Ephesians: Part 8 - Created for Good Works

November 16, 2025
Ephesians 2:8-10​
Pastor Scott Skones

Our world has a view of Christianity that is based upon performance. And this makes sense because this is how our world operates. You are measured and graded based on your performance. If you work hard and do a good job at work, you will usually be rewarded for your performance. Whereas, if you do a terrible job and put in no effort, you will likely receive the result of that as well.

In the economy of this world, performance is necessary. And many people apply this same system of how things work to the Christian faith.

​How many times have you heard someone at a funeral talk about someone's behavior or goodness or morality as a basis for confidence in their eternal destination?

​And it’s not just in the world – it is in the church as well. Many Christians believe that the primary basis and measurement of one’s faith is how well one behaves.

​We’ve spent the last couple of weeks in Ephesians chapter 2, highlighting the state of humanity and the grace of God for sinners. Last Sunday, our focus was on the concept that we are saved by Grace alone – apart from works – and that grace produces both confidence and humility.

​But it’s common when I preach on grace for me to have someone come up to me a little bit nervous. Their rationale usually goes something like this: “If we preach grace so freely, won’t people just keep sinning? Won’t people just take advantage of that grace?”

​Grace does not come naturally to us.

​We feel like certainly we must do something! Where do our works fit into the equation of faith and salvation?

​In one verse of our text today in Ephesians chapter 2, God will answer this question for us. He puts our works into their proper place and order.

​So I would invite you to stand as I read Ephesians 2:8-10.

​Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

​God, grant us faith today that we would believe what your word says. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

​We are asking the question today: Where do our works fit into the equation of faith and salvation?

​1 - Good works are the result of God’s grace.

​The order of our passage is so important. Verse 10 follows verses 8 and 9. Now that seems logical, but the content of those verses is critical. Verses 8&9 make it clear that we are saved by grace through faith – and it is not our work. It is a gift.

​And flowing out of that, we find the discussion on works. This order is so important for us to understand. We might do well to highlight that word “FOR” in verse 10. It connects the verse with what precedes it. Salvation by grace alone comes first – and then good works flow from that.

​Cultural Christianity, which is really no Christianity at all, says that salvation is the result of our works. True Christianity says that our works are the result of our salvation.

​Or, you’ve probably heard me frame it this way in the past: We do good works “because of…” not “in order to…”

​We do good works because God loves us, not in order to earn God’s love.

​We do good works because God has forgiven us much, not in order to convince him to forgive us.

​We do good works because we have been given new life in Christ, not in order to deserve it.

​We do good works because we are children of God, not in order to earn our way.

​Think for a moment about what we are really saying if we think we can earn our salvation. It puts God in the position of being manipulated by human beings. If I do this, then Jesus will do this. It’s not a relationship with God; it’s a business transaction.

​Good works are the result of God’s grace.

​2 - Good works are the result of our identity in Christ.

​Previously in the letter, Paul has described salvation in a number of ways. He has said that salvation is to be raised from the dead. He has described it as being set free from slavery, and also being rescued from condemnation and wrath because of sin. But now, in verse 10, we have a new description. He adds to that list that to be saved is to be God’s handiwork, his masterpiece.

​This should cause us to think back to the garden. God made humanity and declared his creation “very good” in Genesis 1:31. Everything was exactly as he desired. And so when God works salvation in us, he is restoring us according to his design – to be  the pinnacle of God’s creation, which we were before sin and rebellion.

​By faith, that is true of us. That is our identity. But part of God’s creation in the garden, before sin entered the world, is for Adam and Eve to work. To care for the garden. To do good works

​In our salvation, he restores us to that role. We do good works because of who we are.

​I’ll be honest – there are times when I only do something because of who I am.

​For example, when my kids were little, I would change diapers. I don’t plan to ever change a diaper again if I can avoid it. But I did it because of who I am. Because I’m a dad, and that comes with the territory.

​And I would guess that you’ve noticed this in your life as well. Sometimes you do things because of who you are.

​Cleaning up messes doesn’t make you a mom, but moms clean up messes because of who they are.

