Ephesians 2:8 - 9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB). The context of this verse is about being made alive in Christ. We were dead in our sin and did what we wanted to do. God described us as children of wrath. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5 NASB). He did this to show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Jesus Christ. The section is then brought to a conclusion with the verses we are considering today.

If one wonders how we are saved, the answer is found here; it is by grace through faith. Grace is receiving a gift we don't deserve and we receive the gift simply by accepting it through faith. As the gift giver, God in his sovereignty decides who will receive gifts and then prepares the sinful heart to desire it. It is very clear that our salvation is not of our doing, it is a gift from God, it is not by any effort on our part. Romans 3:10-12 makes it very clear that unless God prepares the heart it will not want the gift of salvation. If you are a believer are you better than someone who isn't. That would be like a child in an orphanage choosing a family to live with and not the family making the choice. All we have to do is to accept salvation as a gift from God. Be assured that no one desiring to be a Christian will be denied.

It is most unfortunate that these two verses are usually separated from verse 10 when used in sermons or Bible studies. Verse 10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 NASB) gives a reason God saved us in the first place. He created us in Christ Jesus for the purpose of doing work for him. He didn't leave us here for our own entertainment, but to work at seeking for loss sheep (unbelievers chosen by God) to bring to Jesus and help grow in Christ-likeness. These three verses must stay together or you end up with believers that care more for themselves than they do the unsaved.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the gift of salvation; for the kindness of your grace. Thank you that justice was served through Jesus Christ, allowing you to show us mercy. Thank you for the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us as assurance of our salvation.