A Purpose Driven Life

Ephesians 2:10

This verse shows the role of works in my salvation. It is in the context of a great paragraph from Paul about how I was once dead in my sins but God has made me alive in Christ and raised me up in Christ to a heavenly position. He did this, not really for my good but so that I might be a trophy of his grace. So that people and spirits would look at me - more accurately, look at the Church - and have their jaws hit the floor in awe of God's amazing grace. I, Paul continues, was not saved by works but by the incredible gift of God in Christ so that I could do good works that God has prepared for me to do even before the beginning of time. Wow! The point Paul is making is that works doesn't result in salvation; salvation results in works.
I think there are is a problem with the way I usually read this verse. I usually read the "you" in this verse as singular. In the first person it would read, "I am God's masterpiece or handiwork." However, Paul is writing to a church in this letter and in the context, it is clear that Paul is talking in the plural. This means that in the first person it would read, "We are God's masterpiece." God's glory is displayed in a much greater way in the Church than in the individual. While it was certainly part of God's plan to save me, the greatness of his plan, his grace and his glory is seen in the big plan to save the Church.
So what does this mean for me? Well, first of all it gives me a great picture of God. His plan is amazing. His grace is astounding. When I step back from my individualistic view of faith and see the bigger agenda that God has, I simply have to stand in awe of him. Second, it means that the good works that God has prepared in advance for us is really the whole agenda he has for the Church through out history all around the world. This means that as I go to L.A., which is big from my perspective, that I am a part of something even bigger. It also means that God has something for me and the rest of the team to do in L.A. that is vital to his mission being accomplished in this world by the Church.