Ephesians 2:10
Beginning in 2:10, we again find the word “for” being used in order to elaborate on the previous idea. Paul is offering an explanation, noting that we do not, indeed, we cannot bring works to our salvation. Not one single thought or action has ever been a source of pleasure for the Almighty because all was done while separated from Him (Eph 2:1-3). Instead, we had to be “in Christ Jesus” first before we could obediently follow through with good works. Let us not confuse the order here. It is deliberate, intentional so that the waters of the gospel message are not strewn with mud. By God’s grace, salvation has come to mankind (Eph 2:8a). This message demands a response, and only the response of faith provides the proper channel by which the glorious and eternal benefits and blessings of salvation are then accredited to the one who has believed (Eph 2:8b). Failure to believe, whether through hesitation, ignorance, or rejection, leaves one in the Ephesians 2:1-3 mire, separated from God. When one believes in Christ, it should not be thought that any works on behalf of the believer had any stake in the claims of salvation (Eph 2:9a). Rather, such works only count against us as a means of digging a deeper hole. Our boasting has no ground in our person (Eph 2:9b), but all boasting is to be unto God in gratitude for His divine plan to rescue the wicked from damnation in the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:11-15). Truly, this salvation is the gracious gift of God (Eph 2:8c). Notice Titus 3:5-7.
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Deeds have no doing in the venture from spiritual death into spiritual life. But the question will certainly arise in the minds of any observant reader, “So what role DO works play, seeing that they are all throughout the Scriptures?”
Works most certainly DO play a role in the believer’s life, but they do not play a role in the salvation of a person from spiritual death to spiritual life. This may be more clearly understood if it is categorized as “justification salvation,” being derived from Romans 3:21-25 where those who have believed in the “righteousness of God” (i.e. Jesus Christ) are then “justified as a gift by His grace,” meaning that they are “declared righteous” in the halls of eternity by the Creator YHWH. The only work involved in this category is the work of Christ and that is enough. Nothing else is necessary for acceptance with God. The moment that one believes that Jesus died for their sins and was raised from the grave (1 Cor 15:3-4) an unbreakable relationship is formed, which is commonly understood as eternal life. This is permanent, eternal (obviously by its name), and unchanging, despite our sin, lifestyle choices, or even our unbelief (John 10:27-30; Rom 8:31-39; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:21; Eph 5:5; 2 Tim 2:13).
Moving forward, Paul uses the personal inclusive pronoun “we” here, including himself and again demonstrates that he has not strayed from the mindset of writing to the church as a body of believers in the corporate sense. As before, Paul’s inclusion of himself shows equal footing before the Lord regarding this church-wide truth. The verb “are” speaks of a present tense reality, while the pronoun “His” is in the genitive, making it possessive. These observations are not meant to be tedious, but to show that all believers, being the Church collective, are presently God’s possession, which is described in particular with the word “workmanship.”
What does it mean to be God’s “workmanship?” This is a very suggestive and beautiful description of what the Church has been crafted into by God, but the word “workmanship” entails much more than what we may initially think. The word for “workmanship” is poiēma from which we derive our English word “poem.” This word means, “that which is made, work, creation.” It found in Romans 1:20 when speaking of God crafting the creation which testifies to His presence and glory, and serves as the basis for general revelation. In our present passage, Paul should be understood as conveying a divinely crafted work or carefully created thing. This is the Church. Lincoln brings some excellent observances to the fore:
In the LXX ποίημα (poiēma) frequently refers to the creation as God’s work (e.g., LXX Ps 91:4; 142:5), as it does in its only other use in the NT in Rom 1:20. Here, however, as the context and particularly the following clause make clear, the reference is to believers as God’s new creation. In Paul’s letters believers are regarded as God’s work (cf. Rom 14:20 and Phil 1:6). In Ephesians the writer has been talking of God’s power at work for believers (1:19). He can now say that his readers not only benefit from that work but as new creatures are themselves the product of that work. The stress in the Greek is on the first word in the clause, αὐτοῦ, “his.” The force is that it is God, not the readers themselves, who has made them what they are as believers.
