation also shows there are aspects in the past, present and future. 

Justification

Justified; Christ died for our sins, and was raised again for our justification. We are redeemed by the Blood of God (Acts 20:28), forgiven; and justified by the resurrection. Justification delivers us from the penalty of sin.

Rom 3:24-26, 28
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Rom 4:25
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification .

Rom 5:1
5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 8:33
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth .

Sanctification

Sanctification shows itself by our being delivered from the power of sin (Rom 7); and with this the Christian warfare is discovered. We are called to righteousness and therefore we are not to live passively but are to put on armour and fight the good fight. While there are things we are to abstain from, there also are things we are to be doing, and also the Scriptures show that we are sanctified wholly by God. When we have faith, i.e., are saved, we are told to sanctify ourselves by works of righteousness, that is our being sanctified of the law, yet in another sense sanctification is wholly of God for it is God that sanctifies us, i.e., puts us aside for His purpose. For the present time, this side of glory, regarding our nature, our righteousness does not compare to God’s righteousness (Isa 6:3; Heb 4:15; Isa 64:6; Rom 7). One day we that have been called will also be glorified, and then we will be saved from the presence of sin, our being without sin (Rom 8:30; Heb 9:28).

John 17:17, 19
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Rom 13:11-14
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

1 Thess 4:3-7
3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification , that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

1 Thess 5:23-24
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Regarding repentance, if we are to be saved, repentance is granted to us. Our believing is the work of God, i.e., God works in us that we repent and believe. There is a general call, and there is an effectual call. Many are called but few chosen. Those that are chosen hear, and those that hear are made willing (Ps 110:3; John 6:29, 44, 45; Acts 13:48; Rom 1:16; 1Thess 1:5; 1Cor 1:18; Acts). God grants repentance, by His power we are saved, and by His power we are kept (Acts 11:18; Rom 16:25; 1Pet 1:5). As it is written, ye must be born again (John 3:7; 1Pet 1:2; 2Thess 2:13; 1John 5:1, 4) If a person is saved, their life ought to show that they love God (John 14:15; 1Cor 8:3). We love Him because he first loved us, but to the lost man that is foolishness (1John 4:19; 2Cor 2:14)

Glorification

There is a time coming, at His appearing, that believers will receive the redemption of their body. This mortal will put on immortality, and we will be delivered from the presence of sin and death.

Romans 8:23
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

1 Cor 15:53-54
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

2 Cor 5:1-11
5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands , eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

Phil 3:20-21
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Col 3:4
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

2 Thess 1:10
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

1 Peter 5:10
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

1 Cor 15:26
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Salvation is of the LORD.

Give heed to the written word of God. The man that is saved is not saved by the wisdom of men, but is saved by the power of God (1Cor 1:17, 20, 21; 2:4, 13; 2Cor 1:12). Bible doctrine is doctrine which is according to godliness (1Tim 6:3). The Bible speaks of sin being exceeding sinful (Rom 7:13). God hates sin. We ought to hate every false way. (Ps 119:104, 128; Rom 7:13)

Galatians 6.7-8; John 8.36; 1 John 2.17; 1 John 1.9; 1 John 2.1; Hebrews 7.25; Proverbs 28.13

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

James 1:22 
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Ezekiel 33:31 
31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

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The LORD bless thee, and keep thee.

Bob Krajcik
Mansfield, Ohio 
31 August 2004
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Bible Study Letters

A message of comfort from the Scriptures,
that we through patience and comfort
of the scriptures might have hope.

Come and hear, all ye that fear God,
and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
Psalms 66:16

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