Before Christ, we were spiritually dead - misguided, deceived, disobedient, and doomed. But God, rich in mercy and great in love, intervened to save us. This salvation comes by grace through faith, not by our works, so no one can boast. We are God's masterpiece (poiema), created in Christ Jesus for good works that He prepared in advance for us to do. We've moved from being children of wrath to experiencing the riches of God's grace, from following the ways of the world to walking in God's purpose for our lives.