The Body of Christ is God’s carefully crafted “masterpiece,” as seen in the NLT. The Jerusalem Bible has translated this word as a “work of art,” with the NET opting for “His creative work,” while the HCSB and LEB have “His creation.” Wuest has chosen “handiwork” for his translation. If we were to contemplate the beauty of a poem by Robert Frost, or if we were to stand in silence before “Starry Night” by Van Gogh, we would begin to scratch the surface of a carefully crafted work that is meant to capture one’s attention and to redirect one’s conversation. Such displays are meant to affect those who see it. They are meant to leave an impression. They are meant to communicate something, though the author of the work may not be readily seen. It is thus with the Church. The Church is to radiate the marks, moldings, and fashioning of the Creator, being the object of His special investment, and a supernatural labor of His divine love.
Due to the understanding that Paul is addressing the church as a whole, the word “workmanship” is singular, referring to the unified body of believers. While every human being is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26), it is the regenerate person who is instantaneously assimilated into a unified whole which is God’s divinely created work. This is not an individual designation but something that is conclusive of the Body of Christ as a whole.
An important connection that cannot be missed is the link between the Church being God’s masterpiece by grace (Eph 2:10) and the Church being the trophies of grace in the “age to come,” which demonstrate His superior riches and kindness toward believers (Eph 2:7). God has done something both incredible and unusual with the Church and He has done so by means of His grace! Hawley writes, “This is all based upon the amazing thing that God has done in taking this shabby group of individuals, living in bondage to the Adversary, and by grace creating from them the very Body of Christ (Eph 2:6; 15-16), the dwelling place of the living God (2:21-22).” The difference between these verses is not in relation to their spiritual glory, but in relation to time. At this present moment, the Church is God’s poem, and this will still be true in eternity. But the present time does not fully display the “surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:7b), being reserved as a testimony for the ages to come. What is breathtaking about both realities is that they are equally a reality rooted in His marvelous grace! Therefore, they are both reasons to praise His holy Name!
Paul states that the Church is God’s masterpiece “created” in Christ Jesus. The word “created” is ktizō which means, “to bring something into existence, create, in our literature of God’s creative activity.” This word is passive, meaning that the Church did not bring itself into existence, but that God is the One doing the work. Such a creation is only possible post-conversion. The unbeliever is without spiritual life and is in no way a candidate for this “masterpiece” designation. One must first be given new life, which only comes by being “in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:10b) because eternal life is found only in Him and can never be granted apart from Him. When the new birth takes place at the moment of faith, we are at that moment a new creation in Christ. Seeing that Paul is addressing the church in Ephesus (and therefore this stands as truth for all who believe in Jesus), it is important that we keep in mind that believers are a holistic community of new creations in Christ.
Paul speaks to this doctrine in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 when he writes:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Paul also states in Galatians 6:14-16,
But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.”
As connected to the concept in Ephesians 2:9, all boasting is to be in the work of the cross of Christ. It alone is the effectual work and He alone, by the power of this redeeming work, can impart life eternal to all who believe. The outward showing of the flesh has no bearing on the power of God in making human beings a new creation in Christ His Son. Such concerns make the performances or contributions of men and women the decisive factor, while the means by which the new creation has been imparted to the believer by God is cast to the wayside, without any serious entertainment as to the difference that now exists in the person’s life. At the moment of faith, one is regenerated (given spiritual life- Titus 3:5, born from above- John 3:3) and deemed a new creation. Seeing that we believers have been graced with a brand new life, this blessed basis would be the cause of why we are to reorient our daily living and choices to that of this new life.
Being created “in Christ Jesus” is for the purpose of “good works” (Eph 2:10c). This means that the Church is performing the works that God has previously assigned to them. Max Anders writes:
God has prepared a path of good works for Christians which he will bring about in and through them while they walk by faith. This does not mean that we do a good work for God. It means that God does a good work through us as we are faithful and obedient to him. God is at work. In faith we join him in that work to the praise of his glory (see 1:6, 12, 14).
Anders point deserves repeating. It is not that the Church is doing good works for God. That would be to bring our best efforts before Him with the intention of earning His approval or securing His acceptance. Sadly, this is how many believers live, and this is what many denominations teach. But these works are God’s works, of which He desires to play out in the Church when they are operating in reliance upon Him. This concept is so simple, but in our “self-sufficient,” “you can do it” age, we are often overcome by pride and ego, burdening ourselves with things that would not qualify as God’s good works that He has prepared for the Church. Our sinful tendency is to solve it, fix it, work at it, do it, nail it, kill it and drag it home, and “knock it out of the park,” and we will gladly receive the accolades when the job is done. This is not the biblical means of execution of good works that are pleasing to God. Let me repeat, these good works are His works that He works out through the Church.
