9 June 26
THE MUDDY RIVER: WHEN SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS DROWNS GRACE
Featured Scripture and Commentary
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
I started writing a song. This is all I’ve got of it so far. Maybe it is my way back to writing songs again. Maybe there is an open door in which Bruce Springsteen is not allowed but only the inspiration of the Lord, Psalms, other Scripture and praise singers of yesteryear and of today. It is notable that this is not my story. I am doing fine although nobody wins all the spiritual warfare battles but my faith is burning brighter than ever and I am always thankful. For now and for today’s DR I have this:
muddy river of self righteousness (lyrics by Zeb of Virginia Beach Church)
buried in the muck and mire bathing in the devil’s fire
so covered in schmutz and so unatoned so far away from my home
chorus:
i bathe in the muddy river of self righteousness
i’m submerged deep within my sin
i swim in the murky waters
Lord will you ever take me back again?
can i ever clean my act? will righteousness ever welcome me back?
in the darkness where is the light?
Lord rescue me from my self inflicted plight
I surrender the fight
but still..
chorus
bridge:
Lord I have driven a wedge I have betrayed your covenant pledge
I have built a wall so high i have wasted days and wasted nights
chorus
Lord next time I come up for air Show me a sign that you still care
even if no sign I see I pray that you will welcome me
but for now…
chorus
CORROBORATING SCRIPTURE
Ephesians 2:8–9, Titus 3:5, Psalm 51:7, Luke 18:9–14, Romans 3:20
Ephesians 2:8–9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Luke 18:9–14 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous… Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican… This man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
As always special mention to Galatians 2:20
Self-righteousness is not holiness. It is mud disguised as purity. The lyrics “muddy river of self righteousness / buried in the muck and mire” capture the exact spiritual condition Isaiah described: our own righteousness is filthy rags. We think we are cleaning ourselves, but we are only sinking deeper.
The Muddy River vs. The Cleansing Blood:
Muddy River (Self-Righteousness)
“I can clean my act”
Submerged in sin, trying to swim out
Self-inflicted plight
Driven a wedge, built a wall
Waiting for a sign He still cares
Cleansing Blood (Grace)
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done” (Titus 3:5)
Washed by hyssop, made white as snow (Psalm 51:7)
Mercy-driven rescue (Titus 3:5)
Tore the veil, removed the separation (Eph 2:14)
Sealed by the Spirit while we were yet sinners (Rom 5:8)
Why Self-Righteousness Is Deadlier Than Open Sin:
Have you ever known such a person? They know they are struggling with their faith but they don’t feel it is because of any deficit in their thoughts and actions. They can justify slitting the throat of a baby (I guess literally – abortion) as being “not such a bad thing” or “something about me that God understands or allows” and similar along those lines. Total willfully enforced blindness. They put on their own blindfold and attest to 20/20 vision. Open sin knows it is dirty. Self-righteousness thinks it is clean while drowning in mud. The Pharisee in Luke 18 didn’t see his own filth; he saw only the publican’s. Jesus said the tax collector went home justified because he stopped trying to clean himself and simply cried, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Matthew was a tax collector which means to the Jews of the time – a traitor, a sinner, in the camp of the enemy (Rome) etc. However before he put ink to scroll he had truly given his heart to Jesus and had a metanoya (change of mind=repentance). As Jesus said we can’t serve two masters and we have to change our mind and change our ways so that all can see and then maybe with the Grace of God and His mercy we can rise out of the muck but never through our own efforts.
The Bridge Is True—But the Answer Came Before the Plea:
“Lord I have driven a wedge / I have betrayed your covenant pledge” — Yes. But Romans 5:8 says Christ died for us while we were still sinners. The wedge was driven before you knew it, and the bridge was rebuilt before you asked. It is upon us to open our eyes and receive. IF we struggle even with that then we are deep in the muck. James refers to how faith is dead without works. How about faith that is covered in mud?
“Even If No Sign I See”:
This is the moment faith breaks through the mud. You don’t need a sign. You have the Word. You have the Cross. You have the promise: “He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). The sign is already nailed to Calvary. Have you ever wondered “how much it cost to see your sin upon that cross?”
Let’s make it incredibly and indelibly visual – You cannot clean the muddy river. You can only step out of it and into the blood.
PRAYER FOR WHOMSOEVERS
Lord, I tried to clean myself but like Flint MI water I just got more contaminated.. I renounce the muddy river of self-righteousness. I accept that my righteousness, if not centered in Your Grace and Mercy, is filthy rags. Wash me with hyssop. Make me white as snow. I’m not a bad swimmer at the Y but trust not in my swimming ability in spiritual mud. I do fully trust though in Your saving. Thank you Lord for extra dollops of Grace when I am being stubborn and drowning in self reliance. In Jesus’s name and in Amazing Grace (a much better song) I say Amen.
