8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Verses eight and nine show how Christians enter into a saved state (v.5). Salvation comes from God, not man.
8 For
Paul now further developed the concept of grace, especially the means of salvation. Verses eight and nine are an explanation of “the exceeding riches of His grace” of verse seven. These verses also expand the statement about grace in verse five— “by grace you have been saved.”
by [the] grace
The basis of our salvation rests on “the” grace principle presented previously in the context. The “the” points back to the already-mentioned grace principle. God’s grace is the provision of Christ to suffer for our sins. Grace effects our salvation.
you have been saved
“Saved” here is our eternal salvation. The Greek indicates that God saved us in the past with the result that our salvation continues without cessation.
through faith,
The means of appropriating our salvation is “through faith.” “Faith” is the instrument whereby we avail ourselves of God’s offer of salvation. Grace effects our salvation; faith apprehends salvation.
and that [whole process of salvation] not of [source] yourselves;
Salvation does not originate in us but in God. We cannot merit salvation by works.
it is the gift of God,
Salvation is a gift from God, so it cannot come from us. Christ’s death for our sins is God’s gift for our salvation. Jesus is the meritorious Agent for our sins. This is God’s initiative. It is an initiative with no strings attached.
PRINCIPLE:
Our salvation rests on grace and comes to us through faith.
APPLICATION:
“Grace” is God’s job; “faith” is ours. Salvation is also God’s “gift.” God exercised His grace by sending His Son to die for our sins. Our part is to rest on or believe what He did on our behalf. Faith involves abandonment of any attempt by us to save ourselves by works. In God’s perspective we can never mix faith with works; they are mutually exclusive. We cannot justify ourselves.
Biblical faith is not the same as credulity. Credulity is to believe something without evidence. People today believe in certain miracles simply because they wish them to be true. This is not biblical faith. Biblical faith rests on statements and promises by God and not on feelings.
Faith in the Bible rests on knowing what God says. No one can become a believer without first knowing that they must rest on the death of Christ to pay for their sins.
what is the threefold confirmation god gives us that jesus christ is in our lives
Robert, the confirmation is to accept God’s Word or promises at face value (1 Jn 5:12,13)
Sir Grant, may i ask to where does the word “that” refer to? If it does pertain to the whole process of salvation (as what you mentioned), do the words grace and faith included in the process? Is it a safe conclusion to say that even faith is a gift from God based on v.28? Thank u for your future response and insights. God bless
Juan, thanks for your post.
The word “that” in the phrase “and that not of yourselves” is the demonstrative neuter pronoun “this” (“and ‘this’ not of yourselves”). The neuter does not correspond with the feminine gender of “faith” or the feminine gender of “grace.” Normally, the Greek requires agreement in gender. Therefore, the neuter “this” probably refers to the preceding argument for salvation in 2:4-8a. The entire argument is salvation by grace through the means of faith. Thus, the reference is rather to the act of salvation by grace conditioned on faith on our part. There is no connection between “through faith” in the word “this,” but rather to the idea of salvation in the previous argument as a whole. God does not believe for us. “This,” being saved by grace through faith is not of ourselves. In conclusion, I do not believe that this passage affirms the idea that our faith is God’s gift. However, the credit of the entire situation of salvation is God’s doing, not ours.
The argument is simply that if God’s grace is the basis of our salvation then faith is the way we appropriate grace. Faith is a response to God’s work.
PS, I realize that genders do not always agree but there must be compelling evidence to indicate otherwise, of which I do not believe we have here.
Really thank you sir for the response. God bless.
Hi how does
(2 Corinthians 7:10
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.) fit in with Ephesians 2:8-9? What is the godly sorrow that works Repentance unto salvation? Is it just the recognition that im a sinner in need of a Savior? Thank you
Scott, I don’t think you understood the point behind 2 Co 7:10. That Greek word (metamellomai) is used in 2 Corinthians for a believer who backslid and was restored to fellowship. The context has nothing to do with initial salvation.
Ok. Thanks for your comment. And yes I did not understand the point behind 2 Cor 7:10 so I appreciate the clarification !!