God's Handiwork

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

The apostle Paul makes a remarkable statement about who we are as Christians. We are God’s workmanship. Workmanship in this verse is a term that could refer to any finished or manufactured product, like a piece of literature, a painting, a piece of marble sculpture, or a building. This passage says we are God’s workmanship, God’s handiwork.

Of course, to say that we are the workmanship of God often serves as a reminder that we are part of the glorious creation God brought into existence in the beginning. Scripture declares that God originally created man from the dust of the ground and gave him life, and that God made man in his own image and likeness (Gen. 1-2). The realization that we were made by God should lead us to praise him. “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Ps. 100:3). “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Ps. 139:14).

In this passage, however, the apostle is referring to something more than mere physical creation. We are his new creation, “created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). We are God’s new creation because through Christ our sins are washed away and we have been restored to fellowship with God.

The statement quoted above from Ephesians 2:10 comes at the conclusion of a passage filled with contrasts—the past vs. the present (and future); dead in trespasses and sins vs. alive with Christ; wrath vs. mercy (vv. 1-9). To emphasize how the depth of our sin and its consequences are superseded by the abundance of God’s grace, Paul uses phrases like “rich in mercy,” “great love,” and “the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness” in describing what the heavenly Father has made of us. Our salvation is by grace through faith. It is a gift from God, entirely undeserved.

So, all that we are and all that we have in Christ are because of God. The work of salvation is his doing, not ours. Our part is to have faith, with all the humble obedience that saving faith entails, in order to appropriate God’s gracious gift of salvation. But in this there is no reason for boasting. We, as saved people, are God’s workmanship—God’s handiwork. Consider three implications of this truth.

God’s handiwork was intended to serve a purpose. Christians have been saved to serve. They have been created in Christ to do good works. The potter molds the clay, designs a bowl, a pitcher, a cup. The vessel serves the purpose for which it was designed, or it is of no value. What does God intend for his workmanship? We were created for good works. Paul adds that this is what God intended from the beginning. It is part of his plan. We are renovated by God to walk in good works. This is why he created us anew. He redeemed us and purified us to be “a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Tit. 2:14). What a contrast to the past life of walking in the world’s sinful ways!

God’s handiwork must be handled with care. As God’s workmanship, we as Christians are special and of immeasurable value to him. Like a priceless family heirloom, we ought to respect and care for that which God has made of us. He has invested so much in his workmanship. We were bought with a price, so we should strive to glorify God in our thoughts, words, and actions (1 Cor. 6:20). Of course, holiness and righteousness in life are the result of an on-going process of putting off the old self and putting on the new (Eph. 4:20-24). We must put aside things that would mar, deface, or destroy that which God has created, and seek to perfect holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7:1).

God’s handiwork is a testament to his power and grace. Great works of art in a museum are evidence of the talents and genius of those who created them. Beautiful buildings are the legacy of the great architects who designed them. The greatness of the architect is seen in what he made. In the same way, God’s great plan of redemption—and the lives of the redeemed—stand as witnesses to his glory. Paul expresses his praise of God all through the epistle for these reasons. It was all “to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:3-14; 3:20-21). Let us praise him for his saving grace on our behalf.

Dan Petty

Growing in Spiritual Discernment

Paul’s prayer for the saints at Ephesus (Eph. 1:15-19) expressed his thanksgiving for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for one another. He had heard of their spiritual progress, and he was thankful. It did his heart good. But he also knew there was room for continued spiritual growth.

So, his prayers also petitioned God on their behalf, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him” (v. 17). God had already bestowed upon them every spiritual blessing. He had lavished upon them the riches of his grace (vv. 7-8), blessings that included their enlightenment through the revelation of the mystery of his will “in all wisdom and insight” (vv. 8-9).

The apostle’s desire for them was spiritual growth—the growth that comes from greater spiritual discernment. He prayed that they might take full advantage of what they already possessed. “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe…” (vv. 18-19).

This recalls some basic principles that can help us in our spiritual growth. Consider these questions:

Have I asked God to help me know him and his will? Paul prayed for Christians to grow in faith and spiritual discernment. Surely, we should do the same for ourselves as well as for each other. In his reflections on the word of God, the Psalmist in Psalm 119 at length expresses his joy in meditating on it. “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all day” (v. 97). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (v. 105). He also prays that God will give him understanding and insight. “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law… Give me understanding according to Your word” (vv. 10, 169). We ought to ask God to bless us with greater wisdom and insight.

Am I being diligent in the word? Read diligently, carefully, and thoughtfully (2 Tim. 2:15). Humbly seek to grasp the full significance of God’s word and how it should impact us. Seek to advance from milk to solid food, from childhood to spiritual maturity (Heb. 5:11-14).

Am I always ready to apply the teachings of the gospel in daily practice? What does the Lord expect us to do with the blessings he has given us? What do we intend to do with what we read (John. 7:17)? Growth in spiritual discernment is not just an academic or intellectual discipline. It is realized in practice, through walking with the Lord and bearing fruit. In a similar prayer on behalf of the Colossians, Paul prayed “that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9-10).

May our God give to each of us a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.

Dan Petty