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Ephesians 2:10 NASB
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

We always get so bogged down in Eph 2:1-9 that we never seem to get to talk about verse 10. Am I the only one that finds Eph 2:10 an extraordinary claim?
 
"For we are His workmanship ..." (Eph 2:10 NASB)

workmanship--literally, "a thing of His making"; "handiwork." Here the spiritual creation, not the physical, is referred to ( Eph 2:8-9 ). [A. R. Fausset]

For we are His workmanship: God saves us not merely to save us from the wrath we rightly deserve, but also to make something beautiful of us. We are His workmanship, which translates the ancient Greek word poiema. The idea is that we are His beautiful poem. The Jerusalem Bible translates workmanship as “work of art.” [David Guzik]

Morphological GNT: αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (His) (for) (we are) (workmanship)

So what do you think?
Are we only the physical creation of God, and in that sense 'His workmanship'?
Does the verse have something more in mind? Are we a new, spiritual workmanship of God ?

Are we God's "poem" and His "work of art"?
 
Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9. not by works, so that no one can boast. 10. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We (Christians as a whole) are here, on earth, to do good works. It is by doing these good works (not for ourselves but for God) that the world of the lost may realize that God is amongst us for those who choose to be faithful. God's workmanship is the deposit of Love and Truth, within us, as a guide for the faithful to follow and become anew in Christ Jesus. The anew us becomes a light in the world so others can see that God is actually here, and not hidden or non-existent.
 
Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9. not by works, so that no one can boast. 10. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We (Christians as a whole) are here, on earth, to do good works. It is by doing these good works (not for ourselves but for God) that the world of the lost may realize that God is amongst us for those who choose to be faithful. God's workmanship is the deposit of Love and Truth, within us, as a guide for the faithful to follow and become anew in Christ Jesus. The anew us becomes a light in the world so others can see that God is actually here, and not hidden or non-existent.
Agreed. They'll know us by our fruits.
 
Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9. not by works, so that no one can boast. 10. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We (Christians as a whole) are here, on earth, to do good works. It is by doing these good works (not for ourselves but for God) that the world of the lost may realize that God is amongst us for those who choose to be faithful. God's workmanship is the deposit of Love and Truth, within us, as a guide for the faithful to follow and become anew in Christ Jesus. The anew us becomes a light in the world so others can see that God is actually here, and not hidden or non-existent.
Agreed. They'll know us by our fruits.
So is that INDIVIDUALLY or COLLECTIVELY or both?

Was Paul speaking to the collective Body of Christ (the Church) and claiming that the "church" is God's handiwork and the "church" is to do good works and God prepared these works for the "church" to do?

Was Paul speaking to the individual members of the Body of Christ (the saints) and claiming that each and every "saint" is God's handiwork and each and every "saint" is to do good works and God prepared these works for each and every individual "saint" to do?
 
So is that INDIVIDUALLY or COLLECTIVELY or both?

Was Paul speaking to the collective Body of Christ (the Church) and claiming that the "church" is God's handiwork and the "church" is to do good works and God prepared these works for the "church" to do?

Was Paul speaking to the individual members of the Body of Christ (the saints) and claiming that each and every "saint" is God's handiwork and each and every "saint" is to do good works and God prepared these works for each and every individual "saint" to do?
It does not matter, because the collective is made from individuals.
God discerns individual hearts. Not all individuals in a church produce good fruit.
 
"... created in Christ Jesus for good works ..." (Eph 2:10 NASB)


created--having been created ( Eph 4:24 Psa 102:18 Isa 43:21 2Cr 5:5, 17 ).
unto 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. [A. R. Fausset]​

In Christ Jesus, that is, on the account of what he has done and suffered, and by the influence and operation of his blessed Spirit. Unto good works, etc. The apostle having before ascribed this change to divine grace in exclusion of works, lest he should seem thereby to discourage good works, he here observes that though the change is to be ascribed to nothing of that nature (for we are the workmanship of God), yet God, in his new creation, has designed and prepared us for good works: Created unto good works, with a design that we should be fruitful in them. Wherever God by his grace implants good principles, they are intended to be for good works. [Matthew Henry]​

Q & A 86 [Heidelberg Catechism]
Q. Since we have been delivered from our misery by grace through Christ without any merit of our own, why then should we do good works?

A. Because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, is also restoring us by his Spirit into his image, so that with our whole lives we may show that we are thankful to God for his benefits, [Rom. 6:13; 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:5-10] so that he may be praised through us, [Matt. 5:16; 1 Cor. 6:19-20] so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, [Matt. 7:17-18; Gal. 5:22-24; 2 Pet. 1:10-11] and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ. [Matt. 5:14-16; Rom. 14:17-19]​


My thoughts:
Before I was saved, Nihilism made perfect sense. The old saying "you live, you die and when you are gone, you don't even leave a hole" summed up the deep purposelessness that human beings attempt to cover in some sort of fancy wallpaper. However, if you look at the veneer even a little closely, you can tell that it is a faux finish. If you look beneath the surface, you discover the wood is all rotted away, dying and dangerously close to collapse.

