Ephesians 2:8–9 · NASB · 1 of 6
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Word study · Greek
χάρις
grace · charis · favor freely given, a gift that puts you in another’s debt of thanks
Charis is not leniency. It is God’s stance toward the undeserving — and in this sentence it is the entire cause of having been saved, already.
Insight
Saved is perfect tense: a completed rescue with present result. Grace is the means, faith the empty hand, gift the economy, works the thing locked out so boasting dies. If you can take credit, Paul has not yet been heard. Grace is not God’s contribution to your project. It is God doing the whole thing, then forbidding the trophy.