“How does this work?” one may ask. If we have pondered the cross for any time at all, our affection for the Lord Jesus has grown and our desire to live in a way that is pleasing to Him will flourish. This is the beginning of what is known as sanctification. This is where our minds and hearts are being progressively changed by the Holy Spirit Who indwells us, stemming from our interactions with Word of God in study and meditation. The result is that we begin to find sin detestable and obedience desirable. What has been gravely mistaken when comprehending sanctification is that it is by our works. This is altogether untrue and should be corrected permanently in our minds as quickly as possible. Just as we came into an eternal relationship with the Father by faith in the Son, so we grow in our fellowship with the Father by faith as well.
The Apostle Paul summed it up this way:
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. -Galatians 5:6
The great concern in Galatians is their coming into relationship by faith in Christ but then concluding that it was by keeping the Law of Moses that they were to grow and mature (Gal 3:3). One cannot begin in the Spirit and grow by the flesh, and it didn’t matter how much foreskin that they removed in order to keep things kosher (Gal 5:11-12), this did not bring them into a greater experience of fellowship with the Lord. So, if we cannot work our way into a greater intimacy with God, how does one gain greater intimacy with the Lord and what role DO works play seeing that there are imperative throughout the New Testament. I believe that Smith unfolds this well for our understanding:
All that we claim, then, in this life of sanctification that by an act of faith we put ourselves into the hands of the Lord, for Him to work in us all the good pleasure of His will, and then, by a continuous exercise of faith, keep ourselves there. This is our part in the matter. And when we do it, and while we do it, we are, in the Scripture sense, truly pleasing to God, although it may require years of training and discipline to mature us into a vessel that shall be in all respects to His honor, and fitted to every good work.
Our part is the trusting; it is His to accomplish the results. And when we do our part, He never fails to do His, for no one ever trusted in the Lord and was confounded. Do not be afraid, then, that, if you trust, or tell others to trust, the matter will end there. Trust is the beginning and the continuing foundation; but when we trust, the Lord works, and His work is the important part of the whole matter. And this explains that apparent paradox which puzzles so many. They say, “In one breath you tell us to do nothing but trust, and in the next you tell us to do impossible things. How can you reconcile such contradictory statements?” They are to be reconciled, just as we reconcile the statements concerning a saw in a carpenter’s shop, when we say, at one moment, that the saw has sawn asunder a log, and the next moment declare that the carpenter has done it. The saw is the instrument used; the power that uses it is the carpenter’s. And so we, yielding ourselves unto God, and our members as instruments of righteousness unto Him, find that He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, and we can say with Paul, “I labored . . . yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
In the divine order, God’s working depends upon our cooperation. Of our Lord it was declared that at a certain place He could do there no mighty work because of their unbelief. It was not that He would not, but He could not. I believe we often think of God that He will not, when the real truth is that He cannot. Just as the potter, however skillful, cannot make a beautiful vessel out of a lump of clay that is never put into his hands, so neither can God make out of me a vessel unto His honor, unless I put myself into His hands. My part is the essential correlation of God’s part in the matter of my salvation; and as God is sure to do His part all right, the vital thing for me is to find out what my part is, and then do it.
What is the part of the believer in sanctification? Trust. Trusting God. Believing that He can do the work necessary and even believing that He can do the work though us if we simply place ourselves into His mighty hands. Oh, that the Church of God would cease striving and fighting, planning and vision-casting, and simply get it straight that resting by faith in Father of our Lord Jesus is the pathway to dynamic, supernatural living as the Body of Christ!
