What Is the Deal With Works?

This is one that has been somewhat confusing to me in the past.   Are works needed to get to heaven?  Do we have to work?  Or because we are saved by faith, are works totally irrelevant?  This verse from Ephesians I think helps me understand it the best.

Ephesians 2:8-10(NKJV)

8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 

9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 

10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The first part of this Scripture makes it very clear that we are saved through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Flat out, that's it, period!

It's the second part that really helped me get an better understanding of this issue. 

"10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. "

While we are saved by our faith in Christ, it tells us that we were created in Christ for good works that God created for us to do.  So once we accept Christ, it's what God created us to do.  To fulfill God's will in our lives, if God the creator designed us to do good works, then we have to do good works to fulfill  that purpose that he designed us for. 

So in my view while good works are not any part of our condition of salvation, they are absolutely essential in our fulfilling God's purpose in our lives!