"But God..." makes all the difference

The natural human condition.

Apart from Christ we are spiritually dead:

We are under the influence of Satan

We are under the influence of our fleshly desires

We are deserving of God’s wrath

We are helpless and hopeless on our own

The life-altering work of God.

God has saved us

By His mercy and grace

Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

In Christ, we are God’s workmanship

The Message of Ephesians b. Why God Did It

We are God’s workmanship (poiēma, ‘his work of art, his masterpiece’)

We have a new purpose: to do good works that display the greatness of God.