Obedience = Filthy Rags?

This is one very popular teaching that is such a mishandling of God's word. Whenever I have presented that we are to have righteous deeds as children of God and be obedient because we will be judged by our works, people will quickly quote Isaiah to support the idea that all "our righteousness is as filthy rags" in God's eyes, therefore trying to be obedient to His entire law is a futile idea. I am here to say that no, it is not. There is a big difference between living as though you think you are righteous while you commit atrocities and actually keeping His ways and living a holy life. The former is what this verse refers to. None of Israel's sacrifices or keeping the Sabbath and Feasts was holy in God's eyes because at the same time they worshipped other gods and broke all His other laws. Then they would come to His temple and give sacrifices for all their sins as though they were living in obedience. God detested this form of "righteousness".

Jeremiah 7:9–10 Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know; and then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?

Isaiah 1:12-17 When you come to see My face, who has required this at your hand, to trample My courts? Do not add to bringing vain sacrifice; its incense is an abomination to Me. I cannot endure the new moon and sabbath, the going to meeting, and the evil assembly. My soul hates your new moons and your appointed feasts. They are a burden to Me. I am weary of bearing them. And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you. Yea, when you multiply prayer, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, purify yourselves. Put away the evil of your doings from My sight; stop doing evil. Learn to do good, seek justice, straighten the oppressor, judge the orphan, strive for the widow.

To call true, heart-felt obedience filthy rags is such a copout from responsibility, and this fall back of saying that nothing we do can really please God is a lie. It is stealing blessings and joy from His people and the beautiful reward that obedience brings. God has said His people MUST be holy and MUST live in obedience to be righteous.

Now take a look at the context of this filthy rags verse that people conveniently forget to include. Right before it explains why the "righteousness" is filthy - because of the sin. It says that He meets with those who are truly righteous, but how He is angry with those who sin all the time.

Isaiah 64:4-6 You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry. When we keep sinning all the time, would we be saved? For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a filthy garment, and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away, like the wind. No one calls on Your Name, or stirs himself up to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us, because of our iniquities.

Now look at how many times righteousness and obedience are correlated.

Deuteronomy 6:24,25 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.

1 John 3:4,7,8,23,24 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness ... Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil ... And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another [the definition of that love is the entire law of God], just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

1 John 2:7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.

Now see how righteous deeds are in fact a delight to the Lord when pursued in truth not hypocrisy. They are NOT filthy rags to Him. We can indeed please God.

Proverbs 15:8,9 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.

Hebrews 13:16 But do not be forgetful of doing good and sharing, for God is well pleased with such sacrifices.

I will conclude with these powerful verses:

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

Revelation 19:8 And it was given to her that she be clothed in fine linen, pure and bright; for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

Matthew 22:11,12 And the king coming in to look over those reclining, he saw a man there not having been dressed in a wedding garment. And he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here, not having a wedding garment? But he was speechless.

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are the ones doing His commands, that their authority will be over the Tree of Life, and by the gates they may enter into the city.