Page 64 - Ephesians

Alright, look at that verse again. Not only does He say that you
are created in Christ, but also, “We are His workmanship”. The
Greek word is very beautiful; “poiema”, where we get our word
“poem” from. Try to get the impact of that. Remember what a
poem meant to the ancient Greeks. A poem was art, and a
product of skilled labor. There’s only two times in the Bible this
word is used. In Romans 1:20, where it speaks about the
physical creation, “The things that are made, things that are
created,” His poem. The other time is right here, “We are His
workmanship”. Christians are His poems. Christians are the
result of His skilled labor. He creates you out of nothing, and
turns you into a literal masterpiece.

If you look at the physical creation, you will marvel at the skill,
beauty and symmetry of God’s creation. There is beauty beyond
comprehension in this creation. Flowers, animals, insects,
oceans, mountains, plants and the rest. That is God’s poem.
Then He takes the Christian and calls him His poem; “His
workmanship”. Look once more at Ephesians 2:10,

“Created for good works which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them.”

Don’t think of good works in this verse, as some specific act or
deed. Some Christian service. In this context, good works is
shown in contrast to the actions of the unsaved, who walk
according to the course of this world. It is compared to those
influenced by, “The prince of the power of the air”. But not the
Christian; he walks in good works. It’s not any individual specific
act, but rather a direction of life. Good works, according to this
passage, are not the cause of salvation. They are the result of
salvation. “A good tree produces good fruit”.

It’s a simple truth that the tree produces fruit. When God planned
the apple tree, He also planned the seed, and the fruit. He didn’t
go out and create an apple tree saying, “Let there be an apple
tree,” then come back five years later and say, “Wouldn’t it be
nice if we had some apples”. When he created the tree, He