What are "works"?

A lot of the so-called "Christian Denominations" believe Ephesians 2:8-9 means that in order to become saved all a sinner has to do is "believe" and do nothing else. But this is not what the holy scriptures teach.

Firstly it's important to know that all of Ephesians is written to Christians, people that have already obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ like those that obeyed Acts 2:38 (see the beginning of this in Acts 19:1-7):

Ephesians 1:1-2 King James Version 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: ²Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

"To the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus". The letter of Ephesians is not written to sinners, but to saints. When reading Ephesians we have to remember this letter was written to people that were already Christians so that is the context. The book for sinners to read on how to become Christians is the book of Acts.

Ephesians chapter 2 is explaining how the Jews and the Gentiles become the same, by the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost.

Ephesians 2:8 King James Version ⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

In this verse the "grace" that is explained here is the "gift of God". We need to go to another scripture to see what the "gift of God" is:

2 Timothy 1:6-7 King James Version Therefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. ⁷For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

With these two verses we see that the "gift of God" is the Holy Ghost. With that information when we go back to Ephesians 2:8, it is revealed that the "grace" spoken about here is the Holy Ghost that has been given to the saints. Let's take a closer look:

Romans 4:16 King James Version ¹⁶Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Romans 4:16 continues to make this clear for us, that God's grace can be for anyone, not only for those of the seed of the law but also those which are of the faith of Abraham, which could be anyone. Now let's take a closer look at Ephesians 2:9:

Ephesians 2:9 King James Version ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Many confuse this verse and say that "works" means actions or anything a person can do. But this is not what the holy scriptures teach:

Romans 3:27-28 King James Version ²⁷Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. ²⁸Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Here we see that "works" are revealed as "deeds of the law". The "works" talked about in Ephesians 2:9 are the deeds of the law, which were the ordinances that the Jews kept along with the Ten Commandments.

Hebrews 9:10 King James Version ¹⁰Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

They had over 600 ordinances they kept, also referred to as the law of righteousness:

Romans 9:31 King James Version ³¹But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

In conclusion, Ephesians 2:8-9 does not mean, "a person doesn't have to do anything to be saved" which is what the denominational churches teach. According to the holy scriptures, it does mean, "a person doesn't have to do the law of righteousness (the deeds of the law, an extra 600+ ordinances that the Jews kept in the Old Testament times that were separate from the Ten Commandments) in order to be saved" and God's "grace" is the Holy Ghost that God gives to sinners that have faith and have repented. Paul's letter to Titus proves this:

Titus 3:5 King James Version ⁵Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

See that "not by works of righteousness"? That's from the law of righteousness being talked about in Romans 9:31 above, those 600+ ordinances the Jews kept on top of the Ten Commandments. They are the "works" being talked about. Not by THOSE works, but by God's "mercy" he saved us. By the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost!

Belief is important and is the first step in becoming a Christian (Acts 2:37). The next steps are to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and receive the gift of the Holy ghost (Acts 2:38):

Acts 2:37-38 King James Version ³⁷Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? ³⁸Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This is what the holy scriptures teach.

See "How to be Saved" to know how to become a Christian.