Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 2 · Verse and explication 9
Vers. 10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
LEst the Apostle, by commending grace and excluding works from being the cause of their salvation, should have seemed to justle out works, and an holy life, as altogether unnecessary; Therefore, in this verse he sheweth that the study of good works is of absolute necessity required in those who are to be saved; because all such, whether Jew or Gentile, (for, he speaketh in the first person, including himself and the believing Jews) are Gods workmanship, that is, renewed, and made over again by Gods createing power through the interveening mediation of Christ Jesus, and this of purpose; that they may make conscience of good works: yea, and further, God, who had predestinated them to heaven, had also decreed and prepared good works for them, as the way wherein they behoved of necessity to walk in their journey to heaven: which as it proveth the undeniable necessity of good works; so it also confirmeth that they neither were, nor could be saved by works; because the power whereby they did good works, did follow upon their regeneration, and was given them freely by God. As also, God had prepared good works, that they should walk towards heaven in them, but not to merit heaven by them. Doct. 1. Believers are Gods workmanship, not only by naturall creation, but supernaturall renovation; they are not only once made, but made over again; not by having the substance of their soul and naturall powers thereof destroyed, and new ones, substantially different from those, substituted in their place, but by having the vitious qualities, which were in those, subdued and weakened, and contrary graces and vertues implanted in their stead, Eph. 4. 22, 23, 24. for, saith Paul, we are His workmanship: the word signifieth a thing of His making, whereby he meaneth, not Gods first making of them as men, but His making of them over again as renewed men, which appeareth from what followeth, His creating them in Christ, and unto good works. 2. As the making of sinners over again and new creatures, is only Gods work; So the power, whereby He so maketh us, is no lesse than creating power, much like unto that power whereby in the beginning He made some things of nothing, and some things of preexisting matter, but such as was wholly unfit and indisposed for those things to be made of it, Gen. 2. 7. 22. considering, that in this great and mighty work of God He maketh those, who were wholly indisposed to good, and averse from it, (Psal. 81. 11.) yea perverse resisters of all motions towards that which is godly and holy, (Job 21. 14.) to be true lovers of it, and walkers in its for, this much is implyed, while he saith, we are His workmanship, created, &c. 3. Christ behoved to strike in as Mediator betwixt God and us, before we could be made this new workmanship; the life, which we have by this new creation, being purchased by His death, 1 Joh. 4. 9. and applied unto us by His power, after He is now arisen from death, Act. 5. 31. The furniture, whereupon the actions of this life are performed, coming also from Him, Joh 15. -5. for, saith he, we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. 4. Believers are made new creatures, not to live idlely, or to work wickedly, but that they may in the whole course of their life make conscience of good works: which are not only works of charity, or duties of immediate worship, but every duty, whether of worship, (Act. 10. -2.) or of our callings (Act. 9. 36. 39.) whether to God, or man, or to our selves, (Tit. 2. 12.) which is warranted in the Word as lawfull, or commanded as necessary, (Mic. 6. 8.) gone about by a man regenerate, and in Christ, (Mat. 7. 17, 18.) by vertue of influence from the Spirit of Christ, (Phil. 2. 13.) for Gods glory, as the main end of the worker, (1 Cor. 10. 31.) and with due respect had to all necessary circumstances, Psal. 1.-3 every duty of that kind, so gone about, is a good work, which Paul saith they were created unto in Christ Jesus, even unto good works. 5. Though many actions of unregenerate men are materially good, and very usefull both for themselves and others, Rom. 2. 14. yet no unregenerate man can do any work, which is spiritually good and acceptable to God: even their good works are but shining sins, as being destitute of a great part of these necessary requisites unto a good work, mentioned in the former Doctrine: for, Paul sheweth that a man must be a new creature and Gods workmanship, before he can do a good work; for, we are, saith he, Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. 6. Though good works be not necessary to merit or purchase salvation; yet are they necessary unto those who are justified and saved, in severall respects, not only as they are the necessary fruit and end of regeneration, and as they are the way which leadeth to heaven (their necessity in both which respects is grounded upon the present Scripture) but they are necessary also, as evidences of our right to salvation, 1 Joh. 3. 14. as a guard to preserve peace with our own consciences, 2 Cor. 1. 12. as evidences of our thankfulnesse to God and Christ, who hath freely saved us, 1 Pet. 2. 9. and for the edification of others, Matth. 5. 16. for, the Apostle's scope is to prove, that as we are not saved by works, so that good works are necessary in other respects; We are created unto good works, which He hath fore-ordained, that we should walk in them. 7. Christians are like unto those who walk in a journey from one place unto another, through a streight and beaten way which lyeth betwixt, in so far as they advance from sin (Ezek. 18. 31.) to heaven, (Phil. 3. 14.) in the way of holinesse and good works: for, the word rendered to walk, whereby he expresseth what should be the daily exercise of a renewed man, is a metaphore taken from those who travell in a journey, and he maketh the way wherein they walk to be good works; which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them. 8. The Lord hath prepared, and made ready good works, as a beaten path, wherein His renewed people may walk without any discourageing or perplexing difficulty, in so far, as He not only hath ordained in His eternall and unchangeable decree, that they shall make conscience of good works, which seemeth to be mainly meaned by His fore-ordaining of good works here spoken of, but He doth also hold forth the rule of good works in His Word, Psal. 119. 9. and by examples also, which make the rule more easie to be followed, Heb. 12. 1. He reneweth their wills, and furnisheth them with inward power and ability to do these works, Ezek. 36. 27. and exciteth and actuateth that power by His renewed influence, thereby making it to work, Philip. 2. 13. In all which respects, good works may be said to be prepared by God, as the word, rendred fore-ordained, may also read; which God hath fore-ordained, or prepared, that we should walk in them.