Sovereignty of God

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…who took notice of the false doctrines which had permeated the Church at that time. The selling of indulgences and the likes.

Sovereignty of God is one of those doctrines that the reformers adamantly advocated for. At the heart of this doctrine is the concept of salvation.

Is salvation a matter of free will or does the sovereignty of God have a part in this? 

Analogy can be given of a prisoner who is kept in a cell. No matter how much the prisoner attempts to express his freedom, all of it will be confined within the walls of the same cell. This best illustrate the spiritual condition of natural man before he is regenerated (Jeremiah 17:9). The free will of a sinner is bound within the confines of his sinful nature and he can never turn to God on his own (John 5:40). God must take the first initiative by drawing the sinner unto Himself (John 6:44).

But why?

Because if not so, this would imply that man deserves some form of merit, while the Bible puts it very clear that God cannot share His glory with anyone (Isaiah 48:11).He predestined others to salvation according to the good pleasure of His will (Ephesians 1:4,5)…