Ephesians 2:10

Human beings choose their own way of life and are entrusted with the reins of their own intelligence, so as to follow whatever course they wish, either toward the good or toward the contrary. But our [original, created] nature has implanted in it a zealous desire for whatever is good and the will to concern itself with goodness and righteousness. For this is what we mean by saying that humanity is "in the image and likeness of God," that the creature is naturally disposed to what is good and right.

"For good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them." Not merely that we should begin, but that we should walk in them, for we need a virtue which shall last throughout, and be extended on to our dying day. If we had to travel a road leading to a royal city, and then when we had passed over the greater part of it, were to flag and sit down near the very close, it were of no use to us. This is the hope of our calling; for "for good works" he says. Otherwise it would profit us nothing.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them." Observe the words he uses. He here alludes to the regeneration, which is in reality a second creation. We have been brought from non-existence into being. As to what we were before, that is, the old man, we are dead. What we are now become, before, we were not. Truly then is this work a creation, yea, and more noble than the first; for from that one, we have our being; but from this last, we have, over and above, our well being.

Next (2:10), he clarifies what he had said regarding grace. Concerning this he does two things: First, he clarifies the infusion of grace. Secondly, he declares the predestination of grace (2:10b). There are two essential characteristics of grace, they have already been spoken of. The …

So that you, having heard that you are not justified by works, would not become careless regarding works, he says that now after faith, works are needed. For you were created in Christ Jesus and became a new creature after the old man died in …

For we are his workmanship - Which proves both that salvation is by faith, and that faith is the gift of God. Created unto good works - That afterwards we might give ourselves to them.

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture

For we are his workmanship,....

For we are his workmanship - So far is this salvation from being our own work, or granted for our own works’ sake, that we are ourselves not only the creatures of God, but our new creation was produced by his power; for we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works. He has saved us that we may show forth the virtues of Him who called us from darkness into his marvelous light.

I shall call your attention to the near neighborhood of these two phrases, "Not of works" and, "Created in Christ Jesus unto good works." The text reads with a singular sound, for it seems strange to the ear that good works should be given such a negative description as to the cause of salvation and then should be spoken of as the great end of it! You may put it down among what the Puritans called, "Orthodox Paradoxes," if you please, though it is hardly so difficult a matter as to deserve the name.

2Co 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. before ordained--Greek, "before made ready" (compare Joh 5:36).

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

THIS text is written by the Apostle as a reason why salvation cannot be a thing of human merit—"not of works, lest any man should boast, for we are His workmanship." The for indicates an argument. It is a conclusive reason why salvation cannot be by our good works, because even when we have an abundance of the best of works, they are far more due to God than to ourselves! We, ourselves, in our saved condition, are the workmanship of God, and with each of us the argument holds good—"Not of works, for we are His workmanship."

THIS text is written by the Apostle as a reason why salvation cannot be a thing of human merit—"not of works, lest any man should boast, for we are His workmanship." The for indicates an argument. It is a conclusive reason why salvation cannot be by our good works, because even when we have an abundance of the best of works, they are far more due to God than to ourselves! We, ourselves, in our saved condition, are the workmanship of God, and with each of us the argument holds good—"Not of works, for we are His workmanship." We are so completely the Lord's workmanship that we are also styled a creation! We are "created in Christ Jesus," and a creation cannot possibly be the creature's own work—such a supposition would be absurd upon the face of it! It would be a misuse of language to speak of anything as creating itself. Whatever, therefore, we are in Christ Jesus is the result of God's work upon us and cannot be the cause of that work. Moreover, our good works, be they what they may, are the subjects of an ordinance of God—"which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." Truly they are purposed by ourselves and our will and heart determine them, but far at the back of all this lies the Divine Purpose by which they were settled from of old. If good works are ordained, as well as the salvation of which they are the evidence, then the whole matter is of Divine ordaining and there is no space left to impute salvation to human works! The tree is not created by its fruit, for the fruit is created with the tree, and is one purpose for which the tree was created. Good works are not the cause of salvation, for they are the result of it and were contemplated as a result by God when He saved us. The argument deserves to be worked out at greater length, but we have not space for it now. I want, at this time, to call your attention to four things in the text.

I shall call your attention to the near neighborhood of these two phrases, "Not of works" and, "Created in Christ Jesus unto good works." The text reads with a singular sound, for it seems strange to the ear that good works should be given such a negative description as to the cause of salvation and then should be spoken of as the great end of it! You may put it down among what the Puritans called, "Orthodox Paradoxes," if you please, though it is hardly so difficult a matter as to deserve the name. Not long ago, I tried to handle the point of difference supposed to exist between the doctrine of faith—"Believe, and you shall be saved," and the doctrine of the new birth and its necessity—"You must be born again." My method was on this wise—I did not explain the difficulties which appear to the logician and the doctor of metaphysics, but I tried to show that, practically, there were none. If we deal only with difficulties which block up the way to salvation, there are none. As for those matters which involve no real hindrance, I leave them where they are. A rock which is in nobody's way may stand where it is. He that believes in Jesus is born again. These two things are equally true—there must be a work of the Spirit within, yet he that believes in the Lord Jesus has everlasting life. Now, there is a contention always going on about the doctrine of good works, but instead of taking one side or the other, we shall try to see whether there is really anything to quarrel over if we keep to the Scriptures.

For we are his workmanship - We are his “making” - ποίημα poiēma. That is, we are “created or formed” by him, not only in the general sense in which all things are made by him, but in that special sense which is denoted by the new creation; see the notes at 2Co 5:17. Whatever of peace, or hope, or purity we have, has been produced by his agency on the soul. There cannot be conceived to be a stronger expression to denote the agency of God in the conversion of people, or the fact that salvation is wholly of grace. Created in Christ Jesus - On the word “created,” see the notes at 2Co 5:17. Unto good works - With reference to a holy life; or, the design for which we have been created in Christ is, that we should lead a holy life. The primary object was not to bring us to heaven. It was that we should be “holy.” Paul held perhaps more firmly than any other man, to the position that people are saved by the mere grace of God, and by a divine agency on the soul; but it is certain that no man ever held more firmly that people must lead holy lives, or they could have no evidence that they were the children of God. Which God hath before ordained - Margin, “prepared.” The word here used means to “prepare beforehand,” then to predestinate, or appoint before. The proper meaning of this passage is, “to which οἷς hois good works God has predestinated us, or appointed us beforehand, that we should walk in them.” The word used here - προετοιμάζω proetoimazō - occurs in the New Testament nowhere else except in Rom 9:23, where it is rendered “had afore prepared.” 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. […]