Theme

Our identity in Christ gives us our purpose.

Questions

• What do you think it means to live a life with purpose? Do you think that your life has a purpose? Has that purpose changed over the years, or not?
• Do you agree that our purpose in life comes from our identity? Why/why not? How do the contrasts between past and present in v.1-7 help us to know our identity in Christ?
• Look at 2 Corinthians 5:15, how does this verse help us understand both our identity and our purpose?
• Paul encourages the Ephesians to look back at what their lives were like without Christ and compare it with life in Christ. Look at v.1-5, what parallels can you see with Romans 6:1-14 (which we looked at on the week we thought about being Alive in Christ)?
• In v.6 Paul describes believers as raised and seated with Christ in the heavenly realms – we are both seated with Christ, and living in the here and now. Have you ever thought about that reality before? What does it mean to you?
• This passage is all about God taking the initiative in our lives – it is God who has transformed our lives, and it is God who calls us to do ‘good works’ – why are these ‘works’ something we can’t boast about (compare v.8-9, with 1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
• We are described as “God’s workmanship”, that is, God is moulding and shaping us into his people. Can you see ways in which God has changed you since becoming a Christian?

• We are created (or recreated, remember 2 Corinthians 5:17) with a view to doing good works – not that there is a list of actions for each of us to tick off, but that a life created in Christ is a life which works for his ways in his word, that’s the purpose he had from the beginning for us. How does having this purpose influence the kind of decisions we make for our lives (hint: it’s not just about living like everyone else with added Christian ‘bits’ on Sunday’s and Wednesdays)

• In Christ I have a purpose is the theme for this week. How did this passage help you understand that God has a purpose for your life? Did you learn something new, or were you challenged by something in particular?