Not by works so that no one can boast – Ephesians 2:8-9
The apostle Paul wrote these words to Christians in the city of Ephesus while imprisoned in Rome. These verses are a synopsis of God’s plan for redeeming humanity from their sinful state through Christ and his death on the cross.
Throughout this book, he reminds believers that their salvation is not by their own works, but by grace alone. This is the undeserved and unwarranted favor of God that He has shown to us through Jesus.
When people think about this passage, they often think of the idea of “works-righteousness” that had become popular in Judaism in Paul’s time. In this system, people praised themselves for their good deeds and put God in their debt by the way they lived their lives.
But this system of “earned righteousness” was actually an empty religion, based on man-made rules that did not reflect a loving relationship with God. The result was a self-centered and lawless mindset that made it difficult for the Christian to truly love God with all his heart, mind, and soul.
To understand this passage in Ephesians, we need to get a clear picture of what grace means and how it fits into the overall context of the book. So I would suggest reading the passage in its entirety:
