If ever you saw Christ, you saw Him a Rock, higher than self-righteousness, Satan, and sin (Psa 61:2) and this Rock follows you (I Cor 10:4); and there will be continual dropping of honey and grace out of that Rock to satisfy you (Psa 81:16). Examine if ever you have ever beheld Christ as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Be sure you have come to Christ, that you stand upon the Rock of Ages, and have answered to His call to your soul, and have closed with Him for justification. Thomas Willcox
The true sight of Christ and something of His glory will drive the soul from self-righteousness. After all, if one sees Christ and the glory of His full and complete righteousness that comes to the soul on the basis of grace alone, who would try to work for righteousness which can be nothing better than menstrual cloths? Oh how people fight to maintain how righteous they are and how holy they, whether in their own minds or in the sight of others. But the more people fight for their own righteousness the more they reject the righteousness of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is perfect in righteousness and is infinite in terms of the glory of His righteousness and so there is no need for a person to work for any degree of self-righteousness. In fact, there is every reason not to work for any degree of self-righteousness because in working for it one is not resting in the righteousness of Christ alone.
The Holy Scriptures tell us that “to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Rom 4:4-5). It is utterly vital to stop working for righteousness and not defend self in terms of righteousness. When one has Christ and dwells in Christ and Christ dwells in that soul, any righteousness that comes from that soul comes from Christ and not the self. Christ is far greater in His righteousness and He is far greater than all sin. Sinners must give up all hope in self and look to grace alone to deliver them from trusting in self and self-righteousness. It is the empty and the humble and those who have been turned from their self-sufficiency who are enabled by grace to look to Christ alone by grace alone.
The soul that has Christ and follows Christ will taste of the sweetness of Christ as of honey to the tongue. We are told to “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psa 34:8) and as such we are to know that Christ is better to the soul than anything. Christ is food indeed and Christ is drink to the soul. Christ is the milk to the weak and meat to the strong. Christ is dessert to those who want something sweet. Christ and Christ alone is fit for the soul that the sovereign grace of God has fitted for Him. The soul that has Christ sees His grace in all things. In the afflictions of life we can see that the grace of God is working in the afflictions and in our souls to make us more like Christ. In our sufferings and trials we can know that God has a greater purpose in them as He is working to humble us, but humility for the purpose of filling us with the grace of Himself and His own glory. As the soul is humbled and begins to taste of the sweetness of Christ and of grace, so the soul begins to bow in deeper humility before Him. It is in that humble soul that the sweetness of Christ and of His grace is tasted and is digested so that the soul becomes stronger and stronger.
The question, then, is raised by Willcox above. Have we ever beheld this Christ? Notice that the question is not have you worked hard to see Christ and it is not have you beheld Christ in the fullness of His glory. But have you beheld Christ even a little? Do you see that despite your weakness and your many sins that you are enabled by grace to behold Christ just a little? Do you grieve that you don’t see Him more? Do you see something of His glory and know that you have some delight in Him and some love for Him that does not come from your flesh but from the Spirit of the living God? Behold how Christ treats weak and doubting sinners: “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY” (Mat 12:20).
For those who are battered and think they are barely hanging on (if at all), know that in Christ there is a complete justification for sinners based simply and only who Christ is and what He has done. Know that He has not promised to save the strong in faith and the self-confident, but those who are weak and have no strength in themselves. Christ did not promise to save the moral, but sinners and even the most vile of sinners. You have no need to punish yourself for sin, Christ has suffered fully for sin and made a complete satisfaction to the Father. There is no need to look at your sin as if it is greater than the righteousness of Christ, because it is nothing compared to His righteousness. There is no need to look to yourself for faith because He gives faith by grace alone as well. So to the weak believer who may think that s/he does not have faith enough, how much faith does it take? Isn’t something like faith as a mustard seed? But where does that faith come from? Look to Christ for faith by grace as well. Sinners are saved by grace alone and not much grace and a little of your faith. Bow and cry out for God to give you Christ by grace. Faith is the empty hand that simply asks and then receives.
God Loves... Himself 
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