How many churches have shipwrecked their faith unknowingly due to the personal preferences of preferred congregants? How many opportunities have been squandered due to the fleshly leanings of the “logical” approach? Could we calculate the ineffectiveness of the Church’s power simply because we could not be brought to the point of saying, “Have Thy Own way, Lord; Have They Own way?” Remarkably, these scenarios are commonplace in congregations today. The Body of Christ has often been tortured again and again by internal squabbles and politics, self-centered attitudes and the throwing of one’s weight, biting and devouring one another to the point of consuming the local assembly (Gal 5:15). And we wonder why the power of the Lord is not displayed in His masterpiece. We wonder why His love is not testifying to the world of the presence of His disciples (John 13:34-45). We can’t understand why more are not coming to faith in Jesus Christ while our unity is fractional and injured (John 17:21). Supernatural works having been done by God through His people are scarce if at all present. The Church is its own greatest hinderance because it will not get out of God’s way and get onto God’s pre-set agenda.
God has taken the time before the Church came into existence to set forth a plentitude of good works as a path for us to tread upon. How should we understand the phrase “prepared beforehand?” There is a great deal of assumption that can take place with a phrase like this. Some have concluded that these good works were prepared before the foundation of the world was laid, or before we were born. Some commentators, like Lenski (p. 426) have translated this phrase as “prepared in advance,” while others like Robertson have understood this as “afore prepared.” Some have simply used the word “ordained.” The only other New Testament usage of this word (proetoimazō) is used in Romans 9:23, being translated as “prepared beforehand” in the NASB95. The apostle is not time specific here, so it is fruitless to debate the matter. Each theological bent will surely add their flavor to the matter in order to strengthen their system of thought, but I believe that we would be better to not squabble over trying to pinpoint a time in history past that the omniscient Lord saw fit to carve out the niche for each particular local assembly and recognize that if God has done so, we ought to be diligent in walking the path that He has made.
It should be clear that certainty of follow through is not the point of this verse. Good works are now possible for the believer in Christ. But now that good works are a possibility for the believer, this does not mean that they are automatic for the believer. Hodges has observed this as well in stating, “The Greek phrase in Ephesians 2:10 (‘that we should walk in them’) is exactly the same kind of phrase as is found in John 3:17 (‘that the world through Him might be saved’). In neither text do we find that there is any kind of guarantee that the stated purpose will be fulfilled.” While many have understood 2:10 to be the authenticating result of 2:8-9 (meaning that good works will prove the reality of one’s faith), it would be nothing short of dangerous to assume such a conclusion. Rather, works are a result that takes place due to the already secured and unshakable foundation of a “by grace through faith” salvation rooted solely in the work of Christ. Constable writes, “We do not need to do good works to merit salvation, but we should do good works because we have received salvation. This is God’s plan for the believer.” With this we cannot argue.
In the Scriptures, there are instances where this concept is clearly conveyed. For instance, both 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 and Hebrews 5:11-14 demonstrate a frustration with believers who were not growing when they should have been able to apply the Word of God to their life’s situation so that they would walk in discernment (Heb 5:14). Yet, neither author questioned the validity of their recipient’s salvation. Their failure in growth was the issue at hand, not the validity of their new life in Christ. This issue placed the responsibility for their failure to grow solely upon them. God, in His grace, has already supplied fully and freely all that the Body of Christ needs in order to grow up into salvation (1 Pet 2:2). Those who were in Corinth were deemed “fleshly” by Paul (1 Cor 3:3) and deemed to be “infants in Christ” due to their jealousy, strife, and divisions (1 Cor 3:1c, 3, 4). The believers in the Epistle to the Hebrews should have been seeking to move past the “elementary principles” (Heb 5:12) that they had been taught. In both instances, each author is taken aback due to the slow progress of their growth in the Lord.
When Paul says that we should “walk” in these previously prepared, carefully crafted good works, he uses the word peripateō which means “to live or behave in a customary manner, with possible focus upon continuity of action—‘to live, to behave, to go about doing.’” These good works that are now a possibility for the Church are a new way of living due to the “newness of life” (Rom 6:4) that every believer has been raised to, which Christ has made possible through His sacrifice. It is the way by which the Church ought to conduct their affairs, which is clearly contrasted with the ways of this world. We can understand this due to the inclusio that the apostle has set up in connection with Ephesians 2:2, when the Church was characterized in their spiritually dead estate “in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” The pivotal nature of the grace of God (Eph 2:5, 8) has granted new life to the believer and has created the masterpiece known as the Church.
Now the question may linger. If trusting in the Lord wholly is what I am responsible for doing, and if He is the One who will do all of the work either in, around, or through His Church, what are these works going to look like? How will the Church know that they are from God when they occur? Thankfully, the Bible gives us a two-part answer that goes hand-in-hand with one another.
