by Dr. Chuck Jarvis, Senior Pastor
Valley View Community Church
“That guy is a ‘piece of work’”, I overheard someway say the other day. I didn’t know who he was talking about, but from the tone of his voice I’m sure he did not mean it in a good way. The fact is, as Christians, we are all a “piece of work” in a sense. We are all unique. We all have our faults. We all have our imperfections. Worst of all, we are all sinners according to the Bible (Romans 3:10,23).
But did you know that in the Bible God calls Christians a “piece of work”? But He does not mean it in a derogatory way. He means it a good way. In Ephesians 2:10 we read, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works”. The greek word for “workmanship” here is the word poieme. We get our English word poem from it. It means literally “a work of art, a masterpiece”. Through Jesus Christ God is purposefully creating a “masterpiece” out of our lives. We are His “piece of work”.
How so? The context of Ephesians 2:10 tells us how. First of all, as Christians we have been saved “by grace” (Ephesians 2:8). The “work of art” that God has accomplished, and is continuing to accomplish” in our lives, is a realty because of His grace. Grace is getting something we don’t deserve. In its various contexts in the New Testament of the Bible, including here in Ephesians, the word “grace” speaks of the “gift” of salvation that God freely bestows on all who put their faith or trust in Jesus Christ. It is because of God’s grace that we can be considered His “work of art”, His “masterpiece”.
Furthermore, the means by which we obtain this “grace gift” from God is faith. Faith is not a work. It is an acknowledgement of God’s truth and then an acceptance of that truth. As I mentioned previously, the Bible states we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). Because of this we deserve to spend eternity apart from God (Romans 6:23). But because of God’s unconditional love for us, He graciously provided payment for our sin through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8). If we believe this truth and put our faith or trust in Jesus Christ we are saved (Romans 10:9,10).
This salvation cannot be obtained “by works”. No amount of good works will ever make heaven a realty for anyone. No denominational affiliation, no religious acts or practices, and no acts of kindness or goodness toward others will ever earn heaven for anyone. The Bible is very clear about this (Ephesians 2:8,9). The wonderful gift of eternal life is ours only by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). Once you have accepted this marvelous gift, God is at work in your life, through both the good times and the bad times, to create a masterpiece for His glory. We are truly His "piece of work"!
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