Ephesians 2:10 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Ephesians 2:8 For ye are saved by grace, through faith; and this not of yourselves; it is God's gift:

Ephesians 2:9 not on the principle of works, that no one might boast.

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

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember that *ye*, once nations in [the] flesh, who [are] called uncircumcision by that called circumcision in [the] flesh done with the hand;

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "for good", "created", "good works", "his workmanship", "having", "been", "christ", and "jesus". 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 on the principle of works that..." into verse 11's "Wherefore remember that ye once nations in...", 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.