Psalm 139:14
About this verseDavid thanks God for the wonder of how he was made, marvelling at God's handiwork and knowing it deep in his soul.
Ephesians 2:10
We are God's handiwork, made new in Christ Jesus for the good things God planned in advance for us to do.
For we are God’s own work. In Christ Jesus he created us for good works, which God made ready in advance so that we would live our lives doing them.
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Say the verse aloud, filling in each blank. Tap a blank for a hint.
What Ephesians 2:10 means
This verse completes the thought begun two verses earlier. Having ruled out works as the cause of salvation, Paul names them as its purpose — the order matters, and reversing it produces either pride or exhaustion.
The word behind ‘God’s own work’ suggests something made with craft and intent. And the good works are described as prepared in advance, so they are not tasks invented to prove yourself but a path already laid out to walk in.
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Questions about Ephesians 2:10
What does Ephesians 2:10 mean?
It means believers are God’s handiwork, created in Christ for good works that God has already prepared for them to do.
How does Ephesians 2:10 fit with Ephesians 2:8-9?
Verses 8-9 say works cannot save; verse 10 says we are saved *for* works. Together they place good works after salvation as its purpose and evidence.