The first of God’s “good work” that will occur in the Church will fall under the category of evangelism. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls” -Proverbs 11:30. When righteousness is cultivated among believers, it becomes infectious! Though the events at Calvary were brutal and full of sorrow, it was from such an act of obedience on behalf of our Lord that the saving message was secured once for all. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). Do we not see the apostles spreading the message of the gospel of grace in Acts? These men ventured forward in faith, telling everyone that they could about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by the power of the Father (Acts 2:23-24; 3:15, 26; 4:2, 10, 33; 5:30; 10:39-43; 13:26-39; 17:31; 23:6; 26:8, 16-18). It was by this message that many came to faith in Christ (Acts 2:41; 8:12, 35-36; 10:44; 16:14-15, 30-31). It is this same message that saves today. If we are to be confident in declaring that we are doing “God’s work,” then we must be about telling others of the love of God in giving His Son Jesus on the cross of Calvary. We must be calling men and women to faith in Christ. We must be about winning souls.
The second of God’s “good work” that occurs among the Body of Christ is known as discipleship. This was the very heart of our Lord as can be seen in Matthew 28:18-20 when He commissioned over 500 people to go about their lives with the purpose of making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to observe what Jesus had commanded. This is precisely Paul’s modus operandi since Barnabas retrieved him in Acts 11. We read,
And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. -Acts 11:25-26
Spending quality time with other believers and communicating the truths of God’s Word is God’s work. It is the process of getting His Word before men and women and encouraging them to trust Him with the daily decisions of life. It is explaining what God is like over and over again. It is committing souls to prayer and teaching those souls how to pray just as our Lord did with His disciples (Luke 11:1). It is carrying those who are willing alongside us in life’s situations and displaying the love of Christ to others for them to see, modeling Jesus for them and encouraging them to follow along (John 1:43; Acts 16:3). Discipleship has suffered from the hour-long teaching session and meeting over coffee for too long. That is not discipleship. It is not what Jesus modeled. LeRoy Eims speaks to this matter:
Jesus was available to His men. The Eternal Word became audible, visible, and touchable. They were close to Him. They were chosen to be with Him, but always for the grand purpose of preparing them for their ministry. He designed His training so that their lives should bring forth lasting fruit. He did not prepare them to go out to a life of secluded fellowship with one another, so He did not prepare them in a secluded fellowship.
I have made mistakes in this regard. I have tried to train men by gathering them together in a quiet basement once a week to discuss the Christian life and then supplement this with occasional seminars or special meetings. It didn’t work. But men who have ministered with me in the push and shove of life, out where we face victory and defeat daily, out in the world of real living, are today productive for Christ. I have watched them bear fruit that remains.
One final note that may be obvious to most: Proper discipleship includes the teaching, training, and demonstrating to the one being discipled on how to evangelize the lost. The goal in discipleship is certainly growth, but the means of growing must include sharing the gospel or they will not grow in a balanced fashion. Growing believers are growing because they have been encouraged to do God’s work, and God’s work involves the two categories of evangelism and discipleship.
Benefits of Obedience and Good Works
In the Christian life there are countless opportunities for faithfulness and obedience. This extends to everything from one’s priorities all the way down to the company that you choose to keep. While many throughout Christian history have touted good works as a means of salvation, the Bible tells us that works are a beneficial avenue in life that was not previously available to us because we were apart from Christ our Lord. As Hoyt has recorded, “Salvation is never conditioned upon human merit (cf. Eph 2:8-9 and Ti[tus] 3:5) but solely upon faith apart from works.” But just as our “by grace through faith” salvation is the gift of God, so we see that these previously prepared works for the Body of Christ are by His gracious will as well. If God has taken the time to prepare good works for the Christian, we must be further convinced as to why we should walk in them. I believe that Westcott captures our most blessed situation.
The Christian is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), not alone and independent, but in Christ: he is not left to self-chosen activity, but set for the accomplishment of definite works which God has made ready for his doing: his works are prepared, and so the fulfilment of his particular duty is made possible; and still it is necessary that he should accept it with that glad obedience which is perfect freedom.
