Our Righteousness - Filthy Rags!

by Ben Browder, Associate Editor

I recently had someone quote this Scripture to me:

Isa 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." KJV...
And then they said,
"The above verse compares our self acts of righteousness to rags that are filthy. IOW they are not clean but filthy. The stain of sin CANNOT be removed by our righteous acts.-"

And, it's true, the 'stain of sin' cannot be removed by 'our' self-righteous acts!
Only God's forgiveness can remove the 'stain' of our past sins!! And, trying to live our lives by OUR DEFINITION of 'righteousness' will never remove the stain of sin, either, or make us righteous!!

I've had Isa. 64:6 offered to me many times as 'proof' that there is no way WE can be righteous. But, is that TRUE???? Righteousness, is what God WANTS us to do! He wants us to BE righteous! Righteousness and UN-righteousness are two different things! The two are diametrically opposed. "Sin" is something that people do- Likewise, "Righteousness" is also something that people 'do'!

That's right! People CAN DO RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!

Psa 106:3 "Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times."

Isa 62:2 "AND THE GENTILES SHALL SEE THY RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name."

Eze 18:22 "All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT HE HATH DONE HE SHALL LIVE."

If one DOES Righteousness, one IS righteous!

1Jo 3:7 "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."

This verse shows me that if I DO righteousness, then I AM righteous! How righteous?? "...even as HE is righteous"! Let no man deceive you! YOU can BE Righteous!!

Please understand! "our righteousness" is NOT the same as "God's Righteousness"!! Righteousness IS righteousness!! On the other hand, SELF-Righteousness is what the god of this world is dedicated to leading everyone into!! Mis-directing mankind away from God's definition of righteousness, causing them to think that they can decide for themselves!!!

And THAT is what God means when He says that "our righteousness is as filthy rags"! Our definition... what WE THINK is righteous, in contrast to what God thinks is RIGHTEOUS!

Anyone can make up their own definition of what they think is 'righteousness' and strive to live by it-- But will God accept that? NO! That definition is rejecting God's Way, and substituting OUR WAY. Our way is as 'filthy rags'!

God DEFINES righteousness.

Rebellious man would like to define it, but God has already done that and stated PLAINLY what it is...

Psa 119:172 "My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness."

God's COMMANDMENTS ARE RIGHTEOUSNESS!!! All of them... ALL TEN.

Those who DO those Commandments, ARE RIGHTEOUS!!

On the other hand, 'what WE think is righteous', is like filthy rags! OUR DEFINITION, away, and apart from God's Definition, is just plain dirty! Filthy! Vile! Worthless!!

The devil is busy deceiving the whole world (Rev. 12:9) into thinking that Jesus died so they could have the FREEDOM to do as they please, and to WORSHIP HIM as they please... From that point of deception, it's easy to assume that we also have the freedom to DEFINE SIN.

But, again, God has already defined SIN!!

1John 3:4 -"Sin is... "

It's true...OUR IDEAS of righteousness, ARE as filthy rags. But, when we DO or strive to do, the Commandments, then THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS is NOT as filthy rags.. That is doing His Will! That is obeying Him, and 'being righteous'!!.

It is living, and being just like Him!! "...even as He is righteous"!!

Those who claim we should just relax and let Christ furnish us with His
Righteousness, need to UNDERSTAND! It IS His Righteousness, reproduced IN US!
When we DO righteousness, WE ARE RIGHTEOUS!!! and that righteousness becomes OUR Righteousness!! Righteousness that IS acceptable to God.

It is following His example! It is FOLLOWING Him... in righteousness! When we DO what is acceptable to Him, Keeping His Ten Commandments, then we ARE Righteous, and He accepts that righteousness, just as He accepts the righteousness of His Son! Then, our righteousness is no longer as 'filthy rags', but a reflection of the Righteousness of Christ!! It becomes "our Righteousness"!!

Deu 6:25 "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us."

Are you willing to do, and keep ALL His Commandments?

1Jn 3:22 "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."

"Our righteousness" - what WE think is righteous, is NOT !! What we have to do is reject our ideas, and accept His!... We have to repent of usurping His Authority to say what is and what is not, sin... and to get in line with God's Holy, Just and Good Law and begin to KEEP it, striving to overcome the temptations of the devil, and to live our lives in harmony with His WAY... then we truly CAN BE RIGHTEOUS!!

1Jo 3:7 .... "HE THAT DOETH RIGHTEOUSNESS IS RIGHTEOUS"...

How Righteous? "... even as he is righteous"

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Our Righteousness - Filthy Rags!

That's right! People CAN DO RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!

God DEFINES righteousness.