Then one encounters God and His transforming power. Suddenly, we are capable of doing that for which we were created. The transformation from dying in the flesh to living in Christ opens the door to finally being capable of doing good works ... the reason for our existence (serving the purpose for which God created us).
 
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It does not matter, because the collective is made from individuals.
God discerns individual hearts. Not all individuals in a church produce good fruit.
It might matter just a little.
There would seem to be some difference between being "God's individual 'poem' or 'work of art'" and being 'just another brick in the wall' at Chartres Cathedral.

It also shifts the focus between a personal expectation to do good works, and an expectation that 'the church' will do something. Applied to evangelism, as an example, are we called to do the work of telling people about God, or do we expect God to raise up some with a gift for evangelism to do the work for 'the whole church'?
 
It might matter just a little.
There would seem to be some difference between being "God's individual 'poem' or 'work of art'" and being 'just another brick in the wall' at Chartres Cathedral...
Each brick is unique (not special), but each one is required. Each brick is authentic and has its purpose in God's plan. Those who fail to see their authentic workmanship by God are more likely to see themselves as just another brick in the wall.
...It also shifts the focus between a personal expectation to do good works, and an expectation that 'the church' will do something. Applied to evangelism, as an example, are we called to do the work of telling people about God, or do we expect God to raise up some with a gift for evangelism to do the work for 'the whole church'?
We each need to practice our own faith, such as abiding to the Spirit within.
Everybody evangelizes whenever they are witnessed to be abiding to the Truth. This is regardless if we are conforming to the expectations of a church or not.

Personally, I do not conform to the idea that God should be sold like trying to sell a can of baked beans. In my experience, it is better to base evangelism on attraction rather than promotion. But of course that is up to the individual.

To be in Christ, in God's workmanship, is to follow The way, truth and life. That is, to live a truthful life regardless of who or where we are. We only conform with what is Truth, that is, Christ within us. We no longer conform with the wishes and expectations of anything which is not Loving and Truthful, and this includes churches.

Unfortunately I left a church because they only wanted us to evangelize the youth, and I was told to forget about the alcoholics and homeless. Such discrimination is not Loving and Truthful to my understanding of Christ within me. So I left that church, and as a result lost much friendship with others from that church. That is the price we have to pay sometimes to be genuine and authentic to the workmanship of God within us.
 
Each brick is unique (not special), but each one is required. Each brick is authentic and has its purpose in God's plan. Those who fail to see their authentic workmanship by God are more likely to see themselves as just another brick in the wall.

We each need to practice our own faith, such as abiding to the Spirit within.
Everybody evangelizes whenever they are witnessed to be abiding to the Truth. This is regardless if we are conforming to the expectations of a church or not.

Personally, I do not conform to the idea that God should be sold like trying to sell a can of baked beans. In my experience, it is better to base evangelism on attraction rather than promotion. But of course that is up to the individual.

To be in Christ, in God's workmanship, is to follow The way, truth and life. That is, to live a truthful life regardless of who or where we are. We only conform with what is Truth, that is, Christ within us. We no longer conform with the wishes and expectations of anything which is not Loving and Truthful, and this includes churches.

Unfortunately I left a church because they only wanted us to evangelize the youth, and I was told to forget about the alcoholics and homeless. Such discrimination is not Loving and Truthful to my understanding of Christ within me. So I left that church, and as a result lost much friendship with others from that church. That is the price we have to pay sometimes to be genuine and authentic to the workmanship of God within us.
Thanks for keeping it real.
:thumbsup
 
Each brick is unique (not special), but each one is required. Each brick is authentic and has its purpose in God's plan. Those who fail to see their authentic workmanship by God are more likely to see themselves as just another brick in the wall.

We each need to practice our own faith, such as abiding to the Spirit within.
Everybody evangelizes whenever they are witnessed to be abiding to the Truth. This is regardless if we are conforming to the expectations of a church or not.

Personally, I do not conform to the idea that God should be sold like trying to sell a can of baked beans. In my experience, it is better to base evangelism on attraction rather than promotion. But of course that is up to the individual.

To be in Christ, in God's workmanship, is to follow The way, truth and life. That is, to live a truthful life regardless of who or where we are. We only conform with what is Truth, that is, Christ within us. We no longer conform with the wishes and expectations of anything which is not Loving and Truthful, and this includes churches.

Unfortunately I left a church because they only wanted us to evangelize the youth, and I was told to forget about the alcoholics and homeless. Such discrimination is not Loving and Truthful to my understanding of Christ within me. So I left that church, and as a result lost much friendship with others from that church. That is the price we have to pay sometimes to be genuine and authentic to the workmanship of God within us.

hello Hermit, dirtfarmer here

Good post!!!!
 
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