Doing What I was Born to Do

Sept. 29th, 2005
"For we are of God's making, created...for a life of good actions already prepared by God for us to do." (CJB)
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (NAS)

"good works" = ergois agathos. Agathos (18) means good and benevolent, profitable, useful. Ergois (2041) means a deed, act, action, something done, in this verse specifically something done by mankind in reference to right and wrong as judged by the moral law, the precepts of the Gospel. In other words (thank you!) well-doing, virtue, or piety (quality of being devout).

"created" = (2936) ktisthentes From ktiso, this word meant to ancient Greek writer Homer's (not my dad, although he's pretty old) context in the Iliad and the Odyssey, to found a city or habitable place. Here in Eph 2:10 has the connotation of creating and forming in a spiritual sense, regeneration or renewal.

"prepared beforehand" = (4282) proetoimazo from pro "before" and hetoimazo "to make ready". Used only twice in the New Testament. Used of God's foreordaining for good, referring to glory and here, good works.

"we should walk" = (4043) peripatasomen literally means to walk about. In this verse, means figuratively to live or pass one's life. This word is in what is called the aorist subjunctive active. This is a fancy way of saying that 1) it is a simple, undefined action (not repeated action), it is done by the noun (in this case the Believer) and is making an assertion about which there is some doubt. (Dr. Spiros Zodhiates' explanation)

Okay, lots of Greek and all of it confusing. But, I'm a Greek geek (meaning I like it), and it's good to see what the words mean.