It is obvious from the examples cited above that Christians do not automatically do good works and must be exhorted to do so time and time again. Even in Titus 3:14, we read Paul’s instructions for the church in Crete when he writes, “Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.” Consistently exhorting the flock of God to good works is necessary so that they will “not be unfruitful.” How important it is to consider the benefits of obedience and the good works that our Creator has prepared.
1. Obedience leads to great rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
We are told in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” The more that we have trusted God and His Word in our actions and decisions, the more that it will be reflected in our evaluation before King Jesus. Our deeds are taken into account and will be evaluated. “What he has done, whether good or bad” will be under the Lord’s consideration and He will award us accordingly.
This evaluation is often understood as an “individual Christian” review only (of which 1 Cor 3:10-15 would show), but in 2 Corinthians 5:11, Paul’s point can be understood as the possibility of a local assembly presentation before the Judgment Seat as well. It reads, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.” Why would Paul use the personal inclusive pronoun of “we” in speaking of persuading men? This means that there is a large group effort to convince fellow believers to live faithful lives in love and good deeds. Christians would not be persuading unbeliever to live faithfully, for they have no spiritual capacity to do so. Rather, this is a local church endeavor, understanding the seriousness of the event when the Corinthian Church will appear before the Lord.
We also find that our application of sound doctrine will be evaluated before the Lord. Paul speaks to the Corinthian Church’s failure to grow beyond infancy in their understanding of the doctrines of Christ (1 Cor 3:1-3). The text is clear that every believer has a common foundation in Jesus Christ (1 Cor 3:11), but it is equally clear in the proceeding verses that one is responsible for how he or she builds on this foundation and that the materials involved are not based on quantity, but quality (1 Cor 3:12-15). Every believer is responsible to know the Word of God and to dispense the Word of God (Heb 5:12). Samuel Hoyt writes, “Although the interpretation of this passage is that the materials refer to doctrines, there seems to be justification for application to Christian service in general. Not only does Paul refer to Christian leaders in particular, he also alludes to Christians in general, who have a part in building the church through the ministry of their individual spiritual gifts.” Many have mistakenly viewed their works as the only thing to be considered at the believer’s evaluation, but it is clear that we have a responsibility to know the Word of God and to grow in our understanding. This growth is only possible in seeking the Lord for it with a humble spirit, for only He grants growth to the Christian (1 Cor 3:6; Heb 6:3).
The understanding and reality of the Judgment Seat of Christ keeps the believer aware of the realities of one day being present before the King. It is a tool for living soberly (Matt 24:45-51). Rewards are not a selfish motive to obey Christ but are a means of demonstrating His glory because they speak of the believer’s trust in His Savior and Lord over the schemes and devices of this world. Should we not ask of the Lord, “What will you have our local assembly to do?” A unified cry of this manner unleashes the power of God as manifest through Christ’s Body.
2. Obedience keeps us in fellowship with God.
Having fellowship with the Creator is a great privilege that has been made available to us by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are involved with sin, our fellowship with Him is disrupted. While our relationship with God will always be intact (John 3:16; 5:24), our fellowship with Him can become skewed. Communication and the reception of His Word and the leading of the Spirit begin to breakdown due to the interference of ongoing rebellion against Him. This is where 1 John 1:9 becomes vital in the Christian life.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When we find ourselves out of fellowship with the Lord, we can be sure that it is because of a lack of obedience on our part. Confession is a recognition of our wrongs that is saying the same thing about our choices and thoughts that God says about them: namely, that they are sin! Utilizing confession is meant to bring about an attitude of humility. It is the hardened heart that refuses to come to God for cleansing from the unrighteousness that is calcifying our souls. This is where the Body of Christ must come in, exhorting the believer to look past sin and self and look again unto Jesus. James tells us,
My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
The Body of Christ is to be involved in one another’s walk with the Lord. Confessing our sin (admitting that we are wrong to God and declaring that He is right) restores the fellowship and rectifies the disruption, and we are once again walking in fellowship with Him, being receptive to His will and to His Word.
