I am not confused. But you clearly are. Here is your statement:
You can't demonstrate this to be true. Exegete it if you will. Demonstrate it to all on the board. Show how the context is teaching that faith is the gift of God. Don't teach things that are not true, or you can't demonstrate to be true.
The fact that faith is the gift of GOD is clear to anyone who can understand English.
Ephesians 2:8, 9 KJV
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8, 9 NASB
8. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9. not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
Ephesians 2:8, 9 NKJV
8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9. not of works, lest anyone should boast.
The Scripture states that Salvation is by grace, that is by the unmerited favor of God. By salvation is meant all the favors that God supplies to His "chosen ones": regeneration, conversion, union with Jesus Christ, forgiveness, justification, ...... and ultimately glorification. So at this point Salvation is an accomplished fact and is all of Grace, the gift of God. now where does faith enter in. If Salvation is by grace, the unmerited favor of God then faith cannot be a work since works have no place in Salvation. Faith is simply the means which God has appointed for man to realize what God has done for him. Perhaps Hebrews says it as well as can be said: 11:1.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Scripture has already told us that Salvation is a gift. The means through which we acknowledge and enjoy that salvation is through faith. Scripture says
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Now we have already been told that Salvation is the gift of God since it is by grace. Why then would Paul tell us again that Salvation is the gift of God? [Now I confess that no matter how many times Scripture repeats this truth some will not believe.] Paul is not redundant here, he gives the reader credit for some spiritual understanding as does the translator. Paul is explicitly saying that
FAITH is the gift of God.
Now DHK you would not believe anything I would say about the above Scripture. You even have difficulty believing the above Scripture. Perhaps you will believe someone who knew far more about Scripture than the two of us combined, John Gill. Gill writes of this passage:
Verse 8.
For by grace are ye saved, &c.] This is to be understood, not of temporal salvation, nor of preservation in Christ, nor of providential salvation in order to calling, and much less of being put in a way of salvation, or only in a salvable state; but of spiritual salvation, and that actual; for salvation was not only resolved upon, contrived and secured in the covenant of grace, for the persons here spoken to, but it was actually obtained and wrought out for them by Christ, and was actually applied unto them by the Spirit; and even as to the full enjoyment of it, they had it in faith and hope; and because of the certainty of it, they are said to be already saved; and besides, were representatively possessed of it in Christ their head: those interested in this salvation, are not all mankind, but particular persons; and such who were by nature children of wrath, and sinners of the Gentiles; and it is a salvation from sin, Satan, the law, its curse and condemnation, and from eternal death, and wrath to come; and includes all the blessings of grace and glory; and is entirely owing to free grace: for by grace is not meant the Gospel, nor gifts of grace, nor grace infused; but the free favour of God, to which salvation in all its branches is ascribed; as election, redemption, justification, pardon, adoption, regeneration, and eternal glory: the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions read, "by his grace", and so some copies; and it may refer to the grace of all the three Persons; for men are saved by the grace of the Father, who drew the plan of salvation, appointed men to it, made a covenant with his Son, in which it is provided and secured, and sent him into the world to obtain it; and by the grace of the Son, who engaged as a surety to effect it, assumed human nature, obeyed and suffered in it for that purpose, and has procured it; and by the grace of the Spirit, who makes men sensible of their need of it, brings it near, sets it before them, and applies it to them, and gives them faith and hope in it: hence it follows,
through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; salvation is through faith, not as a cause or condition of salvation, or as what adds anything to the blessing itself; but it is the way, or means, or instrument, which God has appointed, for the receiving and enjoying it, that so it might appear to be all of grace; and this faith is not the produce of man's free will and power, but it is the free gift of God; and therefore salvation through it is consistent with salvation by grace; since that itself is of grace, lies entirely in receiving grace and gives all the glory to the grace of God: the sense of this last clause may be, that salvation is not of ourselves; it is not of our desiring nor of our deserving, nor of our performing, but is of the free grace of God: though faith is elsewhere represented as the gift of God, Joh 6:65 Php 1:29 and it is called the special gift of faith>>.
{The editor [of this particular source if Gill's writings] asked the following question from a Greek and Hebrew professor:
' 'In this verse, to what does the word "that" refer to? Adam
Clarke, Wesley & company say that it is neuter plural and
"Faith" is feminine hence it cannot refer to faith, (Such
an admission would destroy their theological system.)
However "Grace" is also feminine as is "Salvation".'
His reply was:
' Here you ask a wonderful theological/exegetical question
to which I can only give an opinion, and not a definitive
answer. The problem is that there is NO precise referent.
Grace is feminine. Faith is feminine. And even Salvation
(as a noun) is feminine. Yet it must be one of these
three at least, and maybe more than one, or all three in
conjunction. Since all three come from God and not from
man, the latter might seem the more likely. However, it
is a tautology to say salvation and grace are "nor of
yourselves," and in that case it certainly looks more like
the passage is really pointing out that man cannot even
take credit for his own act of faith, but that faith was
itself created by God and implanted in us that we might
believe (i.e. the normal Calvinistic position). In which
regard the whole theological issue of "regeneration
preceding faith" comes into play. So, that is basically
my opinion, though others obviously disagree strenuously,
but from an exegetical standpoint, the other positions
have to explain away the matter of the tautology.'' ' '
Whether you accept the reply or not, it is sufficient to show that the Greek is not as definitive in this verse as some scholars would have you believe. Editor} [
Perhaps some of our Greek scholars on this Forum would care to wade in! OR]
Verse 9.
Not of works, &c.] Of any kind, moral or ceremonial, before or after conversion, done without faith or in it, nor of these in any sense; works are neither the moving causes, nor the procuring causes, nor the helping causes, nor "causa sine qua non", or conditions of salvation; the best works that are done by men, are not done of themselves, but by the grace of God, and therefore can never merit at his hand: and salvation is put upon such a foot,
lest any man should boast; of his works before God, and unto men; wherefore he has denied works any place in justification and salvation, in order to exclude all boasting in man; and has fixed it in a way of grace, and has chosen and called poor sinful worthless creatures to enjoy it, that whoever glories, may glory in the Lord.