​And verse 10 says that we are God’s handiwork – and the result of that is that we do good works. We were designed and knit together and fashioned by our creator for a very specific purpose – to do the things that he has created us to do.

​Good works are the result of our identity in Christ.

​3 - Good works are the result of God’s design for his creation and his kingdom.

​This might be the most mind-blowing part of our text for today. God has chosen to carry out his good works through us.

​This passage redefines good works for us.  God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does.

​It is his intention that we would be his hands and feet. That his Gospel would come to our world through us. That the hurting would find healing through us. That the poor and the widow would be cared for, through us. That the hungry would be fed, through us. That those forgotten by society would be given dignity and hope through us.

​What this means is that every believer has a purpose and a calling.

​Now, sometimes this is carried out specifically through ministry in the church or the community. For example, some of you are involved in our children's ministry and are doing the good work of loving the next generation and pointing them to Jesus.

​Some of you volunteer in other places, serving and helping as you’re able. The hands and feet of Christ in the church.

​But there’s another way that God has designed his handiwork to do good works  – and that’s through the various vocations to which he has called us.

​Now, when we hear the word “vocation,” most of us just think job or career. But think of it more as “calling.”

​God has given each of us various vocations – callings and roles in which we have the opportunity to serve and work for the good of our neighbors.

​Because we no longer have to do good works in order to try to manipulate God into saving us, we are now free to serve our neighbors in the various vocations that God has called us to.

​And it is through these callings and vocations that God desires to meet the needs of his creation.

​How does God feed us? Through faithful and diligent farmers and ranchers who serve the Lord and their neighbors in love by excelling them at what God has called them to.

​How does God often choose to heal? Through faithful and diligent medical professionals who serve the Lord and their neighbors in love by excelling at what God has gifted them and called them to do.

​God doesn't call everyone to be a pastor. But he does call everyone into various vocations through which he blesses and cares for his creation. Into various callings in which he desires to carry out, through you, the good works that he prepared in advance.

​There is great freedom to be found in the doctrine of vocation, because it means that when you carry out your vocations well, you are serving the Lord.

​The story is told of Martin Luther interacting with a man who had just come to trust in Christ. The man asked the great reformer what he should do with his life to serve the Lord now that he had come to faith. Luther asked him what he did before coming to faith. The man replied that he was a shoemaker. And so said, “Make a good pair of shoes and sell them at a reasonable price.”

​People need shoes – and God would provide for that need at a reasonable price through this Christian shoemaker who was serving God by serving his neighbors in this way.

​This understanding of good works sets us free and changes how we see the mundane tasks in front of us. Everything we do in this life is an opportunity to glorify God by serving our neighbors.

​You see, here’s what we discover:  Even the very best that you do is ultimately God’s work.

​Think about those words from verse 10: “good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

​Even the very best that you do is ultimately God’s work.

​This is where our English translations can get a bit tricky, and why I always encourage you to read a passage in more than one translation.

​The translation that I read emphasized that God prepared these good works for us “to do.” And, of course, that’s true. But there is a nuance here – a fine but important difference, that you will pick up if you read this in other translations.

​Literally, it reads something like this: “good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

​Now, what is the difference between “doing them” and “walking in them?” While I don’t think our translation today is wrong, I do think that we can HEAR it in the wrong way. We can hear “doing them” as if God just came up with the idea, and it’s my job to execute the idea. To carry it out. To perform the action.

​“Walking in Good works” helps to emphasize that God is the one doing the work IN and THROUGH us. Do you see that difference? It’s subtle, but helpful.

​The power to do good works doesn’t lie in you.

​St. Augustine, who was born in the 4th century in Northern Africa, brought some great clarity to this idea. He said, “We do the works, but God works in us the doing of the works.”

​Well, there’s one more way that this passage helps us understand good works:

​4 - Good works are evidence of salvation, not the means of salvation.

​The stakes of this are incredibly high. If we misunderstand this, we can lead ourselves and others to despair.

​There are two main ways that we see this.

​1 - If you confuse the order of the relationship between God’s grace and good works, you will either live in slavery or denial.

