Are Good Deeds (works) Filthy rags in God's eyes ?

Question

From Isaiah
We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.


These verses seem to say otherwise

From 3 John 1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

and from Mathew

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto me.

Dustin M: Feel free to lose 5 pts by asking "Why did Jesus have to die". I would like an answer to gt my 5pts worh of answers to MY question here, and I did not find that in your sermon.

Bubble wrap thanks for the Bible reference. This chapter seems to be saying that God wants both Faith AND Works. (Faith without works is dead). So it seems to me that if works are to go hand in hand with faith, that they are of some value to God. So why is Faith "dead" without the "filthy rags" of works ? Isaiah and James seem to contradict each other.

Dustin M - I apologise for my harsh remarks this morning. I'm not exactly a morning person. I sometimes answer question with a question myself. Please accept my humble apologies for my grumpy comments this morning.

dnttritohard - I don't do good deeds to "glorify" anyone. I do it to help people in need.

Answer 1

Question: "Why did Jesus have to die?"

Answer: When we ask a question such as this, we must be careful that we are not calling God into question. To wonder why God couldn’t find “another way” to do something is to imply that the way He has chosen is not the best course of action and that some other method would be better. Usually what we perceive as a “better” method is one that seems right to us. Before we can come to grips with anything God does, we have to first acknowledge that His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts—they are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8). In addition, Deuteronomy 32:4 reminds us that “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” Therefore, the plan of salvation He has designed is perfect, just, and upright, and no one could have come up with anything better.

The Scripture says, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Evidence affirms that the sinless Jesus bled and died on a cross. Most importantly, the Bible explains why Jesus’ death and resurrection provide the only entrance to heaven.

The punishment for sin is death.

God created earth and man perfect. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s commands, He had to punish them. A judge who pardons law-breakers isn’t a righteous judge. Likewise, overlooking sin would make the holy God unjust. Death is God’s just consequence for sin. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Even good works cannot make up for wrongs against the holy God. Compared to His goodness, “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6b). Ever since Adam’s sin, every human has been guilty of disobeying God’s righteous laws. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin is not just big things like murder or blasphemy, but also includes love of money, hatred of enemies, and deceit of tongue and pride. Because of sin, everyone has deserved death – eternal separation from God in hell.

The promise required an innocent death.

Although God banished Adam and Eve from the garden, He didn’t leave them without hope of heaven. He promised He would send a sinless Sacrifice to take the punishment they deserved (Genesis 3:15). Until then, men would sacrifice innocent lambs, showing their repentance from sin and faith in the future Sacrifice from God who would bear their penalty. God reaffirmed His promise of the Sacrifice with men such as Abraham and Moses. Herein lies the beauty of God’s perfect plan: God Himself provided the only sacrifice (Jesus) who could atone for the sins of His people. God’s perfect Son fulfilled God’s perfect requirement of God’s perfect law. It is perfectly brilliant in its simplicity. “God made Him (Christ), who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The prophets foretold Jesus’ death.

From Adam to Jesus, God sent prophets to mankind, warning them of sin’s punishment and foretelling the coming Messiah. One prophet, Isaiah, described Him:

“Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:1-12). He likened the coming Sacrifice to a lamb, slaughtered for the sins of others.

Hundreds of years later, Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in the perfect Lord Jesus, born of the virgin Mary. When the prophet John the Baptist saw Him, he cried, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Crowds thronged Him for healing and teaching, but the religious leaders scorned Him. Mobs cried out, “Crucify Him!” Soldiers beat, mocked, and crucified Him. As Isaiah foretold, Jesus was crucified in between two criminals but was buried in a rich man’s tomb. But He didn’t remain in the grave. Because God accepted His Lamb’s sacrifice, He fulfilled another prophecy by raising Jesus from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 26:19).

Why did Jesus have to die? Remember, the holy God cannot let sin go unpunished. To bear our own sins would be to suffer God’s judgment in the flames of hell. Praise God, He kept His promise to send and sacrifice the perfect Lamb to bear the sins of those who trust in Him. Jesus had to die because He is the only one who can pay the penalty for our sins.

