Antinomian Nihilism toward Sanctification and the Misuse of Isaiah 64:6

“All our righteousness is as filthy rags.” This is from Isaiah 64:6. It is quoted often to mean that even a righteous act is not righteous before God. Hence, how could we ever really do anything good that pleases God. This leads often to an antinomian tendency among Evangelicals who think that it really doesn't matter what they do because they cannot please God anyway.

This verse, of course, is ripped out of context. The text is not saying that even a really righteous act is filthy before God. It is speaking to the religious community that is in sin and has a pseudo-righteousness in maintaining the cult of YHWH.

The larger text states:

You [i.e., God] assist those who delight in doing what is right,

You have favor upon those who observe Your ways.

You were angry because we violated them continually.

Will we be saved?

We are all like one who is unclean,

all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight.

We all wither like a leaf;

our sins carry us away like the wind.

No one invokes Your name,

or makes an effort to take hold of You.

For You have rejected us

and handed us over to our own sins. (64:5-7)

So this is not talking about truly righteous deeds. It is talking about performing a false righteousness as a replacement of observing God’s ways.

It is true that we may never have perfect works in this life. Perhaps, our works are tainted with selfishness and other wickedness. But that is not what this verse is saying. Isaiah’s context is people who have replaced true righteousness with cultic rituals (the same type of righteousness the Pharisees have in the Gospels). Hence, Christ often applies Isaiah to them.

It is important to note that righteousness is possible in Jesus Christ. They are works of Christ through the believer. This sort of nihilistic idea that a redeemed man can never do anything truly righteous because all of his righteousness is filthy menstrual rags, so why try is based on a false understanding of this passage.

As John says, the one who does righteousness is righteous and born of God. As Paul says, we are God’s workmanship created anew in Christ Jesus for the purpose of doing good works. We are predestined, regenerated, and saved in order to become holy and blameless, truly righteous. And that isn’t filthy in God’s sight. It is pleasing and beautiful because our works of love are His works of sanctification that adorn His work of justification. And these works are described in Revelation as pure and clean robes that adorn the saints. There are no filthy rags about them.