Ephesians 2:8-10
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.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Abridged Commentary - Ephesians 2:10
2:10 God's purpose for the Body of Christ on earth is for its members to serve as the "salt of the earth", and the "light of the world" (Matthew 5:13-16), and to be a people "zealous for good works" (Titus 2:14). When a believer walks in the Spirit, they are experiencing God's intended, eternal purpose for their lives. When they walk in the flesh, they are spurning this purpose.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - Faith and the Gift of God, Ephesians 2:8-10
(Salvation) Interpretation: People are not saved by works, but by a faith that is given by God, which guarantees good works.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: People are not saved by works, but through faith, so that they will fulfill God's purpose of doing good works.
There are two issues that need to be addressed here. The first has to do with the nature of the faith through which we are saved. Does God give the faith we need to be saved? The second issue has to do with the role of works in relation to our salvation.
There are many who understand verse 8 to mean that in salvation, God's grace can only be accessed by a faith that God gives to an unbeliever. They see faith as a gift of God. Some even call it a divine empowerment. This fits the theological position that teaches human beings are so totally corrupted by sin that they have no capacity to respond to God, even to believe. In their view, not only must an unbeliever be regenerated to believe, but after regeneration must then be given faith to place in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
Let's lay aside the theological problems with such a view and just deal with the text. That interpretation assumes that the word "that" (touto) in verse 8 refers to "faith" as the gift of God (the words "it is" in v. 8 are not in the Greek text but are supplied by translators). However, if "that" refers to "faith," it would have to be in the feminine gender, as is true of abstract nouns like faith. But it is in the neuter gender.
So what does "that" refer to? Obviously, it refers to salvation by grace. A survey of the commentary tradition on this verse will find that many, and maybe most, agree with the view that "that" does not refer to "faith." This fits the context perfectly from chapter 1 through Ephesians 2:1-10, which is about how God has saved us by His grace. The neuter pronoun translated "that" is used elsewhere in Ephesians to refer to a phrase or clause that immediately precedes it (cf. Ephesians 1:15; 3:1). The parallelism of "not of yourselves" in verse 8 and "not of works" in verse 9 seals the argument that salvation by grace is in view as the gift of God.
Faith is not a gift of God, because it is a human response. Neither is it a divine power or enablement. That confuses the work of the Holy Spirit with human responsibility. The Holy Spirit may prompt faith in an unbeliever by drawing him (John 6:44), convicting him of the truth of the gospel (John 16:8-11), and opening his eyes to the gospel (2 Cor. 4:6). But the power of God and the faith of a person are two different things. The Holy Spirit is the agent or effective power of our salvation, and faith is the instrument by which we have access to God's Spirit and power that saves. That is why it is most accurate to say we are saved by grace, but through faith.
We will discuss a second issue because verse 10 is so integral to verses 8-9. The issue is the role of works as proof of our salvation. Verse 10 says that we who are saved are made new creatures in Christ "for good works" with the intent "that we should walk in them." The (Salvation) interpretation believes that verse 10 guarantees every believer will have good works, and if they don't, they are not really saved. Their view is related to the idea that faith is a divine gift or empowerment. As such, it will not fail to produce a godly life with good works. But that view reads into verse 10 more than it says. The clause "for good works" expresses a purpose, not a promise. While it may imply or infer that a believer will have good works, this verse says nothing about the fulfillment of that purpose. God created good works before our salvation with the intent "that" we should walk in them. The word "that" in the original Greek (hina) along with the form of the verb used in "should walk" (subjunctive mood) has the force of potentiality and probability, but not certainty. Good works are God's desire for every believer, but they are not forced upon a believer. If a believer has no responsibility or choice in his conduct, how can his works be qualified as good, and how would they deserve a future reward?
One need not think too far to see that if good works are guaranteed in every believer, then the admonitions of the New Testament are unnecessary or superfluous. In that case, this (Salvation) interpretation would be "antinomian" (which means against the keeping of laws or commandments) because the commands of chapters 4-6 would be unnecessary. But such a view of guaranteed good works is absurd, especially since the New Testament has many admonitions and exhortations to do various good works.
Every believer should do good works. It is God's purpose for every Christian, it is the expectation for every Christian, and it is God's command for every Christian. Justification anticipates progressive sanctification, but justification does not guarantee progressive sanctification. Faith is the condition, works a consequence. Faith is the requirement, works a result. Salvation by grace through faith is (Salvation truth); the resulting good works are (Discipleship truth).