With love through Christ Jesus,

Dusty

Answer 2

Isaiah is telling you that your works are nothing on the point scale to earn God's love and acceptance.
That comes from you making a dedicated effort to give your heart to him. You opening your spirit to receive his Through our Savior Jesus Christ now not then.
The good works in the New Testament verses are the fruit of the Holy Spirit obeying the command to love your brother.
Here we are building treasure in heaven rather than on earth. For he that can be trusted with much will be given much.
I don't see a conflict here it's the connection that out of place.
God bless!

Answer 3

I lot of religions are wrapped up in works. But faith is the the road to heaven. (John 3:16)
One of my favorite books of the Bible is the book of James.

James writes that we need to actually "do the Word" of God and not just listen to it. Actually it is hard to read sometimes because he really points out areas where I fall short when living my life as a Christian. But it always instills in me the need to be a true Christian (which means Christ-like) instead of a religious person, which anyone can do what ever they may believe.

Answer 4

Isaiah 64:6 says that all our righteousness is as filthy rags. In other words we are sinners and we stand need of a Savior. We can never say that we are good enough to save ourselves apart from Christ. We are saved by Grace, not by our good works.

Romans 5:1

Answer 5

You are right, the other verses you quote say otherwise. Isaiah was writing about Isreal in its time period. The verse you show in Isaiah in its context shows that the people had an illusion of righteousness. Some of them professed to be "holier than thou," even while burning incense on strange altars (65:3-5). But God did not esteem their righteousness to be anything but pollution.

The obvious teaching of the Bible is that acts of virtue and goodness are pleasing to God. He does not view them as filthy, unless they are done with false intentions (cp. Matt. 6:2).Jesus taught that God will reward even small works, such as giving a child a cup of water (Matt. 10:42). Jesus commands us to let our good deeds "shine before men," that they might glorify the Father (Matt. 5:16). Paul writes that we are "created in Christ Jesus unto good works" (Eph. 2:10).

Answer 6

Not in the true God's eyes, if one exists. They may be "filthy rags" in the eyes of the demon-lord Yahweh, the lying pretender god, but He's so covered in the dung of His own misdeeds that He's got no right to judge anyone.

Answer 7

The Isaiah verse you quoted is in reference to good works to earn heaven. The prophet is reminding Israel that this is not possible.

Paul puts it this way:

"by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight".
"all have sinned and come short of the glory of God".
"not by works of righteousnesses which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us".

If good deeds as a way of getting God's favor and therefore entry to heaven were possible at all, then Jesus going to the cross would have been an insensible, irrational thing to do.

As for the Matthew verse you quoted Jesus here was alluding to those for whom He will give Himself, those whom God had chosen to be His inheritance from the foundation of the world, whose sole claim to salvation and heaven is the merit of Christ and none of theirs.

John, whom you also quoted was speaking of good works that are pleasing to God, primarily, love of God, fear of God, submission to God's will, love of the brethren, service to the brethren, turning away from incorrect, heretical, or false doctrine.

He is not referring to the usual good works that we see. Rather, his reference was to substance, not form.

Answer 8

Isaiah is saying, the same thing that Christ Said, there is none good, but the father. if good was enough, you would not need a savior, and Jesus would not have needed to die such a horrible death. Nothing we do is "good" but there are many layers of bad, and rotten.

Answer 9

Some good answers above and some real windy babble also. On our own we can do nothing of lasting value. Only through YHWH and His holy spirit can we be justified and do tsadakah, hebrew for righteousness. Gideon

Answer 10

No they are not, not if you are a christian! In the other verses God is saying to do good, but the one up top is confusing. I dont know a reference so im not really sure what the whole background, is but im assuming that the reason God is saying that is becuase as we are unclean, non-christains He does see them as filthy rags. But if we are christians He see's them as we are obeying God and what He commands. hope this helps!!
God bless!!:D

Answer 11

I think it has more to do with the intended purpose of our Good Deeds. Are we doing it to glorify God or to glorify ourselves. Our good works are nothing compared with the work of Christ and are thus filthy rags in comparison to His white covering. But if our works are done for His glory they are washed as clean as we are. I hope that analogy makes sense, sometimes I have difficulty getting it from my mind to paper.