Grace or Self-righteousness?

I have been reading a lot lately about what it means to walk in the Spirit of God, to walk in the grace of Jesus rather than attempting to earn my own forgiveness.

By nature of how God ordained this world, I cannot earn his love, his grace, or his mercy. As such, I cannot earn salvation because I cannot earn his forgiveness. Of course, most Christians know mentally that we cannot convince God that we are good enough to be saved, that we have done enough "penitence" to be forgiven. But in actions and thoughts, at least for me, I often cannot except God's forgiveness and grace for my sins until I have felt guilty for long enough. Ironic, isn't it?

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2.8

My attitude of feeling guilty and of wallowing in my own sinfulness does not express faith in Christ. Faith in Christ consists of acceptance of his grace without question. His forgiveness is immediate when we have a genuine heart of repentance. Self-righteousness does not mean faith, it means an attitude of trying to earn righteousness on my own.

"...by accepting God's love for us, we fall in love with Him, and only then do we have the fuel we need to obey." ~Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz