Made New: An Ephesians Book StudySample

One of the greatest words in the Bible is “but.”

Several passages in the Bible describe our condition, how messed up we’ve made things, how stuck we were, or how much damage we’ve done. Then, the amazing word but appears. The word but indicates a contrast, a change in direction. After describing how bad our spiritual situation was in Ephesians 2:1-3 (spiritually dead, subject to God’s anger), Paul begins verse four with the magical word but. We deserved anger, but God gave us love. We were stuck, but God freed us. We were dead, but God gave us new life.

We didn’t deserve any of that. It’s all because of God’s “great love and rich mercy” (v.4). We can’t boast or feel like we’re better than others. We were just as bad or worse, but God saved us by His grace. We can’t take credit - it’s all a gift from God (v. 8-9).

How do you respond to that? You spend the rest of your life in awe of God’s mercy and grateful for His grace.

Not only did God save us, but He has a purpose for us. Our new life in Christ comes with a calling. We aren’t saved just for our benefit but to fulfill the good works God has planned for us.

In verse 10, Paul writes that we are God’s “masterpiece” or “handiwork.” The Greek word originally written is poema, where we get the word poetry. You may have made a mess, but God still considers you His masterpiece and wants to make something beautiful out of your life.

Response
1. How should understanding the magnitude of your sin and God’s grace shape how you relate to God and others?

2. How would you live if you thought of yourself as God’s poetry, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has already prepared for you? Would you think differently about yourself? Would you be looking for opportunities to do good works?

3. Write out verses 4-10, but replace all the pronouns with “I” or “me” so it’s about you. (IE: “But because of His great love for me, God, who is rich in mercy, made me alive with Christ…”) Read what you have written, and thank God it is true about you.

Weekly Memory Verse
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:8-10

Written by Vince Antonucci