The Nugget:
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
My Comment:
This verse clarifies just what place works have in salvation: none. But it does not stop there. Once we are saved through faith, we are His workmanship. He creates us in Christ Jesus “unto good works.” He has ordained that once we are saved through faith, good works will be a pattern for our life, and of our life. As a practical matter, the way this works out in practice or experience is that a saved person will bear the fruit of the spirit through the work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23). It is not something we manufacture for ourselves. These are important principles to understand from the Bible, God’s Word. As noted before, these principles contradict normal human intuition, as well as the teaching of many churches.
For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:
(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1360 for Ephesians 2:8-10.
(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1379 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Ephesians 2:8-10.
(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:
Ephesians 2:8. by grace. See on ver. +Eph 2:5. Ho 14:2. Mt 20:9. Ac 13:43. 18:27. +*Ro 3:24. 6:15. 11:6. +*1 Cor 15:10. +*2 Tim 1:9. *Titus 2:11. are ye saved. Ps 6:4. +*Ps 37:39. +*1 Cor 15:2. +*2 Tim 1:9. *Titus 2:11. Re 7:10. through faith. Ps 27:13. Mk 2:5. 9:24. *Mk 16:16. +*Lk 7:50. *Lk 8:15. **Jn 3:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 36. **Jn 5:24. 6:27, 28, 29, 35, 40. Ac 13:39. 15:7, 8, 9. **+Ac 16:31. 18:27. +*Ac 26:18. *Ro 3:22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. *Ro 4:5, 16. **Ro 10:9, 10. 1 Cor 12:9. Ga 3:14, 22. *2 Th 2:13. Titus 1:1. Jam 2:14. 1 P 1:5. **1 J 5:10, 11, 12. not of yourselves. ver. *Ep 2:10. Ep 1:19. *Mt 16:17. **Jn 1:12, 13. *Jn 6:37, 44, 65. Ac 14:27. *Ac 16:14. Ro 3:12. 4:6. **Ro 10:14, 15, 16, 17. 2 Cor 3:5. 4:7. *Phil 1:29. Col 2:12. *Titus 3:5. *Jam 1:16, 17, 18. the gift. Gr. dōron (S#1435g, Mt 2:11). Ep 1:4, 5. 3:7. 4:7. *Jn 4:10. Ac 8:20. 13:48. Ro 5:15. 2 Cor 9:15. Heb 6:4. *Jam 1:17. of God. +*Phil 2:13.
Ephesians 2:9. Not of works. Nu 23:4. Jn 6:65. +*Ro 3:20, 27, 28. *Ro 4:2, 4, 5, 6. *Ro 9:11, 16. *Ro 11:6. Ga 3:12, 13. +*2 Tim 1:9. **Titus 3:3, 4, 5, %Titus 3:8. lest any. Dt 8:12, 17, 18. Jg 7:2. *Lk 18:12. *1 Cor 1:29, 30, 31. *2 Cor 12:9, 10. should boast. +Ro 2:17. 3:27. 2 Cor 4:7.
