I just started reading a book by David Platt entitled, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Even though it is devestating my western, American, comfortable ideas of Christianity, I am sensing a strange joy in the pain. Anyway, here is one quote that I found particularly helpful for preacher types like myself:

The modern-day gospel says, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Therefore, follow these steps and you can be saved." Meanwhile, the biblical gospel says, "You are an enemy of God, dead in your sin, and in your present state of rebellion, you are not even able to see that you need life, much less to cause yourself to come to life. Therefore, you are radically dependent on God to do something in your life that you could never do." (p. 32, italics mine)

That is why Paul says that we are saved by—and must continually live by—grace and grace alone.

Thanks for the reminder, David.