Ephesians 2:10

‘For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God beforehand prepared that we should walk in them.'

‘We are His workmanship.' The word poiema means ‘creation, what is wrought'. In the New Testament it is only used of God's activity. Thus we are His creation, His workmanship. We are made exactly as He wants us to be. This does, of course, refer back to what Paul has described. Our being made alive, and raised, and seated with Christ in Heavenly places, results from the creative work of God within us and upon us and results in a ‘heavenly' life.

‘Created in Christ Jesus unto good works.' His creative work within us inevitably results in good works, but the creative work precedes the works, it does not result from them. When we are made ‘a new creation' (2 Corinthians 5:17 compare Galatians 6:15) He recreates our hearts with a desire and yearning for what is good, with the result that our lives are changed and we begin to ‘hunger and thirst after righteousness' (Matthew 5:6) and begin to ‘seek first His kingly rule and His righteousness' (Matthew 6:33). Then the set purpose of our lives becomes to do what is right towards God and man. It may begin slowly, but if this is not beginning to happen in us we need to question our faith.

‘Which God beforehand prepared that we should walk in them.' God's purpose has always been that His people should be people of ‘good works'. We must never see good works as ‘not quite as spiritual' as worship and witnessing. As we carry out good works in the love of God we are fulfilling God's purpose in us. We are being lights in the world as He commanded us, bringing glory to God (Matthew 5:16). It was for these good works, among other things, that He chose us and it is to this, among other things, that He foreordained us. They are thus part of His great plan. But as ‘wrought by God' the good works follow His saving work, they do not precede it. Many do ‘good works' naturally, and that is well and good. They should not be belittled. But in the scheme of things they are incidental. They bring little glory to God, except indirectly. On the other hand the works of which Paul speaks here are those that result from a heart and life changed by God, and they produce fruit for eternity.

So we finish the description of God's saving power through the resurrection with the indication that the final result on earth will be the good works which bring glory to God.