Ephesians 2:10. we are. ver. Ep 2:8. Dt 32:6, 15. Ps 95:6. 100:3. 138:8. 149:2. Is 19:25. 29:23. 43:21. *Is 60:21. 61:3. 64:8. Je 31:33. 32:39, 40. Ho 8:14. *Jn 3:3, 4, 5, 6, 21. *1 Cor 3:6, 7, 8, 9. *2 Cor 5:5, 17. *Phil 1:6. **Phil 2:13. *He 13:21. workmanship. ver. Ep 2:5, 6. Ep 1:19. Ge 1:27. Is 45:11. 64:8. *Ezk 36:26. Lk 8:8. 15:5. Ro 1:20 g. Ro 14:20. created. Ep 3:9. *Ep 4:24. *Ps 51:10. 102:18. 119:17. Is 43:1, 7. 45:8. **2 Cor 5:17. *Ga 6:15. Col 3:10. *2 Tim 3:15. in Christ Jesus. Jn 14:20. +Ac 19:4. Ro 16:7. 1 C 1:30. unto good. Gr. agathos (S#18g). In agatha erga we mark only the intrinsic character of the works: they are essentially good. Contrast kala erga, also rendered “good works,” but emphasizing the notion of their effect on others, of their nobility which attracts, looked at under the aspect of moral beauty (see Westcott on He 10:24). Ro 2:7g. Ro 13:13g. 2 Cor 9:8g. +*Col 1:10g. 2 Th 2:17g. 1 Tim 2:10g. 1 Tim 5:10g. 2 Tim 2:21g. +*2 Tim 3:17g. Titus 1:16g. Titus 3:1g. %+He 10:24g, note. He 13:21g. works. Ep 4:23, 24. Ps 4:3. *Ps 15:2. +*Mt 5:16. 26:10. Mk 14:6. *Jn 15:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. +Ac 9:36. *Ro 6:1, 2, 6, *Ro 6:12, 13, 14. *2 Cor 9:8. +**Ga 5:22, 23. Ph 1:11. +**Col 1:10. 2:11. 2 Th 2:17. 1 Tim 2:10. 5:10, 25. 6:18. *2 Tim 2:21. +*2 Tim 3:17. *Titus 2:7, 14. **Titus 3:1, +Titus 3:8, 14. *He 10:24. *He 13:21. 1 P 2:12. which God. +Ep 1:4. Is 26:12. +*Ro 8:29. 1 Th 1:5. 4:7. ordained. or, prepared. Ge 2:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. =Nu 4:27. Dt 6:10, 11. 1 Ch 6:48. +*Jn 15:16. Ro 9:23g. that we. Ep 1:12. walk. ver. Ep 2:2. Ep 4:1. Dt 5:33. Ps 81:13. 105:45. 119:3. +*Is 2:3, 4, 5. 26:7. 35:8. Ezk 37:24. Lk 1:75. Ac 9:31. *Ro 8:1. **Ga 5:16. +**Col 1:10. 1 Th 5:18. *1 J 1:7. +*1 J 2:6.
psm 34.1 i will bless the lord at all times: his
praise shall continually be in my mouth!!!!
for by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of god.vs9 not of works, lest any man should boast.
very good cross references on these 3 verses prase the lord!
1. rom 3.24-25 being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in christ jesus: vs 25 whom god set forth to
be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his right
eousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the for
bearance of god:
2. jn 3.18 he that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed
in the name of the only begotten son of god.
3. jn 3.36 he that believeth on the son hath everlasting life: and he
that believeth not the son shall not see life; but the wrath of god
abideth on him.
4. jn 5.24 verily,verily, i say unto you, he that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation; but is passed from death to life.
5. rom 10.17 so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of god.
6. rom 3.20 therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in
his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
7. rom 3.27-28 where is boasting then? it is excluded. by what law? of works?
nay: but by the law of faith. vs 28 therefore we conclude that a man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law.
8. rom 11.6 and if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no
more grace. but if it be of works, then it is no more grace: other wise work is
no more work.
meritious deeds can not earn salvation it is not of works. 1. confirmation 2.baptism
3.church membership4. church attendance 5. holy communion. 6. trying to keep the 10 commandments 7. living by the sermon on the mount 8. giving to charity.
9.being a good neighbor 10. living a moral, respecatable life. people are not saved by works!!! and they are not saved by faith plus works. they are saved through faith
alone! the minute you add works of any kind or in any amount as a means of gaining eternal life, salvation is no longer by grace. rom 11.6.
eph 2.10 for we are his workmanship, created in christ jesus unto good works, which god hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
1. ii co 5.17 therefore if any man be in christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new.
2. gal 5.15 for in christ jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor
uncircumcision, but a new creature.
3. phi 1.6 being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good
work in you will perform it until the day of jesus christ.
4. phi 2.13 for it is god which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure.
5. heb 13.20-21 now the god of peace, that brought again from the dead our lord
jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant. vs 21 make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through jeus christ; to whom be glory
for ever and ever. amen.
6. mt 5.16 let your light shine b4 men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your father which is in heaven.
7. ii co 9.8 and god is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye,
always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
8. col 1.10 that ye might walk worthy of the lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of god;
9. ii th 2.10 comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and
work.
10. 11 tim 2.21 if a man th4 purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel
unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the masters use, and prepared unto
every good work.
good works are not the root but the fruit!!. we do not work in order to be saved
but because we are saved!!
psm 86.12 i will praise thee, o lord my god, with all my heart: and i will glorify
thy name forever more!!!!