King James Bible
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"
Paul establishes the fundamental mechanism of salvation: God's unmerited favor (grace) accessed through trusting belief (faith). This counters any notion of earning salvation through works or religious observance, emphasizing that the initiative comes from God while humans respond with faith. Paul explicitly excludes human origin or effort as the source of salvation. This phrase serves as a clarifying parenthesis, ensuring readers understand that even the faith itself ultimately stems from God's enabling, not human achievement. The conclusive declaration identifies salvation as a divine gift, freely given rather than earned or purchased. This reinforces the grace-based nature of the gospel and eliminates any ground for boasting, a theme Paul develops in the following verse.