Living the Back Story

A work of art is usually much more meaningful when its history or context is known.  “Wow, he was in the depths of depression when he painted that?”  “I never knew he was nearly deaf when he wrote that amazing music!”  Likewise a person is naturally given more honour when it is known what tragedies they have overcome.

In Ephesians 2:6,7 it speaks how God has in Christ raised us up and seated us with him in the heavenly places “…so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasureable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Basically, this is saying that for eons to come the universe will be in wonder at how much God has done for us in Christ.  Ours is a rags to riches story on such a cosmic scale that it will be the talk of heaven deep into eternity.

Ten million years from now an angel from the farthest corners of the universe will visit God’s throne room for the first time.  “See that countless mass of humanity, so near the throne?’ Gabriel will mention to the visiting angel.  “Sure, what of them?”  And Gabriel will go on to recount the story of our creation, rebellion, restoration in the cross and the riches of our inheritance.  The visiting angel’s eyes will grow wide with wonder.

To think that right now I am living the story that will raise praise to God’s grace for ages to come.  It makes me want to walk with nobility.  It makes me want to stay even closer to Jesus, to see how close to the plot I can get.

Workmanship in Context

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Every time I have heard a teaching on Ephesians 2:10, the emphasis is usually on the word workmanship.  The idea that we are unique masterpieces — walking poems — is emphasized.  Also often highlighted is the point that it was beforehand that God prepared the good stuff for us to do;  the application being that we don’t need to fret about leading a purposeless life when God has it already figured out.

These are wonderful, life affirming and God honouring truths.

But in studying this passage in context, it is suddenly so clear that the emphasis is not on ‘workmanship’ but on ‘his’.  Verses 8 and 9 which naturally precede this passage are famed for their clarity on the role of grace, faith and works in the act of salvation.  The grace and even the faith required to receive salvation are all from God.  Works — our achievenments — play no role in our salvation.

So verse 10 comes along as an explanation as to why this is true.  We can never work for salvation from God because we are creations who belong to God.  In many ways, the truth of Ephesians 2:10 is very much the same as the truth of Isaiah 29:16.  How can the clay formed say anything to its potter?  How could it do anything to be received by its creator, when already the thing formed is owned by the creator?

And then, the rest of Eph 2:10 puts the role of works in the rightful place, not as a way to achieve salvation, but as something that is the natural outworking of being moulded by God, the master craftsman.  In the same way that plot and storyline are inseperable, neither can my actions be separated from my identity as one who is created in Christ.

In this light, and looking back to Eph 2:7 — the idea of being saved from something might not be as complete as the idea of being saved to something.  But this thought begins to stray from the topic of this post.  I will have to explore it another day.

Back to the topic at hand, what difference does it make to me if the focus of this verse is actually more about God’s grace than about the works He has prepared for us?  In the clarity ofthe vision, my heart is stirred to deeper worship, stronger faith.