One day, a woman called her friend in tears. Her mother had given her a beautiful handkerchief, which had been passed down from her grandmother. The woman had carelessly marked it with indelible ink. The handkerchief was ruined, and her heart was broken. Her friend, an artist, asked her to send it to him, which she did. Several weeks later, the artist returned it to her. The woman called again, this time with tears of joy. Her artist friend had taken the ink spot and designed a beautiful work around it. The ruined handkerchief was brand new, more beautiful and precious than it ever was.   

This is what God has done for us by his transforming grace. Sin had left its crimson stain. But God took our ruined lives and made something new. 

• This is what it means to be saved. 
• This is what it means to be in Christ. 
• This is what it means to be a Christian. 

Ephesians 2:1-10 explains the way of salvation. Verses 1-3 describe how low sin dragged us down. We were dead, enslaved, and condemned in sin. Verses 4-7 describe how God lifts us up in Christ. We are made alive, raised, and seated with Christ in the heavenly places. How are Christians transformed from what we were in sin to what we are in Christ? Ephesians 2:8-9 answers: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

God saves us. We do not and cannot save ourselves. The only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin from which we need to be saved. Repentant sinners are saved by grace through faith in Christ, plus or minus nothing. We have no right or reason to boast about our salvation. It is all of grace that it may all be of God that it may all be to his glory. Ephesians 2:10 explains why no Christian or church should boast: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” 

This is a short verse – just twenty-two words in English. Yet this short verse states a big truth: You are God’s work of art in Christ. R. Kent Hughes said, “I do not think there is any more exalted description of a believer in all of Scripture. You are I are God’s work of art – his masterpiece!” What does it mean to be God’s workmanship? 

The Glorious Truth

Ephesians 2:9 says salvation is “not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” There will be no self-congratulations in heaven. Heaven will be filled with the praises of God alone. Verse 10 explains why: “For we are his workmanship.” No one can or will boast in the presence of God, because we are his workmanship. “His” emphasizes the fact that only God saves. Divine salvation is described in graphic terms: “We are his workmanship.”

“Workmanship” is the Greek term from which we get our word “poem.” It means “that which has been made,” referring to a work of art. The term is used in Romans 1:20: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” All people everywhere are condemned for not worshiping God as God. They are without excuse because God’s deity and sovereignty are revealed in “the things that have been made.” 

Psalm 24:1-2 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” The created world bears the imprint of intelligent design. 

• A poem testifies to a poet. 
• A song testifies to a composer.
• A book testifies to an author. 
• A painting testifies to an artist. 
• Creation testifies to the Creator. 

Creation declares that God is real. The term used in Romans 1:20 for how God reveals himself in creation is used in Ephesians 2:10 for how God reveals himself in salvation. We had as much to do with our salvation as the universe had in creating itself. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” In the same way, we are his workmanship. 

Jeremiah had a vision of a potter’s house. As he worked, the clay was marred in his hands. He reworked it into a new vessel. Jeremiah 18:6 says, “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? Declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”This is the hope of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Sin has marred us. But God, in his mercy, did not throw us away. There is no raw material that God cannot work with. He is ready, willing, and able to make you new. “Workmanship” was used of a finished work. That’s our blessed assurance in Christ. Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” 

The Divine Purpose

When I was young, I often saw signs that read: “I know I’m somebody, because God doesn’t make junk.” It was a noble attempt to build self-worth and self-esteem. Ultimately, however, only the one who believes the words of Ephesians 2:10 can make this claim. If you are alive, your life has purpose. To walk in God’s good purpose for your life, you must be created in Christ Jesus for good works. 

God Created Us In Christ Jesus. Verse 10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” What does it mean to be God’s workmanship? It means we have been “created.” God created humanity. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”The Imago Dei has been marred by sin. But when you trust Christ as Savior and Lord, God recreates you.

Ephesians 2:15 says Christ saved us “that he might create in himself one new man.” Ephesians 4:24 exhorts us to “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” If you are what you have always been, you are not a Christian. Christianity is not an “Old-Adam Improvement Society.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Peter Jeffrey writes about spending two summers cutting grass in a cemetery while in college. The man in charge of the cemetery disliked Christians and took every opportunity to attack his faith. One day, he pointed to a man walking through the cemetery and said, “There’s a man who was ruined by Christianity.” He explains that the passerby had made a fortune selling goods on the “black market.” “Then he got converted and gave it all up,” the cynic said. “Christianity ruined him.” 

