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Ephesians 2:8–9 is a well-known passage discussing God’s grace in salvation: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Before delving into the interpretation of a single verse (or two), it is crucial to grasp the context. Paul wrote Ephesians to the Christians in Ephesus, a city with a significant number of Gentile believers.
In Ephesians chapter 1, Paul informs them of the abundant blessings they possess in Christ. He explains how they were chosen and sealed with the Holy Spirit. Additionally, he prays for their complete comprehension of all the spiritual blessings they enjoy in Christ.
Chapter 2 starts by contrasting the believers’ present status in Christ with their former state outside of Christ—they were spiritually dead in their sins. Through Christ, they have been reconciled to God, and Jewish and Gentile believers have been reconciled to one another.
Chapter 3 further elucidates God’s plan to unite Gentiles and Jews in Christ. This unity was unexpected by many. Paul expresses gratitude to God for all the Ephesian believers, whether Jew or Gentile.
Chapters 4–6 urge the Ephesian believers to live according to their position in Christ. “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” «I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, », (Ephesians 4:1). These three chapters provide practical and direct behavioral instructions for Christians. Importantly, individuals do not follow these guidelines to become Christians or to gain acceptance from God. Instead, they are called to live out their faith in response to the grace they have received.Hey, followers adhere to these guidelines as a natural part of living out their position in Christ.
This brings us back to Ephesians 2:8–9. The common belief is that God accepts good individuals and rejects bad ones. Most individuals, whether in Christianized nations or those immersed in other faiths, typically operate under the notion that God accepts or rejects individuals based on a certain level of goodness and/or religious performance. The entire book of Ephesians opposes this idea, and Ephesians 2:8–9 specifically denies it: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:7 mentions that God has bestowed incredible blessings upon those who are in Christ “so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” In essence, God has opted to rescue sinners, not based on their goodness but on His kindness. He does this to showcase His grace—meaning His unmerited favor. By definition, grace is a favor that is unearned and undeserved—a gift freely given based on the benevolent intentions of the giver to a recipient who has no entitlement to it.
What God has accomplished for believers in Christ will bring Him glory, and Ephesians 2:8–9 further clarifies how He receives all the glory. First, “it is by grace you have been saved.” If we are saved by grace, it implies that it is not because we are good or deserving; instead, it is because God is good and gracious.
Second, we are saved “through faith.” To be saved, there is a required human response to God’s grace. The response is not attempting to be “good enough” to earn salvation. The response is simply trusting (having faith in) God to save based on Christ’s goodness. Moreover, we must comprehend that faith is not a good deed in itself that God compensates. Faith is merely placing our unworthy selves on the mercy of a kind
and forgiving and gracious God.
The next clause in Ephesians 2:8–9 is a bit more challenging to understand: “And this is not from yourselves.” The interpretive issue is what the word ‘this’ is referring to. Some interpreters believe it refers to faith. Therefore, the verse could be rephrased as, “You have been saved by grace through faith, and even this faith is not from within you.” Those who support this interpretation emphasize that, without God’s work in our lives, we could not even believe the gospel to be saved. Undoubtedly, this is true, but it may not be the most accurate interpretation of this particular verse. The reason is that the gender of the word ‘this’ (in Greek) does not match the gender of the word ‘faith,’ which would typically be the case if ‘this’ was a pronoun referring to faith.
Some will interpret this to refer to grace. Undoubtedly, the meaning is also true. Grace, by definition, is from God and not from within ourselves; however, grammatically, there is the same issue with making the pronoun ‘this’ refer to grace as to faith—the genders do not match. The same applies if ‘this’ refers back to the phrase ‘have been saved.’
The best explanation is that ‘this’ refers to the entire plan and process of “salvation by grace through faith,” rather than any specific element of it—although, admittedly, the bottom line is hardly any different. Salvation-by-grace-through-faith is not from ourselves but is “a gift of God, not of works.” Once again, the nature of grace is reiterated. This entire plan and process of salvation comes from God as a gift, not from ourselves as the result of works or good deeds that we have done.
The result of the process is “so that no one can boast.” In Ephesians 1:14, we are informed that the salvation explained in verses 3–14 is “to the praise of His [God’s] glory.” If the plan and process of salvation were from ourselves, based on our good works, then, when we achieved the necessary level of goodness to deserve salvation, we could boast.
St. “I did it!” we might say, or, “I gave it my all and overcame tremendous obstacles, but I finally ascended to the highest levels of goodness and holiness, and God gave me what I deserved!” And we could look down on those who did not make it: “Those others failed because they lacked the fortitude, insight, and piety that I cultivated.” Boasting would abound. If the plan and process of salvation were based on human works, then we would elevate ourselves over other people and even in some sense over God Himself, because our salvation was our own doing, not His. Ephesians 2:8–9 says an emphatic NO. The plan and process of salvation is from God as a gift, it is by grace, and it is accessed through faith in God’s promises in Christ. Nothing about salvation is worked up from within ourselves, and it is not based on good things we do. Boasting in our achievements is out of place, but, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:17, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Many people memorize Ephesians 2:8–9, and it is an excellent synopsis of the gospel, but the passage does not end at verse 9. Verse 10 is necessary to complete the thought. Someone might wonder what place good works have in the life of a Christian. We have already seen that chapters 4–6 are all about good works and right behavior. Just as chapters 4–6 come after chapters 1–3, so Ephesians 2:10 comes after Ephesians 2:8–9, not only sequentially but also conceptually and chronologically. We are not saved by doing good works, but we are saved for the purpose of doing good works: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Good works are a vital part of the Christian life because doing good is one of the reasons God saves us—He has things for us to do. But the sequence is all-important—good works are not the cause of salvation but the purpose of it. God saves us so that we can go into the world, doing good works in His name, and this is what truly matters.
He brings Him all the more glory (cf. Matthew 5:16).
Considering the truth of Ephesians 2:8–9, it is crucial to ask oneself, “What do I rely on for my salvation?” Are you relying on good deeds you have done, or do you acknowledge that you have nothing to offer and simply trust in the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ?
