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 As
a small boy I often heard sectarian preachers proclaim: “All
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..” (Isa. 64:6) and I
wondered why God was so critical of man’s efforts to serve
Him. Later, hearing this passage used by Baptist debaters, I
realized that they were saying, man, no matter how much “good”
he does, must be saved by Jesus Christ. We were in agreement on
that point.
But
they used this filthy rag bit to argue that baptism was not
essential to man’s salvation — baptism was a “filthy rag.”
I could point out the difference in man’s “own righteousness”
(trying to lift himself) and a self-denying submission to God’s
righteousness” (Rom. 10:3); but the Baptist debater knew that
God commanded baptism, and he still called it “filthy
rags.” This didn’t make sense, then or now. Isa. 64:6 has
been grossly misused.
Its
context, verse 5, says, “Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and
worketh righteousness...” and the A.S. footnote on “meetest”
is “sparest.” The same word (paga) is found in Isa. 47:3
where the A.S. has “spare”, and Keil and Delitzsch translate
“receive or pardon.” Apparently the word means a meeting
that has purpose or consequence in view, either friendly or
hostile. On Isa. 64:5 K.&D. say “come to meet” in the
sense of “coming to the help of;” and they cite and approve
another rendering, “if we had continued in Thy ways, then we
should have been preserved.” A. Clarke cites the Syriac
version, “Thou meetest with joy those who work righteousness.”
God is happy to see men obey.
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Isa.
64:6 says, “we are all become as one that is unclean,
and all our righteous- ness are as a polluted garment...” (A.S.,
emph. mine.) God would like righteousness on our part, meaning
obedience to Him; but we are no longer serving Him — our
garments are polluted. (And if preachers would discover what the
“filthy rags” were, they might not speak so freely of this
before a mixed audience.) This
passage is encouraging
righteousness on man’s part, not making light of it. (See
Ezek. 3:20-21) The system of works versus the system of faith,
as argued in the N.T., is not under consideration in these
passages.
And
even when we get to the New Testament, there are no disparaging
statements about man’s obedience to God. On the contrary, the
Apostle of Love writes, “If ye know that He is righteous, ye
know that every one also that doeth righteousness is begotten of
Him.” And, “...he that doeth righteousness is righteous,
even as He is righteous.” (1 Jn. 2:29; 3:7) That certainly
doesn’t sound like “filthy rags” does it?
Paul,
in the Roman letter, quickly corrects the man who thinks he can
be saved by “works” (“doing” so perfectly that he is
blameless or “justified”) by pointing out that “all have sinned.”
All must have forgiveness, and this is possible only in
Christ. (Rom. 3:23-f) Salvation is, therefore, by faith (the
system of trust in Jesus Christ) not by a system of Law
in which there was no ultimate forgiveness. But Paul commends
obedience and good deeds. (Rom. 2:6 -11) Stubborn
unrighteousness is the “filthy rag.”
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