This commentary is a work in progress and may be revised as study continues. If you have a question, spot an error, or want to discuss a passage, please reach out.
1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
The “quickened” Paul speaks of here he tells us is done by the Holy Spirit.
Although, future but still showing the Spirit’s work: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11
“It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.” John 6:63
This happens after salvation not before or upon but as soon as you believe you receive the Spirit. Belief first, then quickening.
“In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” Ephesians 1:13
“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” John 7:38–39
Can someone dead in the their “trespasses and sins” believe on their own? Yes, absolutely, in Mark 4:10-15 we see that unless Jesus spoke in parables, many would have heard, understood, and had their sins forgiven. Even though they were dead in their sins, they still could have believed. Jesus sometimes hid the truth in parables specifically to delay belief until the appointed time. Later, in Acts 2, Peter gives them a clear opportunity to believe and explains how they had killed their Messiah.
In verse 5 below the word “quickened” in the Greek is Strong's G4806 - syzōopoieō which means to be made alive.
So we who were once “dead in trespasses and sins” believe the gospel and then the Holy Spirit comes inside of us and quickens us.
2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
The word “quickened” here in the Greek is Strong's G4806 - syzōopoieō which means to be made alive. As we discussed in verse 1 above, this is done after a person the moment a person believes and receives the Holy Spirit.
John 1 shows this exact flow, we receive/believe and then the Spirit gives us the new birth, he “quickens” us after we receive and this is all of God:
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13
We are saved “by grace”. God offers us a free gift but we must receive it by believing. If we do, we are then saved by His grace.
6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
The grace is universal in scope, extended not to a select few but to all people. Titus 2:11 affirms this: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,”
What is the “gift of God” here? While some argue that “faith” is included in the gift, the Greek grammar itself is technically neutral. However, the demonstrative pronoun in the Greek, τοῦτο (“it is”), points back to the main clause “are ye saved,” indicating that salvation itself is the gift, with faith serving as the channel through which it is received. Therefore, grammatically, salvation alone is the gift, and faith is not included as part of it.
Note: The Greek word τοῦτο literally means “this,” but in English it is naturally rendered “it is” here to connect smoothly with “the gift of God.” Its function is to point back to the main clause “are ye saved,” not to the preceding phrases.
Where does faith originate from?
The key is Biblically showing where “faith” comes from and we have scripture that does exactly that. The Bible tells us faith is not a gift from God but rather it is something that comes from hearing His word:
In Romans 10:17 we read “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”
“...Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” John 6:45
and in John 20:31 “These are written, that ye might believe… and that believing ye might have life”
if we choose to, as Hebrews 3:15 says, "Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts".
So we get faith by listening to God’s word not by grace. Of course ultimately, all glory goes to God as the word is graciously from Him. But we aren’t infused with faith, rather, we must choose to hear.
Faith is made available to all men
Acts 17:30–31 shows that God commands every single man to repent, grounding that command in the universally given "assurance" (pistis, the same word used 239x for faith) of the resurrection. The language “to all men” in context (judging the world, commanding all to repent) indicates that the grounds for faith are universally available, not restricted to any group or individual. While belief remains a matter of personal response, the universality of the call and the public evidence of the resurrection provide every person with the opportunity to exercise faith.
Acts 17:31 “commandeth all men every where to repent...he will judge the world ...by that man...whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead”.
In Romans 4:5, we see that the possessor of faith is man himself: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” We have the choice to hear God’s Word, from which faith comes enabling belief.
Breaking it down and simply put:
What is the gift? = The salvation (being saved by grace through faith).
What is faith here? = The means or channel by which we receive God’s gift, not the gift itself.
Who gets credit? = God, because salvation isn’t earned or deserved.
Does this verse teach predestination or inability? = No, those ideas aren’t mentioned here, the focus is gratitude and humility, not determinism.
