🛡️WEB · Ephesians 2:9
What does Ephesians 2:9 mean?
"not of works, that no one would boast."
— Ephesians 2:9 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus;
for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, that no one would boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by that which is called “circumcision”, (in the flesh, made by hands);
that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Explanation
Ephesians 2:9 cannot be fully understood on its own, because it is the second half of a single sentence that begins in verse 8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast." The verse in question drives home the conclusion of that sentence — salvation is not earned by human effort or good deeds, and the reason God designed it this way is so that no person could ever claim credit for it or boast about achieving their own salvation. In plain language, Paul is saying: you did not save yourself, God saved you, and He arranged it this way specifically so that pride would have no foothold.
This letter was written by the apostle Paul, most likely while imprisoned in Rome, to the church in Ephesus — a congregation made up largely of Gentile believers who had come out of a pagan background. Paul spends the first half of chapter 2 describing their former spiritual condition: "dead in tresp
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.