Once one finds themselves in fellowship with the Lord, obedience becomes one of the highest priorities. It must be stated again, good works are not a means of earning acceptance with God but are a result of His unconditional acceptance of us now that we are in Christ by faith. When speaking to the eleven shortly before His betrayal, Jesus said:
He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him. -John 14:21
By being in fellowship with the Lord Jesus, their obedience was something that demonstrated their love for Him, and when their obedience flowed with consistency, greater depths of fellowship and intimacy would occur. These men standing before Jesus would be the beginning blocks of the Church when its inception would take place in Acts 2, so His teaching on experiencing the depths of intimacy with the Father would be necessary as their sought to carry the gospel message to untouched realms. This brings us to an honest question. Do we love the Lord Jesus? Why not put off our sin “that so easily entangles us” (Heb 12:1b) so that we can live as those who are a constant expression of love towards Jesus Christ our Lord?
3. Obedience brings about blessing.
The idea of God bringing about a blessing is something that has been largely underrated in the Christian’s life mostly because it has been assumed that He will bless everyone regardless. May it be clearly stated that God does not bless sin. But the fact that God blesses the obedient saint is found throughout the Word of God. In Genesis, we see that God blesses Abraham because he did not withhold Isaac from Him (Gen 22:16-18). In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, we find nothing but blessing for the children of Israel if they are faithful to do all that the Lord has commanded them. Here is a sampling, but I encourage you to read the entire chapter.
Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. (Deut 28:1-6).
Even poor Job was blessed for his faithfulness unto the Lord. We read in Job 42:12-13: “The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys. He had seven sons and three daughters.” Job had lost so much in the first few opening chapters, yet he did not curse God over his situation. Lastly, we see Cain in Genesis 4:1-7. While the Lord was merciful toward Cain after he killed his brother Abel (Gen 4:15), Cain did not have to end up in exile. Being gracious, the Lord reasoned with Cain after his offering was deemed unacceptable (4:5). In Genesis 4:6-7 we read, “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.’” (emphasis added). Cain only had to do well, he only had to obey the encouragement and wisdom that the Lord was giving him and he would have been “accepted” by God. Yet, we know that Cain chose to kill his brother instead. How different things would have been if Cain would have obeyed the Lord.
4. Obedience keeps communication with God open.
Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear.” If one fails to confess sin and decides to indulge in it, they can expect to have their prayers hindered. God will not look favorably on disobedience, especially from those who have had a great amount of revelation in their lives. We see this example with Abraham when he conceives a child with Hagar the maidservant. We are told, “So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him (Gen 16:15-16; emphasis added). We then are told in the very next verse, “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.’” (Gen 17:1-2; emphasis added). Did you catch what happened? Due to Abraham’s sin, God did not speak to him for 13 years! This had to be traumatic for Abraham seeing that God is the one who called him out of his homeland and made numerous promises to him (Gen 12:1-3; 15:5, 18-21; 17:5-10).
This concept can also be seen in a similar fashion in a pronouncement against husbands in 1 Peter 3:7. Peter tells husbands, “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered” (emphasis added). If you are not living with your wife in an understanding way and you have neglected to show her honor and to view her properly, your prayers will be arrested before the Lord. He will not respond. And is it not our marriages that need prayer the most, being a prime target for the enemy, suffering invasion, indoctrination, and assault from every angle. Most parents feel like they are hanging on by a thread. Men, we cannot afford to compromise our situation with God by mistreating our one flesh companions. Our ladies are worth our best and our obedience is worth the time, forethought, and effort because the blessing of God is worth having in our lives and marriages.
Before closing this section, one final passage must be considered.
Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. -2 Timothy 2:20-21
The large house in focus is the Church. There are many different type of people in the Church. Some are ready to rest in the Master’s hand, looking for Him to have His way with them. Others are waiting on the shelf, hoping that the Master will pass them by so that they won’t have to be disturbed with His business. Some are on the shelf because of their love of sinful pleasures in their lives. The passage before us is clear that it doesn’t have to be that way. A vessel, a carefully crafted work, can easily move from the realms of “wood” and “earthenware” if they would simply cleanse themselves from such sins (as mentioned in 2 Timothy 2:14-18). They would then be “sanctified,” which means “set apart.” They would be an honorable vessel, like those made of gold or silver. They would be useful in God’s hands because they have seen that His hands are the greatest resting place for the believer in Christ.
What are you made of? What type of vessel are you? Is your assessment comfortable? Is your conscience clear? Or do you need to confess your sins to the Lord and place yourself in the Master’s hand, trusting Him to work through you for His glory? Imagine a local church body that sought their Master’s hand upon them at every moment. Imagine what God could do!