This morning the following paragraph in Whiter than Snow (Paul David Tripp) made me stop and think:

“Before you can ever make a clean and unamended confession of your sin, you have to first begin by confessing your righteousness.  It’s not just your sin that separates you from God; your righteousness does as well.  Because, when you are convinced you are righteous, you don’t seek the forgiving, rescuing, and restoring mercy that can be found only in Jesus Christ” (22).

How often (and sadly so) do we fail to seek needed forgiveness and restoration from the Lord – because we’re complacent in our over-estimation of our own supposed righteousness!  This brought to my mind a stanza of the hymn “Rock of Ages.”

Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.

We usually don’t have a problem with admitting our naked, helpless condition when we’re first saved.  It’s easy to own the description of that hymn when giving a salvation testimony.  But … we need to claim that description far more often.  Foul sinners (even forgiven ones) still need to flee to the fountain for cleansing!  We must daily cast our dependence on God, confessing our nakedness and helplessness, begging for dress and grace, clinging to the cross with hands empty of our own righteousness, pleading for the Savior to wash us!