Saved by Grace; Created for Good Works
That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Listen to the "Verse by Verse" episode covering this scripture.
Recently we covered Ephesians 1:7 “Forgiveness According to the Riches of His Grace.” The definition of grace in that post helps give context to this important passage.
God’s wonderful free gifts include forgiveness of sins, the help of the Holy Spirit to write God’s laws on our hearts and minds and the gift of salvation and eternal life.
We deserve none of these gifts and cannot earn any of them, but God will only give them to those who believe Him. And acceptance of the gift means we agree that God’s ways, including obeying His laws and doing the good works that please Him, are the best ways. (See our article “What Are Good Works?”)
A truly repentant person will commit to change and strive to follow the example of Jesus Christ.
For more about grace and works, see “Law and Grace: Jesus vs. Paul?”
