When Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8: “this is a gift from God”, to which word does he refer with the demonstrative pronoun this? Does he refer to: grace, saved, or faith? Or is it something else? Below is the verse:
Ephesians 2
8 For by grace you were saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves: it is a gift [literally: gift of approach] from God, 9 not of works, so that no one should boast.
What exactly is a gift from God? What is not from our works? What exactly does: this not of yourselves, it is a gift from God refer to?
This is a neuter word.
The word translated as grace (charis) is a feminine word.
The word translated as saved (sothesese) is a masculine word.
The word translated as faith (pisteos) is a feminine word.
Conclusion
Because touto (this) is neuter, it cannot refer directly to one of the feminine words or the masculine word. This rules out the possibility that Paul means only “saved,” only “grace,” or only “faith.” The conclusion, based purely on grammatical grounds, is therefore that “this” refers to the entire preceding concept, not to a single word.
The expression “by grace you have been saved, by faith” forms a single whole: grace is the source, faith the means, and being saved the result. Grace, salvation, and faith are all gifts of God. So that no one should boast!
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