Filthy Rags

by Chuck Ness

"But we are all like an unclean thing, and all of our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." Isaiah 64:6

The Prophet Isaiah summed up the reprobate state into which God's chosen people had sunk. Though they had the blessing of the Law given to them by Moses, when he conversed with God on Mount Sinai, they had turned from their Lawgiver and become more wretched than the people who did not have the Law. God's chosen people were worshiping false gods. Isaiah 42:17 They were reveling in idolatry so much so that the prophet called Jerusalem a harlot that was as evil as the Sodomites. Isaiah 1:21 &  3:9.

Yet, the people had an illusion of righteousness. Many, especially the religious leaders who helped lead them into sin, professed to be "holier than thou," all the while burning incense on strange altars. Isaiah 65:3-2 However, God did not look upon their self righteousness as anything but pollution. He even told them He hated the Sabbaths and feasts that He had Himself ordained. Isaiah 1:13-14 The house of Jacob had rendered even its best acts of religious activity to nothing but apostasy in God's eyes. They were all unclean and dead like the leaves of fall, and their iniquities were like the wind that would cause them to be carried away. Isaiah 64:6.

How fitting it was for Isaiah to break into hyperbole calling such righteousness nothing but "filthy rags." What better way to call a nation into repentance, than to be brutally honest about the way they were living? In today's world, a declaration such as this would be received with such anger and indignation that many evangelical ministers would demand an apology. Many others would just dismiss such a statement as nothing but the ranting of some fundamental extremist. It must be understood, that this rebuke towards proud Judah, comes with the force of a thunderbolt. At least this is the way it should be taken when considering the context of the accusation.

It is said that "a text without a context is a pretext", and a pretext means we are searching for evidence to support our own understanding instead of searching for God's meaning. It is my opinion that many evangelicals look at this verse completely wrong. In this verse Isaiah is speaking of those who are unrighteous, not the righteous. What many evangelicals erroneously do, is claim Isaiah is saying that even his own works are nothing but filthy rags because he uses the word "our" when making the statement. So they will claim from their pulpits that even the works of righteous men are nothing but filthy rags because Isaiah counts his works with those of apostate Judea.  By doing so, they demean the works of righteous men like Moses, Samuel, Daniel, Paul, John and even Isaiah who made the thunderous accusation.

Again, I must reiterate and say that, "a text without a context is a pretext." The reality of the fact is that when we uproot Isaiah 64:6 from its surrounding historical context we in essence make the epistle of James the most unintelligible book of the ancient world. If all the works of a righteous man were nothing but filthy rags, then James would in effect be saying "faith without filthy rags is dead" (2:20) and "a man is justified by filthy rags and not by faith only" (2:24) and "I will show you my faith through my filthy rags" (2:18) and "by filthy rags, faith is made complete." (2:22) Or that Christians would be enjoined to "stir up love and filthy rags." Hebrews 10:24 Also, Paul would be encouraging young men to be an example to others by "showing themselves to be a pattern of filthy rags." Titus 2:7

Then we have the lesson we learned about Cornelius who's prayers and alms came up for a memorial before God. God was pleased with His works, even before he was converted to Christ. Acts 10:4 Taken apart from all the other obvious passages that fit, this one alone should be enough to set the record straight about God thoughts of a righteous man's works. In the context, Isaiah 64:6 does not mean that all righteousness performed by God’s people is unacceptable to God. Isaiah is referring to people whose righteousness is in fact hypocritical, and thus their works are no longer righteous. Otherwise Isaiah's next verse would not say that God approvingly meets “him who joyfully works righteousness” (Isaiah 64:5).

In reality, Isaiah is doing exactly what Daniel did years later when he confessed the sins of Israel as if he himself were the transgressor. Daniel 9:3-11 So, the passage should be considered in light of Israel's guilt as a nation and Isaiah is numbering himself among the covenant people. Though not every person is guilty of the gross sins of many, it must be noted that God punished the nation as a whole therefore Isaiah puts himself in the mix.

Imagine what is actually being said of our righteous acts under the cleansing of Christ's blood when we disparage, or at least downgrade, good works. It would be impossible to think of righteous acts as something filthy and, on the other hand, as something essential. How could filth be important or even desirable? Why would Christ judge the saints "according to their works", if He already considers our works to be repugnant? Matthew 16:27 In actuality we do the evil one's bidding by confusing the truth about Christian faith, and the works of righteous men.

If there is any lesson that could be taken out of context from this passage at all, it would be that those who are outside the Church cannot achieve works that are not filthy rags. We as Christians do what we do because we have a heart of stone that has been replaced by a heart of flesh, thus we love everyone, even those who do not return that love. Ezekiel 36:26 Just as Christ loved a lost and sinful world and died on the cross for all mankind, we as Christians, follow His example and do our works to please the Father not man. Matthew 5:16 That is the difference between works of righteousness and works of filthy rags, we as Christians are created in Christ for good works. So no man should say that the works of a born again Christian are filthy rags, because they are not.

The good works that God calls upon us to do, should be present in the life of whoever claims to be a spiritually reborn Christian. If these good works are not present, then the person in question is not a real Christian. Good works are a necessary symptom or sign of someone who has truly been saved or regenerated by the Holy Spirit. However, good works are not a prerequisite to that regeneration. According to God's perfect standards, it's impossible to be righteous, holy, discerning, or wise to perform what God calls good works until we are first born again and regenerated by faith through the blood of Christ. This is what James meant in his epistle when he wrote,

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:7

Finally, I'll leave you with this. I am reminded of the free soup kitchens that Al Capone set up in late 1929 for those who had been thrown out of work by the Depression. His soup kitchen served three free meals a day in an effort to sway public opinion in his favor. There are many men like Al Capone who do good deeds for selfish and ungodly reasons. However, without the blood of Christ to wash and cleanse them of their sinfulness, all their works are but filthy rags. Not so for the Christian who looks to Christ as his Savior. Just like Cornelius, our good works will come up for a memorial one day before God.

If you are unaware of who Christ is, or if you know who He is but would like to have a better relationship with Him, then all you need is a simple prayer and he will answer. There are no magic words or scripts to recite. There is but a simple few words you need say in your heart, "Lord Jesus", and "save me". If you are sincere, He will begin by giving you a new spirit and He will also replace your heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen