<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Ephesians 2;8-10<div><br></div><div><br></div><div><b>8. &nbsp;For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—</b></div><div><b>9. &nbsp;not because of works, lest any man should boast.</b></div><div><b>10. &nbsp;For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.</b></div><div><br></div><div>The faith, and the salvation (which is ours through that faith), are both gifts from God by his grace.</div><div><br></div><div>Grace is the&nbsp;undeserved, unmerited mercy and love of God. &nbsp;What we deserve because of our sin is wrath and damnation. &nbsp;But God in his great love for us has given us his only Son, so that we may be delivered from the eternal death which we so justly deserve.</div><div><br></div><div>Paul, in order to underscore these truths adds verse 9, just to make sure we perfectly understand our good works are like spiritual Monopoly Money. &nbsp;They are worthless currency in heaven’s economy.</div><div><br></div><div>The only currency able to save us, to redeem and purchase our bodies and&nbsp;souls from hell.&nbsp;is the holy&nbsp;blood&nbsp;and innocent suffering death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. &nbsp;Faith in Jesus alone saves us.</div><div><br></div><div>In giving us saving faith, God makes us new&nbsp;<u>in Jesus Christ.</u>&nbsp; We are the <i>“workmanship of God, created </i><u>in Jesus Christ.”</u>&nbsp; We have no life apart from our Lord Jesus. &nbsp;In Christ, we have been given new hearts of flesh, we have been given the Mind (will) of Jesus, (to do the Father’s will). &nbsp;We have been washed, cleansed, purified, and separated from our all our sin. &nbsp;As new cleansed vessels, the very righteousness of God has been given into us. &nbsp;We are holy now, separated unto God, for what?</div><div><br></div><div>We are separated unto God for <u>“good works”</u>&nbsp;! &nbsp;Our new&nbsp;lives in Christ&nbsp;have been given us in order that we do the good works <i>“Gods has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>Just as we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, so also, do we now do the good works God has prepared for us. &nbsp;We live our our new&nbsp;lives of good works by the same faith and grace.</div><div>We believe we are in Christ and he is, by the Holy&nbsp;Spirit, in us. &nbsp; It is his own indwelling presence that empowers our new lives of good works, done with the mind of Christ, seeking to do the Father’s will.</div><div><br></div><div>Such living Paul refers to in Romans 8;2, this living is the <i>“law of the Spirit of Life <u>in Christ Jesus”.</u></i></div><div><i><u><br></u></i></div><div>In Christ, we have godly desires born of the will of the Father. &nbsp;We hold with suspicion all passions and desires born of the flesh. &nbsp;They are only good and to be embraced if they are God the Father’s own passions and desires. &nbsp;Such living is the removal of self from the throne of our hearts and the seating of Christ in our place. &nbsp;We had no business sitting on that throne to begin with. &nbsp;Sin in our very nature, put us there. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, by your grace bless us to live in the Mind of Christ. &nbsp;Bless us to take captive every thought to Christ. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,&nbsp;</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br></div><div>Question: &nbsp;What are some of the good works God has given to all Believers?</div><div><br><br><br><div><a></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Ephesians 2;8-10

8.  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—9.  not because of works, lest any man should boast.10.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The faith, and the salvation (which is ours through that faith), are both gifts from God by his grace.
Grace is the undeserved, unmerited mercy and love of God.  What we deserve because of our sin is wrath and damnation.  But God in his great love for us has given us his only Son, so that we may be delivered from the eternal death which we so justly deserve.
Paul, in order to underscore these truths adds verse 9, just to make sure we perfectly understand our good works are like spiritual Monopoly Money.  They are worthless currency in heaven’s economy.
The only currency able to save us, to redeem and purchase our bodies and souls from hell. is the holy blood and innocent suffering death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Faith in Jesus alone saves us.
In giving us saving faith, God makes us new in Jesus Christ.  We are the “workmanship of God, created in Jesus Christ.”  We have no life apart from our Lord Jesus.  In Christ, we have been given new hearts of flesh, we have been given the Mind (will) of Jesus, (to do the Father’s will).  We have been washed, cleansed, purified, and separated from our all our sin.  As new cleansed vessels, the very righteousness of God has been given into us.  We are holy now, separated unto God, for what?
We are separated unto God for “good works” !  Our new lives in Christ have been given us in order that we do the good works “Gods has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Just as we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, so also, do we now do the good works God has prepared for us.  We live our our new lives of good works by the same faith and grace.We believe we are in Christ and he is, by the Holy Spirit, in us.   It is his own indwelling presence that empowers our new lives of good works, done with the mind of Christ, seeking to do the Father’s will.
Such living Paul refers to in Romans 8;2, this living is the “law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus”.
In Christ, we have godly desires born of the will of the Father.  We hold with suspicion all passions and desires born of the flesh.  They are only good and to be embraced if they are God the Father’s own passions and desires.  Such living is the removal of self from the throne of our hearts and the seating of Christ in our place.  We had no business sitting on that throne to begin with.  Sin in our very nature, put us there.  
Prayer:  Merciful Father, by your grace bless us to live in the Mind of Christ.  Bless us to take captive every thought to Christ.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love, Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”
Question:  What are some of the good works God has given to all Believers?


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