“Created Unto Good Works” (2)

There is an amazing comparison between Ephesians 2:9 and 2:10. In verse 9 Paul says, “Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Now he turns right around and says that we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Did Paul lapse for a moment? Was he confused about the place of works in salvation? Which one of these statements is correct?

The answer to the last question, of course, is both. What Paul is saying is crystal clear when you just read the context. Verses 7-9 declare unequivocally that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, but verse 10 declares with equal clarity that good works are the result of that salvation and are now the rule of life. As John Eadie writes in his commentary on the Greek text: “The statement that salvation of works involves the fallacy of mistaking the effect for the cause. Good works are not the cause of salvation; they are only the result of it. Salvation causes them; they do not cause it” (emphasis added).

May we also observe that for salvation to be caused by works, works would have to precede salvation, that is, come before it. In this verse, however, they clearly proceed from salvation, that is, come after it. In other words, in light of the nature and character of our salvation, there is a demand placed upon us because of what we have received. One commentator relates this personal testimony that underscores the importance of this verse: “There are few verses both more important and more misunderstood than 2:8-9. This is partly because verse 10 is often not quoted along with them. When I was a young Christian I acquired a pack of Bible verses to memorize. Among the first were Ephesians 2:8-9. I began quoting them in witnessing, but it took me years to realize that the omission of verse 10 was one reason I was having trouble persuading my morally sensitive friends that salvation is only by grace. The almost inevitable response was that if this is true, Christians can live as they please and still go to heaven. Romans 6:1 deals with this issue as well, but when we quote Ephesians 2:8-9 it should not be necessary to leave the Ephesian context, because verse 10 gives the needed corrective: we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works.

Many Christians think that since our sal­vation was a gift, it, therefore, does not demand anything of us. Jesus is presented today as a “fix-it” for all our problems, but He doesn’t demand anything from us. This is serious error! Any gift demands a response even if it is only a simple “thank you.” But truly our salvation de­mands much more than a “thank you.” Why? Because our salvation is a life‑altering reality; it transforms a depraved, hell‑bound sinner into a blood‑bought, heaven‑bound saint. Verse 10 declares what our response to this should be by pre­senting two thrusts: God’s work in us and God’s work through us. We’ll examine these as we continue.