The long overdue reflection on Ephesians 2:1-10

I first read Ephesians 2:1-10 over one month ago: February 20, 2009. My study of Ephesians was temporarily halted by a family tragedy--but God is faithful, and has blessed me and helped me gradually ease back into my life. The following is what I had written down February 20th in my journal of my first impressions of this first passage of Ephesians.


"There really is beautiful symmetry and contrast in Ephesians 2:1-2 and 2:10. It moves from us living/behaving (περιπατέω, v.2) in sin (τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, v.1) to God's having created us to live/behave (περιπατέω, v.10) in good works (ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, v.10). Because of this symmetry, I feel like the beginning of verse 10 (αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῳ Ἰησοῦ, "for we are his workmanship, being created in Christ Jesus") has great significance, though I am still figuring out what that significance could be...."

"The first real nominative--a noun, rather than a participle or pronoun--of the passage shows up in Ephesians 2:4 (ὁ δὲ θεός...). It creates huge emphasis on God by spending three verses about how sinful we humans are, then dramatically shifting to GOD, the first real nominative! Not only is the passage theocentric, the very first thing said about God is that he is rich in mercy."


When I read Ephesians 2:1-10 with Dr. Newman, I pointed out that I really liked to translate ποίημα ("workmanship" or "masterpiece") of verse 10 as "poem" because of the beautiful implications of it. "For we are God's poem, being created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, in order that in those good works we might live." I'm not sure how faithful that translation is to Paul's original construction, but the fact that the word is so closely linked to poetry cannot be an accident, and I am sure that there are other words for "masterpiece" that Paul could have chosen if he wanted to avoid poetic connotations.