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Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God--
9 not because of works, lest any man should boast.
Protestants love to throw these two verses out to "prove" their belief in "sola fida" or "faith alone". I have been accused of as a Catholic looking past these verses so as I can continue in my belief of faith and works.
The problem is that Protestants just assume that the works Paul is talking about are "good works". If that were true, it still would not contradict Catholic theology. Salvation here is talked about in the past tense, you have been saved. This passage refers back to the salvation we received at the beginning of Christians life or Baptism through sanctifying grace. Paul in other passages talks about present and future aspects of salvation. In this verse he is talking about initial salvation, not the kind we are currently receiving (1 Peter 1:8-9, Phil 2:12) or the kind that we will receive (Romans 13:11, 1 Corinthians 3:15, 5:5). If that assumption is correct, this does not contradict Catholic teaching because the Catholic Church does not teach that we receive our initial justification through good works. We are justified by grace because nothing that precedes Gods grace whether it is faith or works, merits the grace of justification.
Most likely though, Paul does NOT mean "good works" in this passage. Usually when Paul is referring to works, he is referring to "works of the Torah", which are those that are done out of obedience to the Law of Moses. (ex. Romans 3:28) Paul's point is to stress that we are saved by faith in Jesus and NOT by the Mosaic Law. See, the Jews cannot boast in front of the Gentiles because of having a privileged relationship with God because of the Mosaic Law and its requirements of circumcision. (Romans 2:6-11, 17-21, 3:21-22, 27-30)
All these elements (works, boasting, circumcision, and Jew-Gentile distinction) are present in Ephesians 2. Paul is discussing how God has shown mercy to us in Jesus and before turning to the subject of circumcision and membership in Christ, he mentions works in connection with boasting (2:9) he goes on to say...
Ephesians 2:11-19
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility,
15 by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end.
17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;
18 for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Paul is probably using works and boasting in Ephisians 2:9 in the same sense that he does in Romans, that is of Jews boasting before Gentiles of having privilege with God because of their observing the Moasaic Law. Because of that boasting by the Jews before the Gentiles, Paul is saying that we are saved, NOT in that manner, but by faith in Jesus Christ. After Paul rejects the Mosaic Law, he turns away from talking about the Mosaic Law and toward the kind of works a Christian should be doing - good words. Conveniently, Protestants like to use Ephesians 2:8-9 but don't continue reading. Here is verse 10.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
How convenient it is to "prove" salvation by faith alone with verses 8-9, but yet stop reading before verse 10. To paraphrase what is being said in Ephesians 2:6-10 is this. We as Christians are the result of God's work, for he created us anew in the body of Christ so that we might do good works, the kind of works that we should be concerned about, not the works of Moses, but good works, for God intended ahead of time for us to do them.
Faith alone, once again, nowhere to be found.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God--
9 not because of works, lest any man should boast.
Protestants love to throw these two verses out to "prove" their belief in "sola fida" or "faith alone". I have been accused of as a Catholic looking past these verses so as I can continue in my belief of faith and works.
The problem is that Protestants just assume that the works Paul is talking about are "good works". If that were true, it still would not contradict Catholic theology. Salvation here is talked about in the past tense, you have been saved. This passage refers back to the salvation we received at the beginning of Christians life or Baptism through sanctifying grace. Paul in other passages talks about present and future aspects of salvation. In this verse he is talking about initial salvation, not the kind we are currently receiving (1 Peter 1:8-9, Phil 2:12) or the kind that we will receive (Romans 13:11, 1 Corinthians 3:15, 5:5). If that assumption is correct, this does not contradict Catholic teaching because the Catholic Church does not teach that we receive our initial justification through good works. We are justified by grace because nothing that precedes Gods grace whether it is faith or works, merits the grace of justification.
Most likely though, Paul does NOT mean "good works" in this passage. Usually when Paul is referring to works, he is referring to "works of the Torah", which are those that are done out of obedience to the Law of Moses. (ex. Romans 3:28) Paul's point is to stress that we are saved by faith in Jesus and NOT by the Mosaic Law. See, the Jews cannot boast in front of the Gentiles because of having a privileged relationship with God because of the Mosaic Law and its requirements of circumcision. (Romans 2:6-11, 17-21, 3:21-22, 27-30)
All these elements (works, boasting, circumcision, and Jew-Gentile distinction) are present in Ephesians 2. Paul is discussing how God has shown mercy to us in Jesus and before turning to the subject of circumcision and membership in Christ, he mentions works in connection with boasting (2:9) he goes on to say...
Ephesians 2:11-19
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility,
15 by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end.
17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;
18 for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Paul is probably using works and boasting in Ephisians 2:9 in the same sense that he does in Romans, that is of Jews boasting before Gentiles of having privilege with God because of their observing the Moasaic Law. Because of that boasting by the Jews before the Gentiles, Paul is saying that we are saved, NOT in that manner, but by faith in Jesus Christ. After Paul rejects the Mosaic Law, he turns away from talking about the Mosaic Law and toward the kind of works a Christian should be doing - good words. Conveniently, Protestants like to use Ephesians 2:8-9 but don't continue reading. Here is verse 10.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
How convenient it is to "prove" salvation by faith alone with verses 8-9, but yet stop reading before verse 10. To paraphrase what is being said in Ephesians 2:6-10 is this. We as Christians are the result of God's work, for he created us anew in the body of Christ so that we might do good works, the kind of works that we should be concerned about, not the works of Moses, but good works, for God intended ahead of time for us to do them.
Faith alone, once again, nowhere to be found.
I agree 100% with the verses that you supplied and the "commentary" that you gave with it. One cannot have works without faith. Faith is a must. Faith must come first. With our faith, works must be then present, because faith without works is dead.
