What ado there is to work up the heart to any liking of God? The reason is, we begin it of ourselves, and think to do it in our own strength; whereas it can only be done in faith, and the Spirit’s power. (Thomas Adam, Private Thoughts on Religion)
“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9).
3rd. Augustinian.—Which was adopted by all the original Protestant Churches, Lutheran and Reformed. (a.) Man is by nature so entirely depraved in his moral nature as to be totally unable to do any thing spiritually good, or in any degree to begin or dispose himself thereto. (b.) That even under the exciting and suasory influences of divine grace the will of man is totally unable to act aright in co-operation with grace, until after the will itself is by the energy of grace radically and permanently renewed. (c.) Even after the renewal of the will it ever continues dependent upon divine grace to prompt, direct, and enable it in the performance of every good work. A.A. Hodge
Can it be true that sinful man (even saved man) is so utterly dependent on God that all that man receives in the spiritual realm is by grace and grace alone? What, after all, is man saved from and what is he saved for? Man is saved from being under the dominion of darkness and of being a slave to the evil one who exercises his slavery in and through the wicked and selfish heart of man. While man thinks that he is free as he lives on in the sin of pride and self, he is actually in great bondage and does the will and pleasure of the evil one and also in being like the evil one. But when man is transferred from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of the Beloved Son, man is now in the kingdom of grace.
The statement of A.A. Hodge (above) shows the historic Calvinist position. Even the renewed will is dependent upon divine grace to prompt it. Can a man prompt himself spiritually by his own will and strength? We must remember that what is spiritual is that which is of the Holy Spirit. So this prompting must be by the Holy Spirit if it is to be a spiritual prompting. Will a man direct himself as a converted man or will he look to grace and the Spirit for direction? Can it be a spiritual direction if by the flesh or must it be the direction of the Holy Spirit to be spiritual? I would argue the latter. We can also see this in Romans 8 where we are told that we must put the deeds of the body to death by the Spirit (v. 6). Works of the flesh, even if they are religious works or religious activities that make one better on the outside, are still works of the flesh.
As the statement of Hodge also shows, we are in utter dependence upon grace to enable us to do a good work. But again, if our good works are to be spiritual they must be of the Spirit rather than works of the flesh. Can man work something up in and by his flesh to please God? So what is it that God is looking for? He is looking for and working in human souls to be empty vessels so that He may work through them and that it would all be to the glory of His name. What comes from the flesh is to the glory of the human author of it. It is like Paul saying that he worked harder than them all, yet not himself but grace worked in him (I Cor 15:10).
It must be the Spirit of God that works in and through man or the work will be of the flesh and so be fleshly. This work must be by the grace of God rather than because man decided to do it in his own power or it will be to the glory of man. Until human beings realize the depths of their sin they will not realize the depths of the grace of God and the absolute necessity of grace to do the work in and through them. Yet in America the works of the flesh continues on and people seem to think that they are doing God a favor. Prayer meetings are held and can last for a long time, but they are worthless and dangerous until people learn to pray by grace alone rather than have the flesh prompt, direct, and enable them in the prayer. Preachers preach sermons that are prompted, directed, and enabled by the flesh rather than by grace. Planning meetings are held when they are prompted, directed, and enabled by the flesh and business practices rather than grace. Nothing will be done in the Church that is out of a true love for God and truly intended for His glory until men die to the efforts of the strength of their own flesh and learn to live by grace alone. If it is not done by the Spirit through the faith the Spirit has put in the soul, it is nothing more than the works of the flesh and is a stench in the nostrils of God.
God Loves... Himself 
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