God’s Workmanship

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

This verse is frequently interpreted with an emphasis on individual identity as God’s handiwork or masterpiece. However, in addition to all of this, this verse also points us to God as our creator, redeemer and sanctifier.

Creator

We are His Workmanship, in that we are God’s creation, intentionally designed with purpose and value. Gen 2:7 “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” We are created in His image, with intentionality. We are to always remember to view ourselves through the lens of the Father rather than what the world may want to define us as. We are sons and daughters of the most High. May this truth speak into how we view ourselves and how we see each other. We are His workmanship -recognise that our gifts are expressions of His work, not personal merit. This understanding should encourage humility and gratitude within us, while our shortcomings remind us to depend on God rather than ourselves.

Redeemer

We are God’s workmanship in that He redeemed us. For we are indeed saved by grace through faith. Mankind rebelled against God, introducing sin, creating a rift in the perfect relationship with God. God in His sovereignty, had planned this redemption, which would ultimately result in the crucifixion of His Son as a final sacrifice for sin. And we are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”. 

Sanctifier

We are God’s workmanship in that He sanctifies us. Leviticus 20:8 “Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” The imperative in this verse is not just to hear or know God’s word but to follow in obedience, highlighting that behaviour that honours God is not just made through human effort but is a cooperative work of God and believers by which ongoing transformation occurs into being more Christlike. Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” These verses illustrate the partnership between human responsibility and divine empowerment in the life of a believer. God works in the life of a believer, convicting them of sin and empowering them by the Holy Spirit. At the same time, the believer engages in spiritual disciplines such as studying scripture and applying it in our daily lives, praying, dealing rightly with sin, and yielding to the Spirit. 

The purpose is to do good works that God created in advance for us to do. We are saved by God’s grace, but receiving this gift means living with and for God in a new way. We are created anew in Christ for a new way of living, a way embodied in good works. And this goes beyond God having good works for you yourself to do, as Ephesians 4:16 says “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” The Church as a whole is also God’s workmanship. He has equipped the church with gifts, given us Scripture, and His Holy Spirit to enable us to carry out His work in the world. As a lamp exists to shed light, so the Church exists to spread the light of the gospel to those around us. And as we allow His light to shine through us, we display His workmanship both individually and corporately as the body of Christ.

God Bless.