Verse Study: Ephesians 2:10 (Part One)

Last month a few of my friends and I did a verse study on Ephesians 2:10, so I thought I'd write out a bit of what we got through. We basically picked apart the verse's phrases and studied the words, and then put it all back together again. Though we didn't have time to study this verse within its surrounding context, the fellowship was sweet and much needed and we came away with a greater understanding of what it means to dig deeply to find the treasure.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works

which God prepared beforehand,

that we should walk in them.

Workmanship

-This word comes from the Greek word poiema. It means "to do, act, cause, manufacture, or construct."

-Other translations of Scripture translate it as "handiwork" (NIV), "masterpiece" (NLT), and "creation" (HCSB).

-This word translates as "creation" or "made"; literally "thing that is made."

-This Greek word is used only twice in the New Testament (Ephesians 2:10 and Romans 1:20).

-"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).
-A cross-reference, Deuteronomy 32:6, communicates the idea that it is God who creates and establishes people. Mankind's debt to God can never be repaid. Therefore He is our rightful and sole Owner: we belong to Him.
-Cross-reference: Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3).

Created
-The Greek word ktizo means "I create, form, shape, or make" and properly only applies to God because only He can create something ex nihilo--out of nothing.
-It is translated as "created us anew" (NLT) or past tense "having been created" (NETB).
-This particular word has 15 references in 8 books. The first use of it is in Matthew 19:4 where Jesus answered the questioning Pharisees referencing the creation account of Adam and Eve in Genesis.
-The only place in the NT where it is translated as "Creator", speaking specifically about God, is in Romans 1:25: "...they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."
-All instances of this word in the NT say that God created something or someone or that He is the Creator.
-Colossians 3:10 says "and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." Here we see God as Creator of our external and internal beings. Our bodies and minds were made in the image of God. We have companionship and eternity written in our hearts, but because of sin, God as Creator must continually be empowering us to put off the old self and renew the new self in His image.
-We weren't just created absent-mindedly. We were created for something. For good works. Our specific purpose was to do the will of God--the good works that Scripture speaks of. These are the good works that Jesus and the believers' gone before also did. These good works shape our character and they will stand before us at the consummation of the age.
-We were created in Christ Jesus, meaning that as believers our life was fixed permanently in His death and resurrection. We are everything in Him, and nothing outside of Him. His power, love, compassion, strength, and holiness are present in us right now. It's not something we have to pray for more of (though we can pray to demonstrate it more), because it's already there.

That's just the first half of the verse. I'll post about the latter half next week and write a conclusion to it all. God bless! :)