Ephesians 2:8-9 (ASV)

Passage

for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly [places], in Christ Jesus:

Ephesians 2:7 that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus:

Ephesians 2:8 for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God;

Ephesians 2:9 not of works, that no man should glory.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saved", "grace", "faith", "gift of God", "been", "through", "yourselves", and "works". It is saying that salvation is received as God's gift through faith, so boasting is pushed out by the wording itself.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "that in the ages to come he..." into verse 10's "For we are his workmanship created in...", so "saved" and "grace" belong inside that flow. In Saved by Grace for Good Works, the local focus is grace, faith, new creation, and good works.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "saved" and "grace" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.