Ephesians 2:10 (ASV)

Passage

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 2:8 for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God;

Ephesians 2:9 not of works, that no man should glory.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands;

Ephesians 2:12 that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "for good", "created", "good works", "his workmanship", "christ", "jesus", "afore", and "prepared". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "for good" and "created", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "not of works that no man should..." into verse 11's "Wherefore remember that once ye the Gentiles...", so "for good" and "created" belong inside that flow. In Saved by Grace for Good Works, the local focus is grace, faith, new creation, and good works.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "for good" and "created" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.