EPHESIANS 2:8-9 (1).

2:8 "FOR BY GRACE...."

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

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.   EPHESIANS 2:8-9 

(THESE PAGES WILL BE ADDED TO AS WE GO ALONG)

"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"  EPHESIANS 1:13

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

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

At the very outset that, it should be said grace is not something that you work for, nor is it something that you have earned otherwise the the word loses its meaning.

As a demonstration of its meaning, it is just like the man on the cross alongside of Jesus Christ. The Scripture reads like this:

"one of the criminals who were hanged was hurling abuse at Jesus saying, 'are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!' But the other criminal answered, and rebuking him said 'do you not even fear God since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds: but this man has done nothing wrong.' And as he was saying what, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!" And Jesus said to him, "truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise."  LUKE 23:43

Shmeron met emou esh en twi paradeiswi). However crude may have been the robber's Messianic ideas Jesus clears the path for him. He promises him immediate and conscious fellowship after death with Christ in Paradise which is a Persian word and is used here not for any supposed intermediate state; but the very bliss of heaven itself. This Persian word was used for an enclosed park or pleasure ground (so Xenophon). The word occurs in two 

This criminal, by his own words, deserved the penalty of sin. Obviously, he couldn't do anything. He was nailed to a cross. He knew that he deserved his punishment, and he confessed that and then he asked Jesus to save them.

 This is no formal confession of sin-- no list of sins that he had done. He deserved what he was getting. He knew that and he said it. He never joined the church, he never was baptized, he never spoke in tongues, because he was nailed to the cross. The only thing this man did was to ask Jesus to save them, and he was the most saved person in history.

That man was  saved by the  grace of God. He did nothing, but ask Jesus.

"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners among whom I am foremost of all."  1 Timothy 1:14-15