Lancelot Ridley on Ephesians 2:8

JesseTreeTo faith, in the Scripture, is attributed our justification, not because faith is the author of our justification, for the author of our justification is Christ, but justification is attributed to faith because faith receives the mercy of God and believes the promises of God made to just people and believers to be fulfilled. So faith is the organ and the mean by which we perceive our justification to come of the only mercy of God, and it makes us believe the Scriptures that show that we are justified by grace through faith without any works. Good works do not go before faith, but they follow faith and make us certain that we are justified.

~Galatians, Ephesians, ed. Gerald L. Bray, Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT Vol. X, p. 286