A frequent misinterpretation of this passage is to treat faith as a personal work or merit that contributes to earning salvation, contradicting the text's insistence that salvation is 'not of yourselves' and entirely God's gift; another error pits it against James 2 by suggesting faith alone excuses obedience or good works, whereas the following verses clarify that works flow from salvation as its fruit, not its cause, leading to antinomianism or legalism.
Ephesians 2:8
King James Version (1769)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:8 teaches the foundational truth of salvation as an unmerited gift from God, received solely by grace through faith rather than human effort or achievement, emphasizing that no one can boast since even the faith to believe is divinely enabled, highlighting God's sovereign initiative in rescuing humanity from sin within the broader context of reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles into one body in Christ.