“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” —Ephesians 2:10
In this series of blog posts, we’re examining the foundational question, “Who am I?” And we’re doing so through the lens of scripture, specifically our key verse above.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are created in Christ Jesus as His workmanship. This is the first truth we need to understand about ourselves: We are made by God. This basic fact is taught at the very beginning of the Bible, where we’re told about the creation of the earth.
“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” —Genesis 1:27
When we’re trying to understand the identity of something, often the first question we ask is, “Where did it come from?” Once we know its origin, we can start to learn what exactly it is.
The same is true for us. If we want to know who we are, we have to start at the beginning. Where do we come from? Are we here by sheer accident, the result of a bunch of atoms and molecules colliding and combining at random? Or were we put here by someone for a purpose? This is central to understanding our identity as people.
And the Bible is very clear on this: We come from God. He is our originator. He is the source of our being. He made us and put us here, and He didn’t do that for no reason. He did it with a purpose in mind.
But it doesn’t stop there. We aren’t just created by God. We’re created by God in His image. That means that when God was making the world, He chose us to be the part of creation that reflected Him the most.
If you’re created in God’s image, you’ve got to be something special. There’s something inside of you that reflects the God you were created by. This alone gives you worth and the potential to influence the world for good.
The verse also says that we are God’s workmanship. What does that mean?
workmanship — the degree of skill with which a product is made or a job done
This word means that when God made you, He didn’t do a rush job. He didn’t use second-rate ingredients. And He didn’t make you generic.
When God created you, He crafted you lovingly to be just the way you are. He put everything He had into you to make you what He meant for you to be. He put His heart into you, just as a master craftsman puts his all into his handiwork. All of that workmanship is contained within you. Yes, you!
God doesn’t mess up. When He does something, He does it right. And He made each and every one of us.
You are not an accident. You are not a mistake. You are not without purpose.
You are God’s workmanship, crafted in His image for a reason. That is who you are.
That’s a very different answer to the question of identity than you’ll get anywhere else. The world can’t offer that. Only the good news of the Bible teaches us the reality of where we come from and gives us the deep understanding of human worth that comes from it.
You are created by God, and that is a very good thing. It’s a great starting point for answering the question, “Who am I?” And I hope you’ll hold on to that truth as we move forward.
Next week, we’ll look at a different aspect of who we are according to scripture. I invite you to come back and join us. Thank you as always for reading, and I’ll see you next week.
To your fitness!