Ephesians 2:10

αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα. This raising out of death is virtually a new creation, cf. 2 Corinthians 5:16 f. The New Israel as the Old is God’s workmanship, Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 43:21; Isaiah 44:2; Isaiah 44:21.

κτισθέντες. Cf. Ephesians 4:24; Ephesians 2:15 and Hort on 1 Peter 2:13.

ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17.

ἐπὶ ἔργοις�, ‘on an understanding of,’ and as the good works lie ahead ‘with a view to.’ Galatians 5:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:7 are substantially similar. In each case the reference is to an implied condition.

The phrase is used in the now familiar sense of ‘works of charity’ in Acts 9:36 (the only place in Acts). In the Epistles it is limited to St Paul, Heb., and 1 Pet. (καλά: cf. Hort on 1 Pet., p. 135b). In the Gospels (only καλά) it occurs always in words of the Lord, esp. Matthew 5:16. He applied it to His own deeds of mercy (John 10:32) and to the woman who anointed His Head, Matthew 26:10; || Mark 14:6. St Peter (cf. Hort on Ephesians 2:12) gives us the clue to its meaning here. The effect of the good works is to win other men ultimately to give glory to God. As the result of His working in them Christians are a manifestation of His glory in the world.

οἷς προητοίμασεν. In Romans 9:23 ‘the vessels of mercy’ are described as prepared beforehand for ‘glory.’ This is in contrast to ‘the vessels of wrath’ prepared ‘for destruction,’ i.e. ‘for a work of destruction,’ ‘to destroy’; not ‘to be destroyed.’ It does not therefore mean merely ‘to inherit glory,’ but to manifest it. So here, the works by which the Church was to reveal God’s presence in the world are described as taken up into the Divine counsel as well as the workmen. It is therefore an anticipation of Ephesians 3:10; Ephesians 3:21.

The thought is no doubt capable of being applied to the details of each individual life. If it is true at all it must be true universally. And we can only get the inspiration which it contains as we set ourselves to realize our personal share in it. But St Paul is here contemplating the wider issues.