In verse 8 Paul says that by grace we have been saved through faith. Faith is the substantiating of invisible things. It is by faith that we substantiate all the things Christ has accomplished for us. Through such substantiating ability, we have been saved by grace. The free action of God’s grace saved us through our substantiating faith.
Speaking of faith, verse 8 also says, “This not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Faith is not of our works, nor of our endeavor or strife; it is of God’s gift that no one should boast (v. 9). Faith is not of ourselves. Although we believe, the faith with which we believe does not originate with us. In ourselves, we do not have any faith. However, at the time we repented and made confession to God in the name of the Lord Jesus, the believing ability was put into us. Before we were saved, we were utterly unable to believe. But on the day we were saved, faith was imparted to us, and we believed. Others may ask how we can believe in Jesus Christ when we have never seen Him. Although we have not seen Him, we cannot help believing in Him. This faith is not of ourselves; it is part of the grace transmitted into us.
Faith actually is an aspect of Christ. This is the reason the Bible speaks of the faith of Christ (Rom. 3:22). In Galatians 2:20 Paul says, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.” Faith is Christ Himself. When some hear me say this, they may think that for me Christ is everything. That is right. The faith which is given to us is the faith common to believers (Titus 1:4). Faith is given, faith is received, and faith is common. When we put all these facts together, we see that this faith is Christ Himself.
If there is a beautiful diamond in front of you, you will spontaneously appreciate it. This appreciation does not originate with you, but with the diamond. In a sense, your appreciation is the diamond itself. You certainly would not have the same appreciation for a piece of clay. A diamond is worthy of appreciation; clay is not. Likewise, the reason we do not put our faith in Socrates or Confucius is that they are not believable. But because Christ is absolutely believable, we put our faith in Him. Our faith in Christ does not come out of us; rather, it comes out of Him. When we see Christ, faith is imparted to us. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to say that faith is Christ. This is like saying that holiness, love, righteousness, patience, and endurance are Christ.
Because the unique faith is Christ Himself, we who believe in Him have a common faith. You do not have one kind of faith and I, another kind. When Christ came to you, you believed; and when He came to me, I believed. Whenever Christ comes to a person, that person believes in Him. This is a further indication that faith comes not out of us, but out of Christ.
Because faith is a gift of God and is not of our works, none of us has the right to boast. On the contrary, we all must humbly say, “Lord, if you had not come to me, I would not have any faith. But praise You that You have come, and I have received faith! Lord, You are my faith.”
We have been saved by grace through faith to be God’s masterpiece. Verse 10 says, “We are His workmanship.” This word may also be rendered “masterpiece.” The Greek word poiema means something which has been made, a handiwork, or something which has been written or composed as a poem. Poetry does not consist only of poetic writing; any work of art that expresses the maker’s wisdom and design may be considered a poem. We, the church, the masterpiece of God’s work, are the highest poetry, expressing God’s infinite wisdom and divine design.
God has made many things, but none of them is as dear, precious, valuable, and desirable as the church. The church is God’s masterpiece. Writers, composers, and artists often attempt to achieve a masterpiece, an outstanding work. God created the heavens and the earth, but neither the heavens nor the earth is God’s masterpiece. Likewise, God created man, but not even man is God’s masterpiece. Only one item of God’s work in this universe is His masterpiece, and this masterpiece is the church. As God’s masterpiece, the church is the Body of Christ, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. What could be a greater work than this? Furthermore, the church as God’s masterpiece is the corporate and universal new man (2:15). Because we see things from the side of the messed-up “kitchen” of the church life, we may not realize that the church is such a masterpiece. But eventually we shall see that we are both the Body and the new man, God’s masterwork.
Verse 10 says that we are God’s workmanship “created in Christ Jesus.” As the masterpiece of God’s work, we, the church, are an absolutely new item in the universe, something newly originated by God. We have been created by God in Christ through regeneration to be His new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
God’s masterpiece is absolutely new because it is the mingling of God and man. We may also say that the church is a hybrid, the blending together of two lives. Our opposers accuse us of teaching that the church is God. However, we do not say this. But we do say that the church is the mingling of God and man. God’s masterpiece, His greatest workmanship, is the working of Himself into man and the constituting of man into oneness with Himself to produce the church.
As we have already pointed out, this masterpiece is a poem, an artistic work that expresses the wisdom, design, and beauty of the maker. The church is God’s poem that speaks forth His wisdom. According to 3:10, God’s manifold wisdom will be made known through the church. Hymns express the wisdom of the hymn writers. In the ages to come, in the millennium and in eternity, there will be a unique hymn, the church, which will express the wisdom and design of God. When we see the New Jerusalem, we may extol God for the beauty, wisdom, and design manifested in this marvelous production. The New Jerusalem will be God’s poem, His masterpiece. When we behold this masterpiece of God in the midst of the new heaven and new earth, we may say, “This is the best hymn ever written in the universe!” This was Paul’s concept in writing Ephesians 2.
Finally, we are God’s masterpiece created in Christ Jesus “for good works, which God before prepared that we should walk in them” (v. 10). The good works for which God created us are not the good things according to our general concept, but the definite good doings which God pre-planned and previously ordained for us to walk in. These good things must be the doing of His will to live the church life and bear the testimony of Jesus, as revealed in the following chapters of this book. Therefore, we need to do God’s will, live the church life, and bear the testimony of Jesus. These are the good works prepared beforehand by God for us, His masterpiece, to walk in. Therefore, 2:4-10 reveals that we have been saved by grace to be God’s masterpiece that we may walk in the good works prepared before by God.