For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We are God’s masterpiece, God’s workmanship, God’s handiwork, God’s creatures. We are God’s new creation in Jesus. We were born spiritually dead in our sins. In God’s eyes, we were a rotting corpse, the putrefying remains of a fallen creation with no beauty that God should desire us; with no hope, help, comfort, or peace in the world. But being so rich in mercy, in His gracious kindness, God loved us. Even though we were in the pitiable state of death because of our sins, He gave us life in Christ. Our present condition is irredeemable for a fallen creature can never change, but when He raised Christ from the dead, God exchanged our old life in Adam for our new life in Christ. When He died…we died, and when Christ was risen…we too were raised from our state of death into newness of life. We must never forget that it is only by God’s grace that we have been saved. It is only by God’s grace that we have salvation, and we access that salvation through faith. For by grace we are saved, through faith and not of ourselves, lest we boast, for salvation is a gift of God’s grace. These actions and works cannot be performed by the old putrefying person we were before salvation…the old man which was governed by the old sin nature. These actions and works can only be carried out through our new abundant life in Christ, which is to be governed and guided by the Holy Spirit working in and through us, so that the works that I do are not of me (my old self), but my new nature in Him. How wonderful that we truly are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Spiritual Steve 