Eph 2:8  For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

This might be one of the most famous Scriptures there is. How often have you heard it discussed? It has become theological in nature because, well it is, of course, but its certainly not dead letter, rather it’s alive to the glories of God’s plan. And His plan is His gift to man, not of their works but of His workmanship. He desired a people for Himself and would take the marred clay of our humanity and create out of Jew and Gentile, one glorious Body of His own making. He would make known to us the mystery of His will. He would give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened. He would take two and make one. He would tear down the middle wall of separation by abolishing in His flesh, on the cross, the enmity that existed between God and men, an uncrossable gulf that only Christ could bridge by His work on the cross. Glory to God! We who were strangers and alienated from God, now, in Christ are brought near by His blood. Near to God, near to the heart of the Father. Deeper into the Father’s heart. Let us be closer still and let it be the “work,” of our life to be found in Him. Nearer my God to thee.

By trusting in the unmerited favor of God, and trusting God for our eternal soul, and falling down before Him in repentance, then He has saved us. The gift of God to a world condemned, to the Jew first and then the Gentile. We are made one in Christ. He has raised up for Himself a Body and He inhabits this Body. God would build His own temple with His own hands and this will be His eternal dwelling place. Nothing man made, lest man would boast. Our very salvation is a gift, where is the boasting? We are now citizens and members of the household of God, having been built upon no other foundation other than that of the Apostles and prophets. And at the heart of it all,  Christ Jesus, our Cornerstone. In Him the whole building, being fitted together with living stones, is being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ our Lord amen. Now stop just for a moment brothers and sisters. Consider what Paul is saying to you and me. Consider the context of it and what has been stated. You are a living stone. You are part of the Body. You belong to the “house-hold,” of God in a way that only you could. God has shaped you, yes you, to fit perfectly into His work. You are His work. It’s nothing less than mind blowing and yet there it is.