Ephesians 2:8-9 (DRB)

Passage

For by grace you are saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God. Not of works, that no man may glory.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together and hath made us sit together in the heavenly places, through Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:7 That he might shew in the ages to come the abundant riches of his grace, in his bounty towards us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God.

Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, that no man may glory.

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

Ephesians 2:11 For which cause be mindful that you, being heretofore gentiles is 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", "through", "yourselves", "works", and "glory". 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 he might shew in the ages..." 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.