Indeed, Christianity will ruin your life. It will transform you from one who lives for sin and self to a work of art created in Christ Jesus for good works. 

God Created Us For Good Works. Salvation is by grace, not works. It is a gift for the guilty, not a reward for the righteous. Throughout his New Testament writings, Paul rarely uses the term “works” positively. When he does, he often qualifies it, as he does here, with the word “good.”

• Verse 9 condemns works. 
• Verse 10 commends good works.  

Feel the tension of the text. We are not saved by good works. We are saved for good works. Good works are not the ground of salvation. They are the result of salvation. Good works do not produce salvation. Salvation produces good works. A life of good works is evidence that you are God’s workmanship. Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” 

A man once said to Hershel Hobbs, “If I believed that I am saved by grace and not by works, and could never be lost again, I would get saved and then have the time of my life doing what I wanted to do.” Hobbs replied, “Yes, but if you were really saved, what you would want to do would be far different from what you are now doing.” 

God saved you for a purpose. It was not that you could do your own thing. It was not to make you rich, healthy, fulfilled, and successful. God created you in Christ Jesus for good works. What good works? The term “good works” indicates deeds done for the good of others and the glory of God. It is about a willingness to do good. 

Galatians 6:10 says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” You may not have the time, skill, knowledge, maturity, or resources that others have. But we all have opportunities to do good. John Wesley said, “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

The Sovereign Design

The world encourages and commends “random acts of kindness.” Whether planned or spontaneous, showing kindness is an upright and upstanding thing to do. Christians have a higher calling. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand.” 

“Prepared beforehand” translates a Greek word that means to prepare in advance. It is to predetermine. Romans 9:23 says there are vessels of mercy that God “has prepared beforehand for glory.” Those that God has prepared beforehand for glory have also been prepared beforehand for good works. 

Ephesians 1:4 says God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world.” Before God said, “Let there be light,” you were on God’s mind. In eternity past, God chose to save you and use you. Warren Wiersbe wrote: “The same loving Father who chose me, called me, and saved me has also marked out a wonderful plan for my life.”

What has God prepared beforehand? It is not that he placed in you a general disposition toward good works. It is not that he gives you a menu of good works for you to choose from. Ephesians 2:10 should be read specifically and comprehensively. God prepares beforehand the deed, place, and time. Acts 17:26 says, “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling.” That is God’s common grace to all mankind. 

• It is no accident that you are who you are. 
• It is no accident that you live when you live. 
• It is no accident that you live where you do. 

If that is true of all mankind, how much more does God have a plan for his saints?  The Lord has work for you to do. There is no place for envy in the church. We are the body of Christ. Each member of the body has a function. God has work for you to do that no one else can do. This does not mean God needs you. We got here too late and will leave too early to have a monopoly on God’s program. But it is God’s plan, purpose, and pleasure to use your life for his glory. 

John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

The Urgent Call

Verse 10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” How should we respond to the fact that we were created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand? “We should walk in them.”“Walk,” when used metaphorically, refers to one’s lifestyle, habitual behavior, or way of life. Your walk is how you live. How’s your walk? 

Before we were saved, we walked in sin. Ephesians 2:1-2 says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.” Ephesians 4:17 says, “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.” Salvation is more than a ticket to heaven. It changes the way you walk.

• Ephesians 2:10 tells us to walk in good works. 
• Ephesians 4:1 tells us to walk in unity. 
• Ephesians 5:2 tells us to walk in love 
• Ephesians 5:8 tells us to walk as children of light. 
• Ephesians 5:15 tells us to walk carefully.

There is tension between time and eternity in our text. God prepared beforehand good works for us. We are to walk in them during our earthly lives. This verse is the best answer to the question, How long do I have to live? You will live long enough to walk in the good works God prepared beforehand for you. What a comforting truth! The Lord did not snatch you to glory when you were saved because he has work for you to do. If the Lord woke up this morning, it means he still has you in his plans. There is no reason to worry, doubt, or fear. George Whitfield said, “We are immortal until our work on earth is done.” 

God determines our life’s work. The time, place, and end of that work are in God’s hands. This comforting truth is an urgent call. Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” If Christ tarries his coming, death is imminent and inevitable. We are one breath away from our exit into eternity. 

• Don’t waste your life on sinful activities. 
• Don’t waste your life on selfish pursuits. 
• Don’t waste your life on worldly pleasures. 
• Don’t waste your life on deceitful riches. 
• Don’t waste your life on ungodly relations. 

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”