God is the subject of a multitude of poems that have been written throughout the ages.  Mankind has tried to capture the person, works and thoughts of God through the use of the written verse, but to no avail.   How can fallen, sinful mankind ever adequately understand, and then describe God?  It is an impossible task.

But did you know that God has personally written a poem that can be read by all mankind?

The Bible tells us all about the poem that is written by the hand of God and meant exclusively for mankind.



THE SCRIPTURE:

 Eph 2:4-10 (KJV)  4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,  5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  6) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:  7) That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.  10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

 THE STUDY:

Vs 4 - But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

We are saved because God is a merciful God who loved us

 

Vs 5 - Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

When we were spiritually dead, the Lord intervened in our life and gave us spiritual life.  This spiritual life was undeserved by us.  It was given to us as a free gift of God’s grace.

 

Vs 6 - And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:

When we were saved, our Lord raised us up together with Him to live a new life in Him.  He also gave us an eternal inheritance that included an eternity with our Lord in heavenly place.

 

Vs 7 - That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

One of the great reasons He saved us was to be “trophies of His grace”.  After salvation, our lives have become living testimonies of His grace and kindness. When we deserved death, He gave us life.   When we deserved punishment, He gave us forgiveness.  When we deserved the lake of fire, He gave us  an eternity with Him!  Our changed life of fruit bearing shows this to others.

 

Vs 8 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:

The faith we exercised when He saved us is a gift that originated with God.  He gave us faith so that we might place it in Him.

 

Vs 9 - Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The salvation He gave us was not deserved by us, nor could we perform any good works to gain it.  We were given life and forgiveness not because of us… it was because of Him.

After reading all of these verses about God’s grace in salvation, one big question stands out…. What can we ever do to show Him our appreciation for all He has done for us?  He gave His all for us, when we did not deserve it… how can we say “thank you” ?

In Vs 10, Paul now explains our responsibility to Him for all He has done for us:

For we are his workmanship,

1. We are His (workmanship) creation both physically and spiritually.  He created us physically, and based on the above verses, it is clear that He created us spiritually as well.  We are what we are because of Him.


2. We are his “workmanship” – The greek word is Poieo or “poem”.  This points out that we are his poem.  We are His composition, written by Him.  We are one avenue for the expression of His thoughts and words.  (2 Cor 3:2-3)


3. Just as a poem reveals it’s author to others, so too, we are to reveal our God to others      around us through our life, words, and actions exercising the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)


4. God’s creations always reveals Him…
   
   
   
   1. Physical creation reveals God – Roms 1:20
   
   
   2. Spiritual creation reveals God – Eph 2:10
   
   
   
   

created in Christ Jesus

The basis of our salvation is the work of Christ on the cross.  God wrote this “poem” based upon the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

 

unto good works,

God saved us so that we might exhibit good works in our lives.  These good works of speech, actions and fruits are seen by others, revealing God to all who contact us.

which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

God designed and prepared us to have good works beforehand.  Before we could do these good works God had to intervene and prepare us beforehand.  Our salvation was a part of the preparatory work that He did in our lives.

APPLICATION:

For those who are saved:

God’s eternal plan for us was that we would be living witnesses of His grace and love.  To bring this plan about He chose to save us, then He brought us to salvation and then equipped us through the indwelling Spirit to bear His fruit.  Out of love and appreciation we are to bear fruit and reveal Him to others.

For those who are not saved:

Throughout this lesson one basic principle has been brought forth…. Jonah described it by the phrase “salvation is of the Lord”.  Salvation from sin is an act of divine grace that cannot be gained nor merited by man.  The Lord has issued the invitation:

Matt 11:28-30 (KJV)  28) Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  30) For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.

Won’t you come to Christ, humbly turning from your sins to Him.  Trusting Him to intervene in your life, save you and enable you to live a life of service to Him?