Salvation and Works: are they complementary to each other or opposed

To be saved, one must only accept the completed work of Christ Jesus. Confess with our mouth and believe in our heart. You are now in the family of God.

Now, will you remain a baby or will you grow spiritually?

God's word is filled with the idea that we should change and grow.
Hebrew's speaks to us not to remain as babes but to grow and be mature.
Philippians says to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

This does NOT mean that you are working for your initial salvation, you are not working for the Salvation that Christ gave His life for! You must work together with God to renew your mind, you put off the old man and you put on the new man, you put on the mind of Christ. All of these phrases say "YOU". It requires the will, the desire, faith, and choice to bring about change in your life to match your new spirit. You now have the Holy Spirit living within you. He is your teacher, He will lead you into all truth. Lies and deceptions have ruled in your life previous to your Salvation, now it is time for the Holy Spirit to speak truth into your life. Will you listen to Him or will you ignore Him?

This means that you must work with God, now, to get your new spiritual life working in your soul! God wants to get rid of the trash in your soul and put his desires in there. When your desires are changed into God's desires, you will be a different person.

He wants you to think the way he thinks.
He wants you to act like he acts.
This is working out of your salvation. He wants you to "look" like you are saved!!!! God wants you to let your Salvation run it's course in your whole life. Salvation is the beginning of your experience with God. You are saved for a purpose. God does not intend for you to get saved and remain immature in spiritual things. He wants grown sons. The Book of Revelation speaks of Christ having a "Bride", are you mature enough to be a bride?

When his will gets worked into your soul, then you also have changes in your soul and then your body, like not getting drunk, not stealing, hateful, spiteful, unforgiving, mean, put off the old man, etc.

On the other hand, you will be more loving, kind, forgiving, gentle, long suffering, more joyful, more thankful, the fruit of the Spirit should begin to manifest in your life, and make you a light in the world of darkness.

We were created unto good works. A christian should be doing the good works of God! Everyday, everywhere, listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit. Jesus went about doing good, so should we.

The key, I believe is are we honestly following the Lord? Are we just social christians void of the life of the Spirit. God knows our hearts, he is the judge. You know if you are walking with God.

I question if a person is really saved if they are REFUSING to be changed. I believe that a person may accept Christ as their savior but remain ignorant to walking in godliness.

All professing christians must be part of a bible believing church so they can hear the truth and grow. Their salvation is only the beginning of a new life. They need to learn to grow.

You cannot work for your initial salvation. The End!
BUT, you must work with God to get your salvation functioning in your soul life, so that the purity of your new spirit is flowing into your soul.

Books, Should Christians Read Other Books?

I have heard people say that Christians should not read other books about the bible. They say, why should we read what sinful men have written. I heard one man say it is too bad that it took a certain man to write a book about what was already in the bible and people all over the world are reading this particular book about our purpose, (The Purpose Driven Life). I praise God that he has revealed to men of God another way to get the Gospel out there!!!!! Sure there are some religious books we should not read. Any book you pick up, listen for the Holy Spirit to hear if you should continue to read it or if it is error. Everywhere you go you must discern whether something lines up with the word of God or not, not just books. Books are written expressions of thought? Speech is also an expression of thought. You can have godly thoughts or ungodly thoughts. Writing it down does not change it or make it less because it is written. When a preacher or a teacher ministers the word they also are giving you the thoughts of the mind in verbal form. Do you listen to them? All speech and written words should match the Bible.

The Apostle Paul wrote many of the New Testament "letters". He quoted some Old Testament and added some of what the Holy Spirit revealed to him, and it agreed with the whole of the Pentateuch/Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms. What of James, Peter, John, Luke, Mark and Matthew, and the writer of Hebrews?????? These were men of God writing to explain to all of us the ways of God. They were not "sinful" men, They are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. What they wrote was godly, and of God.

Maybe back in their day, some thought they should only read the Old Testament books and stop reading these strange letters/Epistles that these men were writing and having passed around in the churches. Thank God that those letters were passed around and that they should write about the risen Lord and His "revelation" on what the Old Testament said about Him. A letter may go places, that the writer may not be able to go to.

I believe that when you are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ that you are a new creation, He calls us kings and priests, we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. We are created unto good works. I believe that we can write books, speak, and do many things that are godly and right and correct. Do we sin? yes, sometimes, but that does not make us so "sinful" that we cannot speak God's Truth.