02/10/2026

 

Samuel Clifford

 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 KJV

After Free Grace Theologians use Ephesians 2:8-9 to prove salvation by faith alone, many work salvationists will bring up the succeeding verse. Work salvationists interpret this verse in one of two ways:

1. This confirms that if a believer is saved they will have good works

2. In order to remain saved one must have works

 

These interpretation is critiqued below.

 

“‘For we are his workmanship’

 

‘For’ connects this passage with the preceding passage on salvation. Here Paul gave the reason salvation is not from man or by works. Rather than salvation being a masterpiece that we ourselves have produced, regenerated believers are a masterpiece that God has produced. ‘Workmanship’ (Gr. poieme, from which we get the word ‘poem’; cf. Romans 1:20) means a work of art, a masterpiece.

 

‘created in Christ Jesus’

 

As a master worker, God has created us in Christ Jesus. The word translated ‘created’ here (Greek ktizo) describes only God’s activity and denotes something He alone can produce.”

“unto good works”

 

The purpose of this creation is that we should do good works. Of course, though God has saved us so we can do works that are good in His sight, this is obviously only part of His purpose in saving us. He has also saved us to take us to heaven (John 14:1-3).

 

“which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”

 

Paul’s use of the word “should” in this verse shows the possibility that a saved believer may not walk in good works. This verse, contrary to the work salvationists interpretation, does not say that Christians will inevitably walk in the good works that God has freed us from sin’s penalty and power to pursue. God didn’t force the Israelites to obey Him, so we shouldn’t expect Him to force Christians to obey Him. We are called by God to do good works and should do good works in order to avoid temporal judgment and obtain rewards (1 Corinthians 3:14; James 1:12), but scripturally we need to acknowledge that salvation doesn’t come, nor is it maintained, by works.