For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them.

Paul mentioned “work/works” in two consecutive verses.

In the previous verse (verse 9), he concludes that we are not saved by works, just as Cornelius, though full of good works, was not saved by them but by the grace of God, who sent Peter to preach to him and his household (Acts 10).

And in this verse, Paul says we are God's work, created anew.

It's a callback to Adam, whom God did not speak into existence but fashioned (Genesis 2:7). God wove us together in Christ. In a way, a nation was born in a day, as foretold in Isaiah 66:8.

God did not create us as statues to be observed, but for good works. So we are not saved by works, but we are saved for good works, as the fruit of our lives.

We should not miss the activity of God in this verse.

We are now for the praise of His glory in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:12–14), where before we were dead in offenses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).

We need to embrace our new reality in Christ, our destiny, the newness of our reality. The old is gone, as Paul would say, and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

That we are God’s creative work also communicates intimacy; He did not fan us out for His “assistants” to work on us. We were God's creative work, individually and collectively.

That further shows God's love and grace, that His love is not just love, it is great love (Ephesians 2:4).

We, being his creative work, created in Christ Jesus for good works, means that good works are encoded in us; they are our new identity. We carry the divine imprint, the divine fingerprint; we express God’s goodness. Simply, we represent who He is wherever we are because we are infused with who He is.

And there is the aspect of “doing.” There are works we should do because we are his.

Good works do not necessarily mean preaching the word or winning souls, but it also means what you would call mundane things, like politics, or being an educator, policeman, or soldier.

Whatever is occupying your time, whatever you are doing is a display of God's grace, since, remember, you died (Romans 6:8) and the life that you now live, you live by the grace of God (Galatians 2:20).

But someone might say, don't non-Christians also do those kinds of work? Yes, but a non-Christian is not, by default, expressing God the way a Christian does, since we are actually living the life of Christ.

I am not saying you are perfect, but the life of God shows forth even in that imperfection because we are nothing but God's creative work (warts and all); we have been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We do that by default.

It means that God ordained us to exist in this time period to do those good works to His glory, wherever we are in the world. And that is exactly what is happening.

Stated another way, we have been deployed as God’s battle-axe and weapons of warfare (from the standpoint of the evil one; see Jeremiah 51:20)

A Christian is different everywhere we are, even if we are doing the same things as a non-Christian. And I am not talking about anything spooky here. For example, two people can be standing somewhere, but if one is your child, it’s no longer just two people. A Christian being somewhere is just different, just because.

That child originated from you and would not exist apart from you. Now apply that to God and you wherever you are to the maximum degree; then we can begin to understand what this focus verse means.

It does not mean we are the topmost expert in our field or earn the fattest salary; it just means our very presence in that place delights God because we are representing Him, just by being there.

He is saying, as He said of Jesus, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5). That is the truth. He is well pleased because your spiritual existence is specifically and specially derived from Him, from His Son. That is the truth.

That does not mean you have to be preaching to everyone, which is not bad, but He is not seeking extra performance to justify your salvation.

Listen to me: there is nowhere in the Bible that says you are saved to save others or to serve God, as if doing something else means God is frowning at you or neutral and is only smiling when you are doing spiritual service. God is smiling at you even when you are sleeping, washing the plate, or just stumbled, or are feeling sick. That is the truth.

You serve God, but that is not why you are saved, as if that now defines your essence. You are a child of God. Period. You cannot improve on that.

You may not be gifted as an evangelist, and that is okay. Regardless, God has prepared some good works for you to walk in.

He did not design you to compete with others who are expressing their gifts.

Another thing to note about the focus verse is that, in my opinion, it communicates our individual uniqueness. Creativity and diversity go hand in hand. Sameness is not creativity.

There is something distinct about you, so don't pressure others to be like you, and don't allow others to pressure you to be like them when it comes to expressing your gift. Delight in your own uniqueness; there is a presence of God that is shown through that.

Wherever you are placed, wherever you are, is different. You are not supposed to try to do the good works; that is your default.

You don't have to try to do the good work; you can't but do it, since you are a new creature, and it is in your spiritual DNA to do those good works, leaving the divine imprint everywhere you go, an expression of divine creativity.

Also, that we are God's creative work means we are complex. We cannot be easily understood.