Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
For	γάρ gar	G1063	properly · conjunction
are	ἐσμέν esmén	G2070	we are
his	αὐτοῦ autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
workmanship	ποίημα poiēma	G4161	a product · noun — nominative singular neuter
created	κτισθέντες ktisthentes	G2936	to fabricate · verb — aorist passive participle, nominative plural masculine
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
Christ	Χριστῷ Christō	G5547	anointed · noun — dative singular masculine, a title
Jesus	Ἰησοῦ Iēsou	G2424	Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — dative singular masculine, a proper name
unto	ἐπὶ epi	G1909	properly · preposition
good	ἀγαθοῖς agathois	G18	"good" (in any sense · adjective — dative plural neuter
works	ἔργοις ergois	G2041	toil (as an effort or occupation) · noun — dative plural neuter
which	οἷς hois	G3739	the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun · relative pronoun — dative plural neuter
God	θεός, theos	G2316	figuratively · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
ordained	προητοίμασεν proētoimasen	G4282	to fit up in advance (literally or figuratively) · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
that	ἵνα ina	G2443	compare G3588 (ὁ)) · conjunction
walk	περιπατήσωμεν.¶ peripatēsōmen	G4043	to tread all around · verb — aorist active subjunctive, 1st person plural
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
them	αὐτοῖς autois	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative plural neuter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Hebrews 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be…
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
2 Timothy 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 2:4-10

Here the apostle begins his account of the glorious change that was wrought in them by converting grace, where observe, I. By whom, and in what manner, it was brought about and effected. 1. Negatively: Not of yourselves, Eph 2:8. Our faith, our conversion, and our eternal salvation, are not the mere product of any natural abilities, nor of any merit of our own: Not of works, lest any man should boast, Eph 2:9. These things are not brought to pass by any thing done by us, and therefore all boasting is excluded; he who glories must not glory in himself, but in the Lord. There is no room for any man's boasting of his own abilities and power; or as though he had done any thing that might deserve…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 2:10

workmanship--literally, "a thing of His making"; "handiwork." Here the spiritual creation, not the physical, is referred to (Eph 2:8-9). created--having been created (Eph 4:24; Psa 102:18; Isa 43:21; Co2 5:5, Co2 5:17). unto good works--"for good works." "Good works" cannot be performed until we are new "created unto" them. Paul never calls the works of the law "good works." We are not saved by, but created unto, good works. before ordained--Greek, "before made ready" (compare Joh 5:36). God marks out for each in His purposes beforehand, the particular good works, and the time and way which tie sees best. God both makes ready by His providence the opportunities for the works, and makes…

Read the whole note in the console

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship - So far is this salvation from being our own work, or granted for our own works' sake, that we are ourselves not only the creatures of God, but our new creation was produced by his power; for we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works. He has saved us that we may show forth the virtues of Him who called us from darkness into his marvelous light. For though we are not saved for our good works, yet we are saved that we may perform good works, to the glory of God and the benefit of man. Which God hath before ordained - Οἱς προητοιμασες· For which God before prepared us, that we might walk in them. For being saved from sin we are made partakers of the Spirit of h…

The Church Fathers

Does Paul mean "good works" in the future tense or those which we now perform? Taken either way they are good for us to walk in. They are witnesses to Christ's working in us.
— Gaius Marius Victorinus, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 1.2.10

Here he is speaking not of the first but of the second creation, wherein we are re-created by the resurrection. Completely unable as we are to mend our ways by our own decision on account of the natural weakness that opposes us, we are made able to come newly alive without pain and with great ease by the grace of the One who re-creates us for this purpose.
— Theodore of Mopsuestia, EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS 2.10

We are his creation. This means that it is from him that we live, breathe, understand and are able to believe, because he is the One who made us. And note carefully that he did not say "we are his fashioning and molding" but "we are his creation." Molding starts with the mud of the earth, but creation from the outset is "according to the image and likeness of God."
— Jerome, Commentary on Ephesians 2:10

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Decrees of God — “The decrees of God are his eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign purpose, comprehending at once all things that ever were or will be in their causes, conditions, successions, and…
Election of Grace — The Scripture speaks (1) of the election of individuals to office or to honour and privilege, e.g., Abraham, Jacob, Saul, David, Solomon, were all chosen by God for the positions they held; so also…
Providence — Literally means foresight, but is generally used to denote God’s preserving and governing all things by means of second causes (Ps. 18:35; 63:8; Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3). God’s providence…
Works, Good — The old objection against the doctrine of salvation by grace, that it does away with the necessity of good works, and lowers the sense of their importance (Rom. 6), although it has been answered a…
Atonement · .Divinely ordained — .Divinely ordained
Character · .New creatures — .New creatures
Character Of Saints · New Creatures — New Creatures
Creation · Illustrative of: The new birth — Illustrative of: The new birth
Election · OF GRACE — OF GRACE
New Birth, The · Described as: A new creation — Described as: A new creation
Obedience · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Redemption · They who partake of: Are Zealous of good works

Ephesians 2:10

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 2:4-10

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 2:10

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 2:10

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ephesians 2:10

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ephesians 2:4-10

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ephesians 2:10

Adam Clarke on Ephesians 2:10

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Ephesians 2:10

John Calvin on Ephesians 2:8-10

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ephesians 2:10