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Ephesians 2:10
Created for Good Works
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
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Why it is worth knowing
- “Workmanship” (Greek: poiema, root of “poem”): we are God’s masterpiece
- Saved by grace for good works: grace and works are not in tension here
- The good works were “prepared before”: God has a specific path for each person
- “Walk in them”: purposeful, daily living in the works God has ordained
Where it sits: Ephesians 2:8-10
for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
Hear the passage it sits in, sung word for word, on BibleDo's Ephesians page.
Background
Ephesians 2:10 immediately follows the famous grace-through-faith passage (verses 8-9). Paul has just said emphatically that salvation is not by works, and then he says we are created for good works. This is not contradiction but completion: we are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. The Greek word poiema (workmanship) is used only here and in Romans 1:20: it speaks of intentional, crafted creation, like an artisan’s finest work. Each person saved by grace becomes a new creation with a unique purpose God has prepared specifically for them.