Our small group recently began a study of the Gospel According to John. Our last meeting concluded with John 1:12-13,
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Some of the brethren were saying things like, “Salvation is a sovereign work of God... We do nothing at all...even faith is a gift from God.”
This emphasis on the sovereignty of God (election, predestination, and now faith as a gift from God) comes up from time to time. Since I do not accept this Reformed view, I naturally spoke up. (I often wonder if these brethren get tired of me.) I questioned this assertion that “faith is a gift from God” and we had a very brief discussion. I was mainly saying that such a view was illogical and inconsistent with the rest of Scripture - we are urged to have faith and reproached for lack of faith, how can this be if the required faith is a gift from God?
One saint asked, “What about Ephesians 2:8?” I gave a brief response and then we transitioned to the Lord’s Supper. That was a sweet time. But, what about Ephesians 2:8?
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.
That is a pronoun. In Greek as well as in English, pronouns have to agree with their nouns. In Greek, every noun is assigned a gender: male, female, or neuter. With a few exceptions, every pronoun has to agree in number and gender with its noun. When we look at this verse in the Greek we see something interesting
τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι διὰ πίστεως· καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, Θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον·
See how interesting that is? Ha! Seriously, the words for
grace χάριτί and
faith πίστεως are feminine while the pronoun
that τοῦτο is neuter. It agrees with neither grace nor faith. Simply put,
and that not of yourselves cannot have grace or faith as it’s antecedent. In other words, neither grace nor faith is the
gift of God mentioned.
Adam Clarke
“The relative τουτο, this, which is in the neuter gender, cannot stand for πιστις, faith, which is the feminine; but it has the whole sentence that goes before for its antecedent… this salvation is in no sense of yourselves, but is the free gift of God; and not of any kind of works; so that no man can boast as having wrought out his own salvation…”
A.T. Robertson
"Grace is God's part, faith ours. And that (kai touto). Neuter, not feminine tautê, and so refers not to pistis (feminine) or to charis (feminine also), but to the act of being saved by grace conditioned on faith on our part. Paul shows that salvation does not have its source in men, but from God. Besides, it is God's gift and not the result of our work."
Apologetics Press
"However, when one examines Ephesians 2:8 in the language in which it was written originally (Greek), he finds that the pronoun that (touto) is neuter in gender, while the word faith (pistis) is feminine. Since the general rule in Greek grammar is for the gender and number of a relative pronoun to be the same as its antecedent, then some extenuating linguistic circumstance, special idiomatic use, or other mitigating factor would need to be demonstrated to justify linking “that” to “faith.” If such reasonable justification cannot be made, then one is compelled to continue studying the passage in order to know assuredly what “that” gift of God is.
When no clear antecedent is found within a text, Greek scholar William Mounce wisely recommends that the Bible student study the context of the passage in question in order to help determine to what a relative pronoun (like “that”) is referring. The overall context of the first three chapters of Ephesians is man’s salvation found in Christ.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (1:7).
The heavenly “inheritance” is found in Christ (1:11).
After believing in the good news of salvation through Christ, the Ephesians were “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (1:13).
Sinners are made “alive with Christ” and saved “by grace” (2:5).
Sinners are brought near to God “by the blood of Christ” (2:13).
Paul became a servant of Christ “according to the gift of the grace of God…by the effective working of His power” (3:7).
Not only is the theme of salvation the overall context of the first three chapters of Ephesians, but the immediate context of Ephesians 2:8-9 is of salvation, not of faith. These two verses thoroughly document how a person is saved, not how a person believes.
Salvation is by grace.
Salvation is through faith.
Salvation is not of yourselves.
Salvation is the gift of God.
Salvation is not of works.
Paul was not giving an exposition on faith in his letter to the Ephesians. Salvation was his focus. Faith is mentioned as the mode by which salvation is accepted. Salvation is through faith… The main focus of Paul’s message in Ephesians 2:8-9 was salvation…not the mode of salvation."
Obviously, this salvation is not my work. It is the gift of the most merciful God: God planned it, God promised it, God sent His Son who suffered on the tree, the Holy Spirit opened my heart so that I understood; but it was I who believed, who placed my faith in Christ. And the Scriptures everywhere invite us to believe in Jesus, to have faith in him. The Scriptures even warn us,
he that believeth not shall be damned. If faith is a gift from God given to some but not others, then this makes a travesty of the Gospel which promises,
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved when in fact what it really means is, “He that is given the gift of faith shall be saved.”
In John chapter 9, Jesus healed a blind man, and this man was then cast out of the synagogue.
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
You see how God works in us and woos us, but it is we who believe?
What then is the gift of God spoken of in Ephesians 2:8? Salvation, promised and
now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel... For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Amen.
Do you believe on the Son of God?
