“…All our righteous acts are like filthy rags…” Isaiah 64:6 NIV
Some of us enjoy dressing up in formal attire and some of us prefer comfortable, casual clothes, but no one wants to wear filthy rags! Isaiah reminds us that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. We may be able to dress up the external with fine clothes, stylish hair and expensive jewelry, but there is nothing we can do to make our spirit look better. We are born sinners and no matter how many righteous acts we perform we are still sinners. Many people falsely believe that if they just live “good” lives, doing more good than harm, God will welcome them into heaven when the time comes, but the Bible teaches that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor or to get back into His good graces. Check out this parable Jesus told to help us relate to the way it will be when we attempt to get into heaven.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 22:11-13 NIV
So if all our good works are like filthy rags, how can we obtain the right clothes? How can we dress up our spirits so that they are acceptable in the sight of God?
I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10 NIV
Here’s the good news: When Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross, He earned the right to clothe us in a robe of his righteousness! When we exercise faith in His atoning work on our behalf, He freely gives us garments of salvation to wear so that we will be accepted by God and welcomed into heaven! In other words, when God looks at us, He will not see our filthy rags, He will see the righteous act of Jesus on our behalf, and He will be delighted to see us!
God gave Zechariah a vision that further illustrates what Jesus does for us:
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” Zechariah 3:1-4 NIV
I too am a burning stick snatched from the fire, once deserving condemnation, with nothing to wear but filthy rags, but now clothed in a robe of righteousness, given to me by a merciful God, who suffered torture on the cross to obtain for me a garment of salvation! You too can trade in your filthy rags for a robe of righteousness by exercising faith in Christ!
What will you be wearing on Easter Sunday? I’ll be wearing a robe of righteousness!!!