​To try to earn salvation by your good works is to run on a never-ending hamster wheel. Some of you know this because you’ve done it. You’ve spent a good amount of your life thinking that if you could just stop doing this or start doing this, then finally you’d have done enough.

​But the reality is, it is NEVER enough. To try to earn salvation by your good works will leave you exhausted and enslaved.

​Or, you will be forced to live in denial. Some people have been able to convince themselves that they have achieved a certain level of obedience that certainly God would be pleased with them. But this way of thinking is both a denial of the gravity and severity of one’s sin and also a denial of God’s word.

​Galatians 2 says that no one can be justified by works of the law. And so to believe otherwise is both to deny your own sin and to deny God’s word.

​If you confuse the order of the relationship between God’s grace and good works, you will either live in slavery or denial.

​But there’s another problem with this:

​2 - If you confuse the order of the relationship between God’s grace and good works, you will never have assurance that you are saved.

​Some of you grew up in a church that preached that we are saved by grace through faith, but any time there was talk about assurance, they pointed to your works, your behavior, your morality. This is so common. The message on paper is salvation by grace alone through faith alone – but in practice, in reality, it’s a combination of faith and works. And any time that we bring works alongside of faith, the result is people who have no true and lasting assurance.

​People will attend church their entire lives and always view salvation as a “hope” rather than a guarantee. If you see good works as the means of salvation, you will never have assurance.

​But the good news is that Paul makes clear to the Ephesian Christians, and ultimately to us today, that  Good works are evidence of salvation, but NEVER seen as the means of salvation.

​What do I mean when I say that Good works are evidence of salvation?

​Here’s an example that might help. Every morning during the winter months, I start my vehicle using my remote starter. And I don’t trust it, so I always walk to the window and push the button, and wait to see the evidence that the vehicle started.

​What evidence do I look for? I always look for the exhaust. I know that when it is cold out, my vehicle produces exhaust every time. Depending on the temperature and the humidity, the amount of exhaust might vary – but I can always see it, at least a little.

​The same thing is true with the Christian faith. True faith in Jesus will produce Good works in the life of the believer. Always.

​But we don’t look to the works for assurance. They are a result, not the substance.

​If you look at your good works – at the things you do – for assurance, you will always either become prideful or you will despair.

​Instead, when we see Good works in our life, we give thanks to God because we know they don’t belong to us. We know that it is God working in us.

​At the same time, if we look at our lives and struggle to find any good works, what do we do? What is our response? We go to the cross. We confess our sin and selfishness. And we ask God to do his good work in us and to carry out his good works through us.

​In his commentary on Romans, Martin Luther said this:

​Faith, however, is a divine work in us. It changes us and makes us to be born anew of God (John I); it kills the old Adam and makes altogether different men, in heart and spirit and mind and powers, and it brings with it the Holy Ghost. Oh, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith; and so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly. It does not ask whether there are good works to do, but before the question rises, it has already done them, and is always at the doing of them. (Martin Luther, Romans, xvii)

​Faith is God’s divine work. By grace through faith, he makes us new. He brings us to life. And when we have that new life in Christ, it will result in good works.

​We don’t look to those good works for assurance. We look to Christ. But if we find ourselves lacking in good works, we use that to diagnose a spiritual problem, which then should drive us back to the cross.

Understanding the proper order – that our good works flow FROM God’s grace, is transformative and freeing and life-giving.

​Rather than obeying because I “have to” - I’m free to obey because I “get to.” Rather than trying to manipulate God, I’m free to simply let him accomplish his work through me.

​And perhaps most profoundly, understanding this proper order gives proper order to your life as well. You see, God has made us part of his mission to redeem and restore all things to himself. And he plans to carry out that mission through his people. He plans to accomplish his mission by working THROUGH you. As you walk in the good works that he prepared in advance for you to do.

​For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

​This is who you are – his handiwork – by his grace alone – and he desires to carry out his good work through your life.

This sermon is offered as a resource by Living Word Lutheran Brethren Fellowship in Dickinson, North Dakota. It has been lightly edited for the website, but the original tone remains unchanged, and no grammatical revisions or style adjustments have been made.