“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
Paul makes something very clear in Ephesians 2. We are not saved because of our good works. We are saved by grace through faith. “Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). But having been saved by grace, we have been created in Christ Jesus unto good works. This means that good works are not the foundation of our salvation. They are the purpose and evidence of the new life God has created in us.
The question then is, what are these good works?
The life of Jesus gives us one of the clearest pictures. Peter summarised the ministry of Jesus by saying: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” Acts 10:38. Notice how Peter describes it: doing good and healing. Healing was part of Jesus going about doing good.
Jesus described his works as works from the Father. When people were preparing to stone him, he said: “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” John 10:32. Then he went further: “Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works” John 10:37-38. Jesus was pointing people to what they had seen. His works were bearing witness to the Father who had sent him. This is also why Jesus said: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” Matthew 5:16. The purpose of the works is not to draw attention to ourselves. People see the works and God receives the glory.
When John the Baptist sent messengers to ask whether Jesus was the one who was to come, Jesus again pointed them to what was happening: “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear…” (Matthew 11:4-5). The kingdom was not merely being announced with words. It was being demonstrated through the works of God.
This is important for the church because Jesus did not intend his works to end with his earthly ministry. He said: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” John 14:12.
The early church therefore continued both proclaiming the gospel and demonstrating the power of God. Paul said: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5. Hebrews describes God himself bearing witness to the message: “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” Hebrews 2:4.
So when we come back to Ephesians 2:10, we begin to see the breadth of what Paul is saying. We have been created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Those works include loving people, serving people, giving to those in need, caring for the vulnerable, forgiving, encouraging and living holy lives. James says: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” James 1:27. Paul says that we should be “rich in good deeds” and “generous and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18).
But the good works of the New Testament also include the supernatural works of the Holy Spirit: healing the sick, deliverance, miracles, signs and wonders and the gifts of the Spirit. Jesus went about doing good and healing. The apostles continued doing good and healing. The church was created and empowered by the same Spirit, and the purpose remains the same: that people might see and glorify God.
This gives us a different understanding of Christian ministry. We are not simply saved to attend meetings, hear sermons and wait for heaven. We have been created in Christ Jesus for works that God has already prepared for us to walk in. There are people God wants us to serve. There are people he wants us to encourage. There are people he wants us to give to. There are people he wants us to pray for. There are people who need to hear the gospel, and there are people who need to experience the healing, deliverance and power of God.
The world is looking for evidence. We cannot manufacture miracles, and signs and wonders are not given for our glory. They are the works of God, distributed according to his will. But we should not be afraid of the supernatural either. Jesus said, “Believe the works.”
The challenge is therefore very simple: Are we walking in the good works for which God created us? Not merely talking about Jesus. Not merely attending church. Not merely believing that God can heal. But actually allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us so that people can encounter the goodness and power of God. We are his workmanship.
This is a call to pray that we would stand out in doing good works.
In Acts 2, the first Christians received the Spirit: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” Acts 2:4. Peter then stood up boldly and testified about Jesus to the crowd. In Acts 3, they demonstrated the power of Jesus. Peter and John encountered the lame man at the temple: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” Acts 3:6. The man was healed, the crowd saw it and Peter preached Jesus. In Acts 4, persecution came! The authorities arrested Peter and John because they were preaching Jesus and because the healing had created such a public testimony.
When they were released, they did not pray for persecution to stop. They prayed: “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus” Acts 4:29-30. They asked for boldness to preach and God’s hand to heal and perform signs and wonders.
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly (Acts 4:31). And the result was: “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all” Acts 4:33.
We have been created in Christ Jesus unto good works. We must pray as they did! That we may do the work of our Father.
