Ephesians 2:8-9 says, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Grace is God's undeserved favor, the source of salvation. Faith is the empty hand that receives it. The whole thing, Paul says, is not of yourselves; it is a gift. Good works cannot earn it, so no one in heaven will be able to boast. But the next verse adds that believers are created in Christ Jesus unto good works (Ephesians 2:10). Works are the result of salvation, never its cause.
Ephesians 2:8-9 may be the clearest summary of the gospel in the whole Bible, and it was at the center of the Reformation debates about how a person is saved. It comes at the end of a long sentence of contrasts. Paul begins by describing what we were: dead in trespasses and sins, following the course of this world, by nature the children of wrath. Then he writes two of the most hopeful words in Scripture: But God. God, rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ, raised us up and seated us with Him. Verses 8-9 explain how this happened: by grace, through faith, as a gift. Verse 10 then explains why: so that we would walk in the good works God prepared for us. Below are 12 KJV passages, in three groups, that explain grace, faith and works and how they fit together.
For by grace are ye saved: Ephesians 2 in context
1. Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Take the verse a phrase at a time. By grace: salvation starts with God's free kindness, not our effort. Are ye saved: in the Greek it is a completed act with lasting results. You have been saved and remain saved. Through faith: faith is the channel, not the cause. It is trust in Christ, not a work that earns. And that not of yourselves: the whole salvation, including the faith that receives it, is from God. It is the gift of God: a gift is free or it is not a gift. Not of works, lest any man should boast: if works could save, heaven would be full of boasting. Instead it is full of praise.
2. Ephesians 2:1
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;"
Paul starts the chapter with the bad news: you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. The words hath he quickened are printed in italics in the KJV, because the translators supplied them from verse 5 to complete the sense. Dead is the important word. A dead person does not need advice or a little help; he needs life. That is why salvation must be by grace. If we were only sick, we might cooperate with the cure. Because we were dead, God had to act alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 only makes sense when we see how serious Ephesians 2:1 is.
3. Ephesians 2:4-5
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"
The turning point of the chapter: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;). Paul is so eager to say it that he breaks into his own sentence with the words in brackets, then repeats them in verse 8. Mercy means God withholds the punishment we deserve. Love is His reason. Quickened means made alive. Notice the timing again: even when we were dead. God did not wait for signs of life. Grace is love that acts first.
4. Titus 2:11
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,"
Paul tells Titus, the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Grace is not only an idea. It appeared in a person, Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners. Notice that the grace that saves also teaches. The next verse says it teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously and godly. That is the same pattern as Ephesians 2:8-10. Grace saves without works and then produces good works. A grace that changes nothing has been misunderstood.
Through faith, not of works: how grace is received
5. Romans 3:23-24
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:"
Romans gives the same teaching in different words: all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Everyone falls short, so everyone needs grace. Justified means declared righteous by God the judge. Freely means as a gift, without cause in us; the same Greek word is used in John 15:25 for hating Jesus without a cause. And the cost is not ignored. It was paid through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Grace is free to us because it was costly to Him.
6. Romans 4:4-5
"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
Paul explains why works and grace cannot be mixed: to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. If you work for wages, your employer owes you; your pay is not a gift. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Notice the startling phrase justifieth the ungodly. God does not declare good people righteous. He declares ungodly people righteous when they trust Him. Paul's example is Abraham, who believed God before he had done any of the works the law required.
7. Romans 11:6
"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
Paul's logic is simple: if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. Grace and earning are opposites. The moment we add a requirement we must meet to be saved, salvation becomes a payment rather than a gift. Many people think of salvation as mostly God's grace with a little of our effort added. Paul says that is impossible. A gift that you must partly pay for is not a gift. This is why Ephesians 2:8-9 says not of yourselves and not of works. Grace is not a discount. It is a free gift.
8. John 6:28-29
"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."
The crowd asked Jesus, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? They assumed God wanted a list of tasks. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. It is a beautiful reversal. The one work God requires is to stop working for salvation and trust His Son. Even here, believing is not a merit. It is receiving. This is what Paul means by through faith. Faith adds nothing to Christ. It simply rests on what He has done.
Lest any man should boast: created unto good works
9. Ephesians 2:10
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Right after not of works Paul says, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Workmanship translates a Greek word (poiema) for something made by a craftsman. Believers are God's handiwork. Good works are not the root of salvation but its fruit, and even they are prepared by God in advance. This answers the worry that grace makes people careless. Grace does not leave a person the same. It creates him anew so that he walks in good works.
10. 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."
Paul tells the Corinthians that it is of him that they are in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. Everything a believer needs is found in Christ and given by God. Then Paul quotes Jeremiah: He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. This is the positive side of lest any man should boast. Christians do have something to boast about, but it is not themselves. The more someone understands grace, the less he talks about his own goodness and the more he talks about Christ.
11. Galatians 2:16
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
Paul writes, a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. He says it three times in one verse, because the Galatians were being told they needed to add circumcision and the law of Moses to faith in Christ. Paul's answer is that even the most religious works cannot justify. If they could, Christ died in vain (Galatians 2:21). The verse is a good guard against any teaching, ancient or modern, that says faith in Jesus is necessary but not enough. Ephesians 2:8-9 says it is enough, because Christ is enough.
12. James 2:17-18
"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."
Some think James contradicts Paul when he writes, faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. But James is answering a different question. Paul asks how a sinner is made right with God: by faith, not works. James asks how genuine faith shows itself: by works. Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. A faith that never changes anything is not saving faith; it is mere agreement. Paul agrees, which is why Ephesians 2:10 follows verses 8-9. We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.
A short prayer
Father, I was dead in trespasses and sins, and You made me alive with Christ. Thank You that I am saved by grace through faith, and that it is Your gift, not my own doing. Keep me from trusting my works or boasting in anything but You. Thank You that I am Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. Help me to walk in the works You have prepared for me, not to earn Your love but because I already have it. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Ephesians 2:8-9 mean?
Ephesians 2:8-9 means that salvation is a free gift of God's grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ, and not earned by good works. Because no one can earn it, no one can boast about it. Verse 10 adds that those who are saved are created by God for good works, which follow salvation.
What is the gift of God in Ephesians 2:8?
The gift is salvation by grace through faith as a whole. In the Greek the word that (not of yourselves) does not match the gender of either grace or faith, so most interpreters take it to refer to the entire salvation Paul has just described. Either way, nothing in our salvation originates with us.
Does James 2 contradict Ephesians 2:8-9?
No. Paul teaches that we are justified before God by faith, not by works. James teaches that genuine faith always produces works, and that a faith without works is dead. Paul says the same in Ephesians 2:10 and Titus 2:11-14. Works are the evidence of saving faith, not its cause.
What is grace in the Bible?
Grace is God's free, undeserved favor toward sinners. It is often contrasted with works (Romans 11:6) and with debt (Romans 4:4). The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace, stand in grace (Romans 5:2) and grow in grace (2 Peter 3:18). See our Bible verses about grace.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: The Romans Road · Romans 5:8 Meaning · John 3:16 Meaning · Amazing Grace · Jesus Paid It All · Grace · Salvation · Faith Without Works
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