"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).
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superseded by the abundance of God’s grace, Paul uses phrases like “rich in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
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