And take the case of Paul, when he was Saul—what did he do with all the power of his ‘free-will’? Certainly, if his state of mind be regarded, his heart was set on what was best and highest. But look at the endeavour whereby he found grace! Not only did he not seek grace, but he received it through his own mad fury against it! (Luther, The Bondage of the Will)
The Gospel of grace alone means exactly that. It means that the Gospel which is the good news of what grace has done and what grace has done was planned by the Father alone, was accomplished by Christ alone, was and is applied by the Holy Spirit alone, and as such is always for the glory of God alone. Grace is not just an acronym (God’s riches at Christ’s expense), but instead is far more. Grace is an attribute of the one and only God who is triune. Grace is an attribute which in one sense and at certain points is at a pinnacle (so to speak) by which when one stands on top of one can see more of the grandeur of God’s glory and other attributes. Grace is the lenses by which the human soul is able to how God manifests His glory through. Grace can never be earned or merited in the slightest as that makes grace no longer to be grace.
It is when we see Saul or Paul not seeking grace but instead fighting against it that we see an aspect of grace shining in its brilliance. Grace seeks out sinners and saves them even when they are fighting against the glory of God in the Gospel. Paul did not seek God in any sense, but instead God sought Paul and saved him despite himself. The glory of grace is seen in such brilliance in the dark background of Paul’s venom and fury against it. There was nothing in Paul and his religious arrogance and hatred of truth that would move God to save him, but because grace finds all of its reasons to save in God he was saved to the praise of the glory of God’s grace. The grace that arrested Paul cannot be mistaken or confused with the slightest bit of ‘free-will’ as Paul was dead set in his fight against it. He was saved by God alone who of His good pleasure set His grace on Paul and brought him to faith. It was grace that regenerated his soul and gave him faith. It was grace because it was God alone who did all the seeking in accordance with His good pleasure. It was grace because it was God who was moved by Himself rather than what He found in Paul.
It is this grace of God that sinners are to trust in rather than anything in themselves including ‘free-will.’ For the soul to look to themselves for an act of the will is to look to something other than grace alone to be saved. But sinners are dead in sins and trespasses and cannot make themselves alive and so they have no way to do an act of life. No one can have an act of life (such as faith or an act of faith) until s/he is alive. A dead sinner must be made alive and only life can bring a dead sinner to life. The will of a dead person cannot make the dead person alive, and so the will of one that is dead spiritually cannot make a spiritual act to make itself alive. It is by grace alone that the Holy Spirit takes what Christ has purchased for the glory of God for that sinner and make a sinner alive. It is only after the soul has life can it then act like a live soul. The doctrine of ‘free-will’ is at odds with grace alone, the sovereignty of God, and of the total inability of man. As such it is at odds with the gospel of grace alone.
In the Gospel of grace alone sinners must be taught to look to the triune God for grace purchases and applied. Sinners need life from God and not just some act of the will by which they can think they are saved by. Sinners need to be taught where the life of grace truly comes from so they can look in complete dependence on grace alone rather than to look to themselves for some dead act that moves God to save them. Sinners must be taught not to look to themselves for anything but instead they are to look to Christ alone for all. Who is it that takes the sinner and yanks him or her from the kingdom (reign and rule) of darkness and puts that sinner into the kingdom of the Beloved Son? Colossians 1:13 tells us that it was God. Sinners do not assist God in that. Who is it that takes sinners and puts them into Christ? I Corinthians 1:30 says that “by His doing you are in Christ Jesus.” The Gospel if of grace alone and sinners must learn to look to God (not their own will) alone to do these things by grace alone.
Even after the sinner has been saved, what is that sinner supposed to look to? “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:13). Sinners are not only saved by grace alone, but their only hope for eternity is grace alone in Christ Jesus. Where is grace found for unsaved and saved sinners alike? 1 Corinthians 1:4 gives us the answer: “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus.” Grace is only found in Christ Jesus. One has to be in Christ to obtain grace. Only God can accomplish any and all of that.
God Loves... Himself 
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