Ephesians 2:8 Quotes
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But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:4-9, KJV)
Context
This line is found in Ephesians 2:8.
Ever heard of the Protestant Reformation? You know, when Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church to start one of his own and basically changed Catholic Europe forever? Well, this passage may have had a little something to do with that.
It comes in a letter that Paul is writing to a group of Christians who live in Ephesus. Apparently, these guys were just like everyone else in the world before Jesus came along. They were just running around sinning, but God felt bad for them. So he sent some help… in the form of a Messiah.
But here's the interesting part: Paul is pretty clear on one thing—God did all of this out of the goodness of his heart. He didn't send Jesus to save the world because the people deserved a hero; he sent him because he wanted to give the world a gift. That's God's grace. There's nothing that anyone did to earn it, he just offered it. Free of charge. That's a pretty sweet deal.
And while the Catholic Church taught that doing nice things (like praying or going to church) could earn you salvation points on Earth, folks like Martin Luther thought that Paul had a pretty good point in Ephesians. Why would God demand that we do all these little holy things if he'd already gift-wrapped salvation for us?
So much for trying to help everyone get along, eh, Paul?
Where you've heard it
While this verse sounds sweet, you'll probably hear it in some kind of Bible showdown between Christians who are each trying to prove that God is on their side. Hey, the wounds of the Reformation heal slowly.
Additional Notable References:
- This passage inspired this lovely hymn—"Saved by Grace."
- Anthony's Hoekema's 1994 book is titled Saved by Grace after this line.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
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Quoting from the King James Version of the Bible automatically ups the stuffiness factor on this one, but most people probably won't quibble with you when you point out that the verse means God is handing out free gifts left and right over here.