Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:9b-The Church Age Believer Can Never Boast About Their Salvation

Ephesians 2:1 Now, correspondingly, even though, each and every one of you as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of your transgressions, in other words, because of your sins. 2 Each and every one of you formerly lived by means of these in agreement with the standard of the unregenerate people of this age, which is the production of the cosmic world system, in agreement with the standard of the sovereign ruler, namely the sovereign governmental authority ruling over the evil spirits residing in the earth’s atmosphere. Specifically the spirit who is presently working in the lives of those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience. 3 Among whom, each and every one of us also formerly for our own selfish benefit conducted our lives by means of those lusts, which are produced by our flesh. Specifically, by indulging those inclinations which are produced by our flesh, in other words, those impulses, which are the product of our flesh. Consequently, each and every one of us caused ourselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of our natural condition from physical birth. Just as the rest correspondingly caused themselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of their natural condition from physical birth. 4 But because God is rich with regards to mercy, because of the exercise of His great love with which He loved each and every one of us, 5 even though each and every one of us as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of our transgressions, He caused each and every one of us to be made alive together with the one and only Christ. Each and every one of you as a corporate unit are saved because of grace! 6 Specifically, He caused each and every one of us as a corporate unit to be raised with Him. Correspondingly, He caused each and every one of us as a corporate unit to be seated in the heavenlies because of our faith in and union and identification with the one and only Christ. 7 He did this so that He could display for His own glory during the ages, which are certain to come, the incomparable wealth, which is the product of His grace because of kindness for the benefit of each and every one of us because of our faith in and union and identification with the one and only Christ Jesus. 8 Each and every one of you as a corporate unit are saved because of grace by means of faith! In other words, this never originated from any one of you as a source. It originated as the gift from God. 9 It does not originate from meritorious actions as a source so that a person cannot for their own glory enter into the state of boasting. (Lecturer’s translation)

Ephesians 2:9 is composed of an elliptical epexegetical clause ouk ex ergōn (οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων), “it by no means originates from meritorious actions as a source” (Lecturer’s translation).

It is followed by a hina (ἵνα) purpose-result clause hina mē tis kauchēsētai (ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται), “so that a person cannot for their own glory enter into the state of boasting” (Lecturer’s translation).

The apostle Paul is employing the figure of asyndeton in order to mark an emphatic contrast between the contents of Ephesians 2:8 and 9.

Specifically, it is marking an emphatic contrast between the salvation of the church age believer originating as a gift from God the Father and this salvation originating from meritorious actions performed by the church age believer.

The elliptical epexegetical statement ouk ex ergōn (οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων), “it by no means originates from meritorious actions as a source” in Ephesians 2:9 also defines specifically the previous elliptical epexegetical clause kai touto ouk ex hymōn (καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν), “In other words, this never originated from any one of you as a source” in Ephesians 2:8.

The latter explains from an emphatic negative perspective the previous assertion in this verse, which states that the church age believer is saved because of the Father’s grace policy through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

These two elliptical epexegetical statements in Ephesians 2:8 assert that the church age believer’s salvation is emphatically not from themselves as a source but rather that it originates as a gift from God the Father.

Therefore, it is explaining in emphatic terms the idea that because the church age believer’s salvation originates as a gift from the Father, it by no means originates from meritorious actions on the part of the believer as a source of their salvation.

Also in Ephesians 2:9, Paul is using the figure of ellipsis which means that he is deliberately omitting, though it is implied from Ephesians 2:8, the third person plural present active indicative conjugation of the verb eimi (εἰμί), which means “to originate from a particular source.”

The meaning of this verb eimi (εἰμί) we noted is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ouk (οὐκ), which means “never, by no means” since the word expresses an absolute, direct, full negation.

The present tense of the verb eimi (εἰμί) is important because it is a gnomic present, which would express the idea that the church age believer’s salvation “as a general timeless fact” or “an eternal spiritual truth” by no means originates from meritorious actions performed by the church age believer as a source.

The genitive neuter plural form of the noun ergon (ἒργον), “meritorious actions as a source” refers to a meritorious system of actions which would be considered by God as meriting His giving them eternal salvation and is the object of the preposition ek (ἐκ), which is functioning here as a marker of source.

Therefore, this prepositional phrase ex ergōn (οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων) is expressing the idea that the church age believer’s salvation, which is based upon grace and is received by means of their faith in Jesus Christ by no means “originates from” meritorious actions performed by the church age believer as a source.

