But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:4-10
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Ephesians 2:10 is one of the most exciting and uplifting verses in the entire Bible. But it is also one of the most frequently overlooked.
When it comes to understanding our relationship with God, Ephesians 2:8-9 are absolutely essential. As a result, they are widely known. You might even be familiar with them yourself:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
What a beautiful message! Our relationship with God is not restored by any work that we complete ourselves. Instead, we are saved “by grace, through faith.”
When we place our faith in Jesus and His life, death, and resurrection, we are saved. End of story.
No wonder Ephesians 2:8-9 are among the most oft-quoted verses in Scripture!
But Paul wasn’t finished with his thought. There was more beauty and majesty that he wanted us to know.
Right after telling us we can be saved, he tells us why!
He put is this way:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Look at that! There was a reason we were saved by grace through faith!
And that reason is more and bigger than simply spending eternity with God—if you can believe that!
The reason we were saved is because God has a good work, prepared for us in advance, to complete while we are on earth.
And if you are still breathing, there is still work for you to do.
How wonderful does that sound! We have purpose and meaning—and a job to do!
A mentor once told me, “Joshua, God has something important that He wants to do through you for His kingdom. Your job is to figure out what that is and give your entire self to it.”
No matter who you are. No matter your age, gender, race, or social status. No matter how old you are, how young you are, or how long you have been a Christian. God has a work for you to complete, prepared in advance, and you have been crafted by His perfect hand to complete it.
Let’s go do it.
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Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for salvation by grace through faith. Thank you, also, for purpose and passion. Remind me again that you have designed me, in Christ Jesus, to do good works. Then give me the passion and dedication to accomplish them all. Amen.