"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Ephesians 2:10
“For we are his workmanship.”
This is why we cannot brag about our personal salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). We had nothing to do with it except to believe. God saved us. Since “we are His workmanship,” that is “His handiwork,” He did the work of salvation, and no one can save themselves. There is no such thing as a “self-made” Christian.
“Created in Christ Jesus.”
When He re-created believers at salvation, this is not the same thing as when Jesus created initially “in the beginning.”
“For by him [Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16).
As people living here physically on God’s green earth, we are a part of that original creation. Adam was our great, great, grandfather. When a person is saved, he/she is “born again,” and given “new life,” they are a “new creation” in Christ. They now have spiritual life, and the enmity with God is gone, they are “renewed” or “made new.” This is a spiritual and moral re-creation.[1]
“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
“Unto good works.”
Our Designer has designed us for “good works.”
“… ‘for good works.’ ‘Good works’ cannot be performed until we are new ‘created unto’ them. Paul never calls the works of the law ‘good works.’ We are not saved by, but created unto, good works”[2] (JFB).
“Which God hath before ordained.”
The word “ordained” in this verse means “to prepare beforehand.” The only other place it is used in the New Testament is in Romans.
“And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory” (Romans 9:23).
“It involves the idea of a previous determination, or an arrangement beforehand for securing a certain result. The previous preparation here referred to was, the divine intention; and the meaning is, that God had predetermined that we should lead holy lives” (Barnes).
Our sovereign Father gave thought to what His people were going to do, and how they were going to live holy lives long before He created them (Ephesians 1:4). He is all-wise.
“That we should walk in them.”
These “God-ordained good works” are our usual way of life, this is the path God has given us to “walk.” For God’s child, the most normal thing in the world for us is to obediently do His good works. What is it that He wants you to do today?
Quote: “But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you” (Jeremiah 7:23).
[1] See Robertson. A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] Jamison, Fausset, and Brown. Jamison-Fausset-Brown’s Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.