In summary, faith is not included in the singular word gift here. If it were, it would read “gifts”. Salvation is the gift referenced (as also explicitly stated in John 4:10, Romans 5:15, 16, 17, 18; 6:23) here provided by God's grace (salvation synonmous with grace Titus 2:11). In fact the definition of grace is “unmerited divine assistance given to humans”. Faith is just the avenue by which we receive and lay hold of this free gift of salvation. Faith is made available to all men but each man must choose to hear (John 6:45).
Salvation is “not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”, refuting all world religions. Christianity is the only one that teaches grace alone is how one receives salvation. All other religions teach you must do something or live a holy life. Faith + nothing is salvation, a free gift has no strings attached or else it is no longer free as the Bible teaches:
John 4:10 “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”
Romans 5:15 “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”
Romans 5:17 “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)”
Romans 5:18 “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”
All glory goes to God, even though we have a choice to respond through faith. God draws by sending the Word (John 12:32). People must hear and respond. And it’s available to “everyone” (Rom. 10:13).
Faith is necessary for salvation. (Eph. 2:8, Rom. 3:28, John 3:16)
Faith comes through hearing the gospel. (Rom. 10:17)
Hearing the gospel is made possible by God sending preachers. (Rom. 10:14–15)
God’s grace initiates the whole process, opening hearts, sending the word, enabling response. (John 12:32, Acts 16:14; 17:31, Titus 2:11)
Humans must respond. (Rom. 10:9–10; Heb. 4:2)
9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
When a believer gets to heaven they will not be able to “boast” as they did nothing to get there. Jesus is the one that washed away their sins by His blood and offered this free gift to anyone that would receive it (John 1:12). Boasting in ourselves is not possible. We do receive the free gift (ie. the law of faith) but there is no boasting in our reception:
Romans 3:27 ““Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”
Just like when we receive a Christmas gift we don’t boast or proclaim on how we worked for it but instead we give thanks. The only way we boast is in the gift giver. This is exactly what Paul says when he says we boast in the Lord:
1 Corinthians 1:31 “Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 10:17 “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
If deterministic election was true how would the Gentiles have “no hope”? They would have had hope if some were elected.
13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
2
Ephesians 2 — Forever Word commentary
King James VersionThis commentary is a work in progress and may be revised as study continues. If you have a question, spot an error, or want to discuss a passage, please reach out.
1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
The “quickened” Paul speaks of here he tells us is done by the Holy Spirit.
Although, future but still showing the Spirit’s work: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11
“It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.” John 6:63
This happens after salvation not before or upon but as soon as you believe you receive the Spirit. Belief first, then quickening.
“In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” Ephesians 1:13
“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” John 7:38–39
Can someone dead in the their “trespasses and sins” believe on their own? Yes, absolutely, in Mark 4:10-15 we see that unless Jesus spoke in parables, many would have heard, understood, and had their sins forgiven. Even though they were dead in their sins, they still could have believed. Jesus sometimes hid the truth in parables specifically to delay belief until the appointed time. Later, in Acts 2, Peter gives them a clear opportunity to believe and explains how they had killed their Messiah.
In verse 5 below the word “quickened” in the Greek is Strong's G4806 - syzōopoieō which means to be made alive.
So we who were once “dead in trespasses and sins” believe the gospel and then the Holy Spirit comes inside of us and quickens us.
2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
The word “quickened” here in the Greek is Strong's G4806 - syzōopoieō which means to be made alive. As we discussed in verse 1 above, this is done after a person the moment a person believes and receives the Holy Spirit.
John 1 shows this exact flow, we receive/believe and then the Spirit gives us the new birth, he “quickens” us after we receive and this is all of God:
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13
We are saved “by grace”. God offers us a free gift but we must receive it by believing. If we do, we are then saved by His grace.
6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
The grace is universal in scope, extended not to a select few but to all people. Titus 2:11 affirms this: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,”
What is the “gift of God” here? While some argue that “faith” is included in the gift, the Greek grammar itself is technically neutral. However, the demonstrative pronoun in the Greek, τοῦτο (“it is”), points back to the main clause “are ye saved,” indicating that salvation itself is the gift, with faith serving as the channel through which it is received. Therefore, grammatically, salvation alone is the gift, and faith is not included as part of it.