Therefore, the elliptical epexegetical statement ouk ex ergōn (οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων), “it by no means originates from meritorious actions as a source” in Ephesians 2:9 is expressing the idea that the church age believer’s salvation, which is based upon grace and is received by means of their faith in Jesus Christ “by no means originated from meritorious actions performed by them as a source.”

In other words, salvation is a gift from God, which is based upon His grace policy by means of faith in His Son, Jesus Christ is mutually exclusive or antithetical from salvation that is accomplished by a person’s actions, which they believe will merit their salvation or acceptance by a holy God.

As we noted, this elliptical epexegetical statement ouk ex ergōn (οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων), “it by no means originates from meritorious actions as a source” in verse 9 also defines in emphatic terms the elliptical epexegetical clause elliptical epexegetical clause kai touto ouk ex hymōn (καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν), “In other words, this never originated from any one of you as a source” in Ephesians 2:8.

The latter explains from an emphatic negative perspective the previous assertion in this verse, which states that the church age believer is saved because of the Father’s grace policy through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

These two elliptical epexegetical statements in Ephesians 2:8 assert that the church age believer’s salvation is emphatically not from themselves as a source but rather that it originates as a gift from God the Father.

Therefore, it is explaining in emphatic terms the idea that because the church age believer’s salvation is based upon the Father’s grace policy through faith in His Son or we could say that their salvation is emphatically not from themselves as a source but rather it originates as a gift from God the Father.

Now, this elliptical epexegetical statement ouk ex ergōn (οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων), “it by no means originates from meritorious actions as a source” in verse 9 is thus defining specifically what Paul means by this elliptical epexegetical clause kai touto ouk ex hymōn (καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν), “In other words, this never originated from any one of you as a source” in Ephesians 2:8.

Therefore, a comparison of these two statements indicates that when Paul asserts that the church age believer’s salvation is emphatically not from themselves as a source but rather that it originates as a gift from God the Father, he means that their salvation emphatically never originated from meritorious actions performed by the church age believer as a source.

As we noted earlier, the elliptical epexegetical clause ouk ex ergōn (οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων), “it by no means originates from meritorious actions as a source” is followed by the hina (ἵνα) purpose-result clause hina mē tis kauchēsētai (ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται), “so that a person cannot for their own glory enter into the state of boasting.”

The latter indicates both the intention and accomplishment of the action of the verb eimi(εἰμί), which we noted is deliberately omitted but implied.

A purpose clause emphasizes both the intention and this verb’s sure accomplishment.

Therefore, this hina (ἵνα) purpose-result clause presents both the purpose and the result of the Father saving the church age believer and never from meritorious actions as a source of this salvation.

Thus, this hina (ἵνα) purpose-result clause indicates that it was the Father’s “intention” to save the church age believer based upon His grace policy by means of faith in His Son, Jesus Christ and not from any meritorious actions on their part as a source of this salvation.

It also indicates that the Father “accomplished” His purpose of saving the church age believer based upon His grace policy by means of faith in His Son, Jesus Christ and not from any meritorious actions as a source of this salvation on their part.

So therefore, this hina (ἵνα) purpose-result clause emphasizes that the Father “accomplished His purpose or intention” by saving the church age believer based upon His grace policy by means of faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and by no means from any meritorious actions as a source on their part.

The nominative masculine singular form of the indefinite pronoun tis (τις), “one” is referring to any member of the body of Christ, i.e. the church without further identification.

The verb kauchaomai(καυχάομαι) means “to boast” since the word pertains to expressing an unusually high degree of confidence in someone or something being exceptionally noteworthy and pertains taking pride in something one has accomplished.

The verb’s meaning is negated by the negative particle me (μή), which denies any idea of the action of the verb taking place.

Therefore, this indicates that a church age believer cannot perform the action of boasting that they were responsible for accomplishing their own salvation.

The aorist tense of this verb kauchaomai (καυχάομαι) is an ingressive aorist which stresses the church age believer not entering into the state of boasting that they accomplished their own salvation based upon their meritorious actions.

The middle voice of this verb is an indirect middle, which is expressing the idea of the church age believer “for their own benefit” or “for their own glory” entering into the state of boasting that they accomplished their own salvation based upon their meritorious actions.