Are All Our Works Filthy Rags To God? Isaiah 64:6 Explained.

Verse

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.

Their Argument:

"Any attempt we make to be righteous is nothing but filthy rags in God's eyes. We can never stop sinning and live a life pleasing to God."

Our Response:

It's important that we take a look at verses in the Bible in context. Isaiah 64 is the prophet Isaiah praying on behalf of the people of Israel. They had fallen into sin and were praying for mercy. Taking the prayer of people who were not in good standing before God and applying it to modern-day Christians thousands of years later is hermeneutically flawed.

If you're going to apply verse 6 to yourself, then you should also apply verse 7:

Isaiah 64:7

And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

Are there no Christians that call upon God's name? Is God's face hidden from all Christians? It's silly to apply this to Christians. We also see from Scripture that there were people who did what was pleasing in God's sight:

1 John 3:22

and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

Luke 1:5-6

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

So maybe instead of applying Isaiah 64 to your life, try applying Isaiah 1 to your life.

Isaiah 1:16-20

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Don't try to justify your sins. The Lord commanded them to cease from doing evil and still commands men today to do the same.

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