My dear Christian, has someone told you that your righteousness is like filthy rags? Where does this phrase and idea come from? We’re going to explore this concept, because it matters what you believe about righteousness: God’s righteousness and your righteousness.

We find the phrase “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” in the King James Version of 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.” Isaiah 64:6 (KJV) 

The Broader Conversation

In this chapter Isaiah is having a broader conversation about God coming down and working on behalf of His people. Because the nation of Israel was being destroyed, this message is a message of salvation. It’s a beautiful cry for the saving power of God to show up in the midst of brokenness and calamity.

Isaiah sees how his people became religious. He says they have sinned (Isaiah 64:5), and that their iniquities have taken them away (Isaiah 64:6). He says they are melting away in the hand of their iniquities (Isaiah 64:7).

Iniquity

Most people know what sin is, but what is iniquity? Iniquity is the passing down of sin and rebellion (called transgression) through the bloodline. Iniquity can build up from generation to generation if it isn’t dealt with. Have you known an alcoholic who could manage well enough, but then his son quickly became an alcoholic and was worse off than his father? That’s an example of iniquity. It’s physical and spiritual.

Through the relatively new scientific field of epigenetics, we’re discovering the very real truth of God’s Word concerning iniquity. Through actions people are switching genes off and on. When these same people produce children, the gene switches are passed down. (Read about epigenetic here, especially the last paragraph.) So, if an alcoholic has a child, that child now has the propensity to become an alcoholic. Or, if a drug addict has a child, this son or daughter will likely struggle with drug use and the effects of drug use.

Sorcery and Drug Use

What’s even worse is that drugs are related to sorcery. These chemicals induced hallucinations and opened the door for demons to enter and influence the host. In the case of a new child, the active drug use has invited demonic forces to have influence and, yes, even to inhabit the soul of the child.

This is why we need a Savior! Jesus comes in and saves our souls, gives our spirits a rebirth, and renews our bodies. And then we work with Jesus to cut off generational iniquity and demonic forces that have squatted in our lives and created havoc. (See this post for more information on this topic.)

A Beautiful Submission

Isaiah records a beautiful prayer of submission and repentance. 

“But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8 (ESV) 

He acknowledges the Lord as Father God, the same acknowledgement Jesus teaches us to pray in Matthew 6:9, “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name…”

Isaiah desires a moldable life, where God can shape him and the nation of Israel like a potter molds and shapes clay with her hands.

Let’s pause here for a prayer, following Isaiah’s lead: 

Lord God, I have sinned, and my iniquities are overtaking me. I have become religious, and my self-righteous behavior is sickening to me, to You, and to everyone else. Save me from this body of death. O Jesus My Savior, mold me and make me into what You have destined me to be. Save my soul and pour out Your Holy Spirit upon me and inside me for regeneration and renewal. I no longer come into agreement with the devil, with doctrines of demons, with witchcraft or sorcery, or anything else in the kingdom of darkness. I repent and turn to You anew, and I’m ready to live my life as a vessel containing Your life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Brand New

If you prayed the prayer for the first time, or if you prayed it the 16th time, then it’s time to start thinking differently about yourself. One of my most favorite verses in all the Bible is in 2 Corinthians.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

You are brand new! You have been re-created, regenerated, renewed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. 

WWJS: What Would Jesus Say

A really neat way to view Scripture is to think about it as if Jesus was talking to you personally, giving you the revelation of a particular verse. Let’s take a look at this one as if Jesus is speaking it to you right now:

“Therefore, since you are in Me, Jesus Christ, you are a new creation. The old you has passed away; behold, the new you has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Jesus speaking)

Can you feel the power in that verse? It’s liberating! It’s good news! No longer are you the old, sinful person. You are a new creation in Christ. You are brand new! 

Dead to Sin

Paul gives us some great advice in Romans 6. 

“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11 (ESV)

Christian, consider yourself dead to sin. Consider yourself alive to God inside of Jesus Christ. This is a mindset shift. Remember, the old has passed away, and the new has come. Your old self has died with Christ, and the new you has been resurrected with Christ! You can live anew because He lives in you now. And this brings us right back to the subject of righteousness.

Becoming God’s Righteousness

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

God made Jesus to actually be sin, even though Jesus had never sinned, not even once. Jesus is the pure, spotless lamb. He was the perfect sacrifice, and He completed His mission while He lived on this earth. Now He empowers you to complete your mission. You are now considered God’s righteousness.

You might think, “Wait a minute, I thought my righteousness was like filthy rags before God.” Well, let’s explore the difference between self-righteousness and God’s righteousness.

Soul Realm Living

When we live out of the soul realm instead of the spirit realm, we are subject to the leading of our own mind, will, and emotions. This is living according to the flesh and not the spirit. Our own will says to God, “Not your will be done, but my will be done.” We invent our own god and create ways to worship it. We decide how and what we have to do to be righteous in our own god’s fake eyes. 

When we do something good, and we feel good about it. We say, “I am a good person. Look what I have done for myself.” And, in effect, we made ourselves into our own god. We compare ourselves to others and say things in our hearts like this, “Well, at least I’m not like that guy. I didn’t kill anyone.” Or, “Can you believe her? She really screwed things up. I’m so much better than her.”

This self-made religion is a stench to the Lord. It leads to spiritual blindness and darkens our souls. It is a filthy rag.

Your Eye

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.” Luke 11:34 (ESV)

“Your eye,” singular, is your perception of reality. When your perception matches God’s, then you are looking at life through a healthy, God-fearing, Christ-centric, Holy Spirit-filled lens. But when your perception focuses on the negative, especially of others but including yourself as well, darkness creeps in and clouds the soul. The light of the spirit doesn’t shine through. And then we come across to others as self-righteous hypocrites, always comparing ourselves to them and finding deficiencies in them. 

This is why we must continually be filled with the Holy Spirit, forsaking our own thoughts and taking on God’s ways and God’s thoughts. 

God’s Ways are Righteous by Definition

God’s perfect ways equals true righteousness. It’s the way things ought to be. It’s the way God made us to be. It is the state and condition of being acceptable to God (see BLB definition). 

True righteousness is correctness of thinking, feeling, and acting. It’s God’s right way of living, of being, of interacting with the world. In Christ and through Christ, you become this. You are made righteous because He did that for you on the cross.

What About You?

If you have been made God’s righteousness according to 2 Corinthians 5:21, then why do you not consider yourself righteous? Maybe you do, but most people I’ve met would not consider themselves righteous before God. They may even give the “filthy rag” line. 

But now is the time to start believing the Word of God. If the Lord believes something about you (ie – you are righteous), then shouldn’t you start believing it? Why would you not believe it? Are you trying to stay humble by believing the worst about yourself? That’s not humility; it’s pride. Pride disagrees with God and says, “I can define myself by what makes me feel good.” 

Seek First His Righteousness

Instead of seeking what you think is best for yourself, why not seek what God says and seek His ways. Jesus gives us some great direction on seeking righteousness.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (ESV) 

Seek God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness. It’s worth it. And then guess what happens? As you come into alignment with God’s ways and His path for your life, things start changing. As you start to believe His words and then behave in ways you wouldn’t in your past life, your actions produce real fruit. It is positive, righteous fruit. And this righteousness is pleasing to the Lord.  

Righteous Deeds in Heaven

“‘Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’– for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” Revelation 19:7-8 (ESV)

In Heaven, the righteous works that you do look like a beautiful outfit to the Lord. Your prayers have a wonderful smell like incense (Revelation 5:8. 8:4). Your righteousness is fine linen, bright and pure, not filthy rags. Your righteousness is found in Christ, and that’s where you are too.