Question and Answer
Why would Isaiah say that our good deeds and our righteous conduct are like filthy rags (Isa. 64:6)? Aren’t they examples of what we ought to be doing?
We have to understand our calling to good deeds in the proper context. The Isaiah passage reminds us that all the good things we could ever do will never be good enough to save any of us. They cannot accomplish our salvation or put us in a right relationship with God. We are sinners, and it is only God’s wonderful grace that can make us acceptable to Him.
The letter to the Ephesians puts it this way: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (2:8–10). God’s grace saves us, and then we have His power to live in a way that brings Him glory.
When sinners try to win God’s favor by doing nice things, they assume they don’t need God’s provision. Many people think that somehow they can win His favor by impressing Him with their good works. This is impossible. If we refuse to accept His redemption through Christ, we are rejecting God’s gift of salvation. Only by accepting the truth that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead to defeat the power of sin and death can we be in a relationship with God.
BY Mike Kellogg
Mike Kellogg worked with Moody Radio for more than 40 years, beginning in 1972. For many years he was the reader on Continued Story and began hosting Music Thru the Night in 1982. He also read the Today in the Word devotional for Moody Radio for many years. In July 2014, Mike retired from full-time radio. He is a graduate of Cedarville University, and has served as adjunct faculty in English and Speech Communications at Moody Bible Institute. He is married to Nancy, and they have 6 children and 16 grandchildren.