[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

John Chrysostom, a doctor of the Greek church, born of Greek and Syrian parents, and had considerable knowledge and scholarship of Greek writings, had this to say on the passage:

"Even faith, [Paul] says, is not from us. For if the Lord had not come, if he had not called us, how should we have been able to believe? “For how,” [Paul] says, “shall they believe if they have not heard?” (Rom. 10:14). So even the act of faith is not self-initiated. It is, he says, “the gift of God”"(John Chrysostom, Homily on Ephesians 2:8)

[Mr Rogers]

No.

Perhaps you would prefer Calvin’s commentary?

“And here we must advert to a very common error in the interpretation of this passage. Many persons restrict the word gift to faith alone. But Paul is only repeating in other words the former sentiment. His meaning is, not that faith is the gift of God, but that salvation is given to us by God, or, that we obtain it by the gift of God.”

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom41.iv.iii.iii.html

“These charts, then, are designed to demonstrate that touto in Ephesians 2:8 cannot refer to “faith” as if Paul meant to say, “this faith is a gift from God.” Touto can only refer back to the previously mentioned salvation that comes by grace through faith.”

I know you won’t read the full 13 page analysis, but the link to it is here for those who want to see both sides:

http://chafer.nextmeta.com/files/v12n2_4is_faith_a_gift_from_god_according.pdf

However, Chrysostom is correct when he writes, “So even the act of faith is not self-initiated. It is, he says, “the gift of God”.

Faith is not self-initiated. We do not reach up to God. God first reaches down to us. It is GOD’S initiative, not ours. Without God acting first - prevenient grace - no one would be saved. However, believing - and believing someone else is what faith MEANS - is a response we CAN make to God’s initiative, or not.

In Ephesians 2:8, “gift” does NOT refer to faith. Period. Paul could have used a different word, and then it WOULD have referred to faith - but that is not what Paul was trying to say, in the Greek.

Nor is saving faith ever referred to as something God gives to us regardless of our will. Like much of Calvin’s theology, it is simply not present in the New Testament.