I've never understood the confusion that the church has over Isaiah 64:6. After reading Isaiah 6:4-7, it is clear that their righteousness was as filthy rags b/c they were in sin... "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. 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. 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 (Isa.64:4-7)."
The church believes that everyone's righteousness is perpetually seen as filthy rags in the sight of God based on the single verse of Isa.64:6, yet most who semi-quote this verse have no idea where it is. We are to study the Word and it is not that hard to understand basic, fundamental and elementary context; so goes my continued confusion on the fallacy taught from a verse stated about rebellious Jews. The N.T. makes it clear that man can be every bit as righteous as Christ...
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor.5:17-21)." "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous (1 Jn.3:5-7)." "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom.5:19-21)."
It is true that the Scriptures say all have sinned (1 Ki.8:46; 2 Chr.6:36; Rom.3:10-12, 23; 5:12). This is why we needed a Savior, the Messiah, Jesus, the Son of God. What He did w/ our sin was to take it away (1 Jn.3:5), and He only had to die once for all sin (Heb.10:10-18), but what does it say just 2 verses after Paul says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God?... "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God (Rom.3:25)." Says a lot! Here is another verse declaring that we can have the righteousness of God, of Jesus, and we should agree that His righteousness is not as filthy rags. Another fact from this verse is that only past sins have been forgiven, which was just as pictured by the daily sacrifices as the fulfillment of all sacrifices by the one sacrifice of the Son of God.
So it must be understood that righteousness is the total absence of sin (1 Jn.1:5-6), for this is how Jesus was (2 Cor.5:21; Heb.4:15; 1 Pt.2:22; 1 Jn.3:5), and we are to be as Him (1 Pt.2:21; 1 Jn.2:3-6; 3:5-10), and this is how He makes us after repenting and having faith in His blood (Rom.3:25)... This is how one is made righteous and therefore justified, which is not by anything we can do... "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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Eph.2:8-10)." So is there another verse on the subject that proves what I'm saying? Yes, there is another that proves we cannot be made righteous on our own, but only by the washing of regeneration, and by this washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, we are made as righteous as Christ, lest we claim the blood of Christ cannot take away our sins and we are still seen as filthy... "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 (Tit.3:5)." If you look a couple sentences back, you'll see that I included vs. 10 w/ Eph.2:8-9, which is rarely done...should really start w/ vs' 1-3 for sure! But the reason is that vs.10 says we should walk in good works. This is to say that we should walk in righteousness after being made righteous, or in other words, we should cease from sin (Ex.20:20; Job 5:24; Ps.4:4; Eze.3:21; Jn.5:14; 8:11; 1 Cor.15:33-34; Eph.4:26; 5:27; 1 Pt.4:1; 1 Jn.3:5-10; 5:18).
This is b/c sin always condemns (((makes guilty..opposite of justified))) the righteous (Gen.2:17; 3:4-19; Ex.32:33; Eze.18:24-26; Rom.1:29-32; 1 Cor.6:9-10; Gal.5:19-21; 6:7-8; Eph.5:3-7; Jas.1:15; Rev.21:7-8). "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only (Jas.2:24)." One would be correct that we cannot achieve His love, since He loves even the the sinners as much as the saints, the righteous as much as the unrighteous, the guilty as much as the justified (Jn.3:16; Rom.5:8; 1 Jn.2:2; Rev.22:17); yet man does have to remain obedient to God's word in order to remain justified. What? Haven't you heard that Abraham was remaining justified by his obedience to God 40-50 years after he was initially justified for being willing to sacrifice his son (Gen.12:1-4; 15:6; 22:1-12; Jas.2:21-24)?
We do nothing in order to receive God's love; yet we do have to constantly take up our cross daily in order to remain justified. Do you understand now that God doesn't look at the righteousness of a person as filthy rags who is in Christ...walking as He walked..sinless? "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (1 Pt.2:21-22)." "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked (1 Jn.2:6)." ...and how did He walk (2 Cor.5:21; Heb.4:15; 1 Pt.2:22; 1 Jn.3:5)?...sinless! Christians are to live free from sin for a reason (Mat.1:21; Rm.6:14-23; 8:1-13; 12:1-2; 2 Cor.5:17-18; Gal.5:19-23; Col.3:5-10; Heb.12:14-15; 1 Jn.1:7-9; 2:29; 3:5-10; 5:1-4, 18). I'm not attaking anyone as a person, just defending the truth of the Word and destroying philosophies of man and doctrines from devils (Gen.3:4; Eze.18:25-32; Acts 17:11; 2 Cor.11:3-4; 13:5; Gal.1:6-10; Col.2:8; 1 Tim.4:1; 2 Tim.4:3-4; 1 Jn.4:1).