Note: The Greek word τοῦτο literally means “this,” but in English it is naturally rendered “it is” here to connect smoothly with “the gift of God.” Its function is to point back to the main clause “are ye saved,” not to the preceding phrases.
Where does faith originate from?
The key is Biblically showing where “faith” comes from and we have scripture that does exactly that. The Bible tells us faith is not a gift from God but rather it is something that comes from hearing His word:
In Romans 10:17 we read “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”
“...Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” John 6:45
and in John 20:31 “These are written, that ye might believe… and that believing ye might have life”
if we choose to, as Hebrews 3:15 says, "Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts".
So we get faith by listening to God’s word not by grace. Of course ultimately, all glory goes to God as the word is graciously from Him. But we aren’t infused with faith, rather, we must choose to hear.
Faith is made available to all men
Acts 17:30–31 shows that God commands every single man to repent, grounding that command in the universally given "assurance" (pistis, the same word used 239x for faith) of the resurrection. The language “to all men” in context (judging the world, commanding all to repent) indicates that the grounds for faith are universally available, not restricted to any group or individual. While belief remains a matter of personal response, the universality of the call and the public evidence of the resurrection provide every person with the opportunity to exercise faith.
Acts 17:31 “commandeth all men every where to repent...he will judge the world ...by that man...whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead”.
In Romans 4:5, we see that the possessor of faith is man himself: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” We have the choice to hear God’s Word, from which faith comes enabling belief.
Breaking it down and simply put:
What is the gift? = The salvation (being saved by grace through faith).
What is faith here? = The means or channel by which we receive God’s gift, not the gift itself.
Who gets credit? = God, because salvation isn’t earned or deserved.
Does this verse teach predestination or inability? = No, those ideas aren’t mentioned here, the focus is gratitude and humility, not determinism.
In summary, faith is not included in the singular word gift here. If it were, it would read “gifts”. Salvation is the gift referenced (as also explicitly stated in John 4:10, Romans 5:15, 16, 17, 18; 6:23) here provided by God's grace (salvation synonmous with grace Titus 2:11). In fact the definition of grace is “unmerited divine assistance given to humans”. Faith is just the avenue by which we receive and lay hold of this free gift of salvation. Faith is made available to all men but each man must choose to hear (John 6:45).
Salvation is “not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”, refuting all world religions. Christianity is the only one that teaches grace alone is how one receives salvation. All other religions teach you must do something or live a holy life. Faith + nothing is salvation, a free gift has no strings attached or else it is no longer free as the Bible teaches:
John 4:10 “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”
Romans 5:15 “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”
Romans 5:17 “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)”
Romans 5:18 “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”
All glory goes to God, even though we have a choice to respond through faith. God draws by sending the Word (John 12:32). People must hear and respond. And it’s available to “everyone” (Rom. 10:13).
Faith is necessary for salvation. (Eph. 2:8, Rom. 3:28, John 3:16)
Faith comes through hearing the gospel. (Rom. 10:17)
Hearing the gospel is made possible by God sending preachers. (Rom. 10:14–15)
God’s grace initiates the whole process, opening hearts, sending the word, enabling response. (John 12:32, Acts 16:14; 17:31, Titus 2:11)
Humans must respond. (Rom. 10:9–10; Heb. 4:2)
9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
When a believer gets to heaven they will not be able to “boast” as they did nothing to get there. Jesus is the one that washed away their sins by His blood and offered this free gift to anyone that would receive it (John 1:12). Boasting in ourselves is not possible. We do receive the free gift (ie. the law of faith) but there is no boasting in our reception:
Romans 3:27 ““Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”
Just like when we receive a Christmas gift we don’t boast or proclaim on how we worked for it but instead we give thanks. The only way we boast is in the gift giver. This is exactly what Paul says when he says we boast in the Lord:
1 Corinthians 1:31 “Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 10:17 “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
If deterministic election was true how would the Gentiles have “no hope”? They would have had hope if some were elected.
13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.