Colossians 1:16 “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
Continuing Pastor Herk’s message, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” emphasizes that even the work of Salvation through redemption for the forgiveness of sin is all God’s work. Ephesians 2:8-9 confirms, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” His Masterpiece we are. In the Greek, the word “created” is “Ktizō”, meaning brand new and that has never existed before, through the idea of proprietorship of the Creator; denoting that when God makes us His masterpiece, he doesn’t just change us, He transforms us into something completely new and different. God doesn’t just remodel or restore some existing work; It is in the conversion work of metamorphosis, Our heavenly Father re-creates us as a new and complete masterpiece; from sin to sanctified.
In John 3:3-7, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
The apostle Paul re-emphasizes this in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” The creation of a Masterpiece is a process. We do not become God’s finished work of art all at once. The creative Creator continues to work on and make improvement on each of His masterpieces. Isaiah 43:7 says, “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.” We realize that we do not immediately become everything that God intends for us to be at the very moment that we receive salvation. We continue to growth in knowledge and faith through the process of “Sanctification”, walking in the Spirit. There is housecleaning in our hearts that must be continually done, as we remain in the flesh on this side of eternity.
Psalm 119:73 “Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.”
Like a skilled artist, God sometimes performs a masterstroke of His brush, and other times continues to chisel away at us to get rid of those imperfections that would detract from our beauty; a work in progress. The Apostle Paul states in Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Throughput history, artists have used all sorts of media to create their masterpieces; wood, paper, rock, clay, plaster, metal, canvas, et cetera. But, when it comes to God’s masterpieces, He only uses one medium and media of creating them. That medium is His Son Jesus Christ; we are all created through Him. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on "God's Masterpiece" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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