Ephesians 2:8

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

For - illustrating 'the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness.' He emphatically recurs to the truth (), 'By grace ye are in a saved state.'

Through faith - the hand which apprehends Christ unto salvation, nerved by the power of Christ's resurrection (Ephesians 1:19; ), whereby we are 'raised together' with him (; ). A reads 'through your (literally, 'the:' 'Aleph (') B Delta G omit) faith,' which accepts "grace." Christ alone is the meritorious agent.

And that - namely, the act of believing, or "faith," which might seem to be your own independent act, is not so.

Of yourselves - in contrast to "it is the gift of God" (). In saying "through faith," I do not wish to except faith from grace. 'God justifies the believing man, not for the worthiness of his belief, but for the worthiness of Him in whom he believes' (Hooker). The initiation, as well as the increase of faith, is from the Spirit of God; not only by an external proposal of the Word, but by internal illumination in the soul (Pearson). Yet "faith" cometh through means-namely, 'hearing the word of God' () and prayer (), while the blessing is wholly of God (1 Corinthians 3:6).