Deep Dive into God’s Workmanship: Grace That Works (Ephesians 2:10 )

The Christian life is fundamentally defined by a transformation rooted entirely in God’s grace. Before this intervention, humanity’s natural condition was one of spiritual death, total inability, and hopeless darkness, characterized by a former manner of life, or "walk," that was enslaved to trespasses, the world, and the desires of the flesh.

Into this bondage comes the decisive action of God, rich in mercy, who makes believers alive in the sphere of "in Christ Jesus." All spiritual blessings, including election, adoption, and redemption, are found in this union with Christ. God raises and seats believers in the heavenly places.

Salvation is achieved by grace through faith, and not as a result of works, thereby demolishing legalism, which claims works are the condition of acceptance. Immediately following this truth, Paul defines the believer’s new identity and purpose. Believers are God’s workmanship (the Greek poiēma), a divine artifact crafted by the Master Craftsman. This identity destroys every root of human pride and relocates all glory to God, who sovereignly determines their design and purpose.

The purpose of this new creation is explicitly "for good works." Good works are the goal and inevitable fruit of salvation, not its basis, thus refuting antinomianism, which treats obedience as optional. Grace is purposeful; God remade believers with a view to a renewed life that reflects His likeness in true righteousness and holiness.

The path of obedience is one that God prepared beforehand in His eternal counsel. God determined the specific pattern of life believers would grow into, custom-fitting the arena of their obedience. Believers are commanded to "walk in them." This "walk" describes a sustained, Spirit-enabled lifestyle and habitual pattern of conduct that is a conscious, deliberate break from their former way of life, expressing the new reality God has already brought into being.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

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