Amazing GraceSample

I Am Becoming Who I Am

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

It may seem strange to say, ‘I am becoming who I am.’. How can we become what we already are?

Think of it like this. Imagine you are holding a newborn baby in your arms. There she is, cute, cuddly, beautiful, adorable. Is she also human? Of course. But what can she do? Well, not much really. There are only about three things babies can do. So is she fully human? Yes. Absolutely. Can any actions she takes make her more human? No. Not at all. Being human doesn’t depend on what we do; it is who we are.

As a baby girl grows, she will discover new things, develop new skills and accomplish new tasks. She will become beautiful in a different way. She is a person and now she is acting like a person. She is a human being human. She is becoming who she really is.

Exactly the same principle applies in the kingdom of God. We are born into God’s family and we are his children. At first we may not be particularly effective. Even worse, we may be dismally ineffective. But that does not mean we are not children of God. Just that we have some growing to do. To become in practice what we are potentially. And this will almost certainly be different from God’s purpose for everyone else. I am becoming who I am, not who my neighbour is. 

Understanding what God has done for us in Christ is vital to following Christ. It means we are well able to do anything he prepares for us to do because he has prepared it in such a way that we can.

So we go back to the previous two verses (8 and 9). Grace is God’s part; faith is ours. We are saved by grace. We lay hold of it by faith. Not by what we have done, which always fails, but by what Christ has done, which never fails. At the end of the day, it is all the free and gracious blessing of God. 

For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus for the good works which he prepared in advance for us to walk in. 

What Next?

1. How does understanding verse 10 help when other people’s endeavours seem to be (a) more effective or (b) less effective than yours?

2. If God called you to be a missionary, how would verse 10 help you to respond to that call?

3. Memorise Ephesians 2:10.