“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”
There are texts in the Bible that, in my opinion, can stand on their own. John 3:16; Psalm 23; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 4:8 & 13 come to mind. Ephesians 2:8-10 is another, and this article will be based on this text. It tells us that salvation is made possible by God’s grace and that it becomes effective in our lives by faith. It tells us that salvation is a gift of God, not of works, meaning that we can’t earn salvation, we simply have to accept it in Jesus. But verse 10 is where I want to dwell at this time. It tells us that when we are saved, we become the workmanship of Christ in order for us to do the good works that God has foreordained that all of His people do. Jesus goes to work in us through His Holy Spirit, and He works in our lives to help us grow and progress in the way that He would have us grow. Paul explains this process to us in Philippians 3:12-13: “Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” This doesn’t mean, as some suggest, that you can work out your own way to be saved. Jesus took care of that on the cross. What it means is to literally work out what God has put in. Read verse 13. It tells us that we are to work out what God has put in so that we can do His will and serve at His pleasure and not our own. The Christian faith is not worked in; rather, it is worked out from within us as we serve Christ under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Jesus works in us through the Holy Spirit to do the works that God has “before ordained that we should walk in them.” Basically, this means that He called us to do the works that are common to all Christians. But I also think that it means that God has plans for our lives and that when we become Christians, God has plans for what we do with our lives. For some that means to enter the ministry and serve as pastors. For some that means that they are to use their gift of teaching to teach in Sunday School. For some this means that God wants them to serve as missionaries in far-away places. For all, however, it means to simply live the Christian life and serve Him in ways that reflect His care, love, and mercy. It is important for all Christians to understand that God has plans for their lives. Verse 10 plainly expresses this, and we should believe it of ourselves. Jesus works in us to make us more like Himself. When Jesus comes into our lives, we are to love all people. This does not mean that it will always be easy, but it will always be Christ like. When Jesus comes into our lives we are to forgive people who “trespass against” us. Love and forgiveness characterize the life of Jesus as no other words can. But He also expects His people to be active in their service for Him. This does not mean that everything that we do for Jesus has to be done in the church. It will include such service, but it means that we will serve Him in the communities in which we live and, certainly, in our homes. It means that when we see needs that should be met, we will do what we can to meet those needs. Jesus did not live His life in seclusion. He was involved in the world around Him and He expects the same of us. Remember, Christian, that you are the “workmanship” of Christ Jesus. Rejoice in that fact and live it out before the world. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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