Ephesians 2:8-9 (YLT)

Passage

for by grace ye are having been saved, through faith, and this not of you--of God the gift, not of works, that no one may boast;

Nearby Context

Ephesians 2:6 and did raise <FI>us<Fi> up together, and did seat <FI>us<Fi> together in the heavenly <FI>places<Fi> in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:7 that He might show, in the ages that are coming, the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:8 for by grace ye are having been saved, through faith, and this not of you--of God the gift,

Ephesians 2:9 not of works, that no one may boast;

Ephesians 2:10 for of Him we are workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God did before prepare, that in them we may walk.

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore, remember, that ye <FI>were<Fi> once the nations in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saved", "grace", "faith", "having", "been", "through", "you--of", and "gift". 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 show in the ages..." into verse 10's "for of Him we are workmanship created...", 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.