Ephesians 2:8-10
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Before we move on, here are some additional thoughts. As I was re-reading and praying about this important passage of scripture, it occurred to me that the Christian life could be summarized in two clear, simple directives:
Get saved and do work.
God accomplishes salvation for us so that he can accomplish work through us. This is the way that salvation must be understood. As we frequently say in these devotionals, salvation is not the goal of the Christian life, it is just the beginning of it. The Lord saves us so that he can work in us and through us.
Remember what Jesus prayed in John 17. God saves us from the world, and then sends us back into the world.
“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (John 17:15-18).
When a person trusts in Christ and is saved, it is not so much the “what” of their work that changes. Rather, it is the “why” and the “how” of work that is transformed. Whatever the job—mailman, salesperson, accountant, stay-at-home mom, teacher, manager, coach, laborer, executive—the presence of Christ in the person’s life transforms the motives and methods of the work they do.
In its simplest form, that is the Christian life: Get saved, do work. It is concerning that many of the Christians I talk to are much more excited about being saved than doing work. For the church to be effective in society and bear the fruit that God intends, this mindset must change.
Salvation is an incredible blessing, and we are right to rejoice in it and be thankful. But let us always remember why we are saved and for what purpose … and then do the work.
