Augustine, predating many of these perspectives, describes his own inward experience of grace in his Confessions. He confesses that it was God's grace that “converted” him inwardly—an act of divine violence that frees the soul from worldly bonds. This inner transformation is like being placed in a spacious, open place, where the believer’s feet are set free from narrowness and confinement. The divine “one word” impresses the image of God (imago Dei) within the person, rendering external efforts for salvation unnecessary. Instead, salvation becomes a matter of internal trust—“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”—since Christ has already come down and risen within the believer’s heart, making external ascents or descents irrelevant. In this crucible of opposition and suffering, divine grace’s inward focus turns affliction into a gift—an act of divine generosity that breaks down false reliance on oneself and reveals the full richness of salvation. The divine gift of grace, therefore, is not a prison but a liberating act, transforming suffering into a means of spiritual reformation—an indirect process where hardship and violence serve to humble the human ego and forge a renewed, divine-aligned soul. Søren Kierkegaard explores this inward turn as a “leap” into true freedom, where the experience of anxiety and despair reveals the eternal validity of the self before God. He describes this as the “possibility of possibility,” emphasizing that genuine freedom involves a radical inward commitment—trusting not in external achievements or social duties but in the divine word dwelling within the heart. In his portrayal of the “knight of faith,” Kierkegaard discusses the teleological suspension of the ethical for the sake of the divine command, embracing the divine word as a supernatural key amid existential confinement. This inward, faith-based leap is an act of absurdity—trusting in what cannot be fully comprehended or justified by human reason—yet it leads to true spiritual liberation. The deep spiritual truth you describe—that free grace (gratia gratis data) leaves its mark on the divine Word (logos) within the believer’s mind and understanding—leads to an inner recognition of the self that is rooted in the divine. This recognition removes the need for human effort or moral striving to reach perfection and instead emphasizes a sort of ontological awakening—an awareness of one’s true being that is bestowed by divine grace itself. Such a process aligns with the Apostle Paul’s teaching about justification by faith alone, apart from works of the law (Romans 3:28), which underscores that salvation is not earned through human effort but is a gift from God. This “one word” of salvation, residing deep within the heart as the immediate spoken word of God (verbum Dei), acts as a divine message that is close at hand—“in your mouth and in your heart,” as Deuteronomy 30:14 states—making external pursuits of spiritual or moral perfection unnecessary. Grace’s ultimate unveiling (apokalypsis) is not something we achieve; it is something revealed by God at the right time, such as at the second coming of Christ (1 Peter 1:13). Trust, therefore, is not placed in gradual spiritual growth but in this eschatological interruption—an unexpected and divine revelation—that transforms human notions of responsibility into a kind of illusion or false hope (Pelagianism being a false human effort). All these theologians agree that the true treasure of faith is the indwelling divine word—not human effort or ascent. The violence of divine grace, though seemingly destructive, ultimately leads to freedom by reforming the soul from within. This process is eschatological—fulfilled fully in the divine apocalypse, when grace is revealed in its fullness. The divine act of salvation, therefore, is a gift that transforms suffering and opposition into a divine opening—a moment when divine grace is unveiled and humanity’s reliance on itself is shattered. John Calvin emphasizes this inward focus further by explaining that faith is rooted in the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit—an internal witness that confirms the truth of the divine word within the believer. This Spirit’s testimony acts like pure gold, tested and refined, amid the limitations and confinement of worldly life. The divine word becomes the instrument through which the Spirit illuminates and sustains faith. Calvin interprets the psalmist’s cry—expressing a sense of abandonment and vulnerability—and shows how, through divine grace, even in moments of despair, the believer’s confidence is restored by turning inward to trust in God alone, who becomes the true refuge. This inward trust is a gift from God, transforming suffering and violence into a means of reformation—an indirect process where hardship humbles the soul and directs it toward the divine word, which is the true source of liberation (“you will be free indeed” — John 8:36). Martin Luther, in his famous Disputatio de Homine, criticizes the misguided belief that humans can improve or advance themselves spiritually. He states that humans must utterly despair of their own abilities before they are truly prepared to accept Christ’s grace—a moment of complete reliance on divine mercy rather than human achievement. This opposition between the “theologia crucis” (theology of the cross) and the “theologia gloriae” (theology of glory)—a central theme in Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation—mirrors your description of spiritual captivity and inward constriction. The pressures of adversity, rather than destroying faith, serve to strip away superficial realities and reveal the foundation of salvation itself. The experience of being “pushed” along the spiritual path, as Luther describes, echoes the concept of being simultaneously justified and sinner—“simul iustus et peccator”—where true freedom is found not in outward victories but in the inward word that sustains life amid spiritual decay (Romans 7:24–25). The believer, crucified with Christ, finds liberation through this internal divine word, which vivifies even within the process of spiritual breakdown.