Ephesians 2:8-11

Was listening to Ephesians in the car on my new Rio Cali that I bought for myself for a birthday present. (Late 30s, Very Late 30s). I listen to MP3s I create from pulling content from BBC7 Drama and BBC4 Drama & Readings

Anyway, I was listening to Ephesians on the way to work this morning and when the reading came to verses 8 & 9 I could say the verses with the reader. But verse 10 made me stop.

Ephesians 2
⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV)

How well we know this verse

…by grace you have been saved through faith…

And the follow-up

…not a result of works, so that no one may boast…

But how often to we skip the next verse

…created in Christ Jesus for good works….

The context shows we are saved by faith for works.

It amazes me that some people are so afraid of the W word that they have divorced works from faith. We are never saved by our works but our works are the natural result of our faith. If we cannot see ‘visible’ fruit of our conversion then we need to question the reality of our ‘invisible’ conversion.

How many times have we heard the ‘Great Commission’ but not really hear what it says.

Matthew 28
¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

1 Samuel 15
²²And Samuel said,
 "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
    as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,     and to listen than the fat of rams.