Isaiah 64:6, commentary and pictures

Isaiah 64:6 declares that every person is morally defiled and unholy by nature, with no goodness of their own that can stand before God. Even outwardly upright conduct and good qualities produced by selfish human effort are tainted by sin and selfish motives and are repulsive to a holy God. Such self-made righteousness cannot cleanse the heart, satisfy the claims of His law, earn pardon, or fit anyone to stand in His presence and enter heaven. In its place Christ alone has provided a perfect covering, woven without any human devising from His sinless obedience and sacrifice, offered as a free gift to take away sin and count the repentant believer as righteous. Receiving it requires humbling self, confessing and repenting of sin, and tearing away all self-reliance and self-made standards. When the believing soul is clothed in that righteousness, God pardons abundantly, rejects the accuser, and by the Spirit transforms the life into Christlike obedience and love.

Human Condition Exposed

Isaiah 64:6 belongs to the words in Isaiah 62-65 that speak decisively to those bearing responsibility, calling them to stop their complaining and evil work, repent, reform and be converted, for their ways are not accepted by God, so that when they heed, the Lord will manifest His power in the conviction and conversion of souls.

The verse declares that all are as an unclean thing, standing before God with defiled garments, a faulty religious life, overcome by temptation and unworthy of favor, having no goodness of their own that can stand. Human nature is depraved and unlike God's character, fallen, sinful and unholy since Adam's failure to keep perfect obedience, so no one inherits holiness by birth and no goodness, wisdom or righteous deed comes from inherent goodness or personal strength. Man has nothing of his own but what is tainted and corrupted, polluted with sin and utterly repulsive to a pure and holy God, in contrast to God's perfect righteousness expressed in His holy law. Holiness does not come by nature or by methods people devise, and Israel therefore had no excuse for failing to recognize its need for regeneration, cleansing from sin, and renewed holiness.

The image of filthy rags means that every righteousness people produce by themselves, by selfish effort, self-righteousness and self-sufficiency, is unclean, worthless, impure and defiled by sin before God. Even good qualities and fair conduct toward others, and a life that seems upright and morally correct, cannot serve as righteousness or remove the need for a Saviour, for trusting in one's own righteousness is self-deception. All such human doing is tainted, polluted with sin, stained by selfish motives and enmity against God.

Such human righteousness cannot cover sin, cleanse the heart, or produce holiness or loyalty to God. It cannot make anyone fit to appear or stand in God's presence, recommend anyone to God, earn pardon, meet the claims of God's holy law, gain favor, or obtain heaven or entrance into heaven. It leaves no place for lifting up the soul in pride and self-sufficiency, for boasting of achievements or for exaltation over received gifts.

The condition the verse exposes is one Satan exploits with masterly accusing power, pointing to imperfections and mistakes as evidence of weakness and seeking permission to destroy. Those in this condition must therefore not trust in their own merits or excuse their sins.

Christ's Righteousness Received

Only the covering Christ Himself has provided can supply the place of the lost robe of innocence, for no garment of human devising and no work done to cover sin can make anyone fit to appear or stand in God's presence. It is the robe of His own righteousness, woven in heaven with not one thread of human devising, formed by His perfect, sinless, obedient character and His complete obedience to every requirement of God's law amid human trials and temptations, and by His suffering, death and sacrifice for sinners. It is presented as a free gift, since fallen human beings have no righteousness of their own to meet the claims of God's holy law, cannot make themselves righteous or perfectly obey a holy law, and can come nigh to God only through His righteous character, with only Christ and His righteousness obtaining entrance into heaven. He offers to take sins and give His righteousness, imputing it and imparting it, so that the repentant, believing soul united to Him in heart, will, mind and thought is accounted righteous for His sake, with Christ's character standing in place of his own, living His life and obeying God's law, and accepted before God just as if he had not sinned.

Clinging to self and self-righteousness keeps people from receiving Christ's garments, for those who hold fast to that worthlessness will not receive them. It blinds them so they cannot see Jesus, cannot see their own spiritual poverty, and their hidden defects and spiritual defects stay hidden from their eyes, leaving them with only a name to live and no evidence that life proceeds from God. By that choice they dishonor God, fail to love Jesus and the truth, scatter from the truth, and fail to serve and honor Him, while self-exaltation and efforts to gain favor by personal goodness cannot replace repentance, humility and reliance on God. Pride, self-exaltation, self-importance, self-justification and criticism displace true religion and hide Christ's attractiveness, for as long as self is lifted up in self-justification His attractiveness is not seen, and being satisfied and content with own goodness is why love for the Saviour is lacking. Those who follow a standard of their own devising instead of being Bible Christians cling to these rags, fail to represent Christ's character, and receive His blessings without thankfulness, gratitude and joy, but with complaint and faultfinding and criticism, opposite to the true spiritual life that reflects Christ in meekness and lowliness and is continually changed by beholding Him.

The verse leaves no place for lifting up the soul in pride and self-sufficiency and boasting of achievements, and calls for humbling self, feeling impurity and spiritual corruption, and coming broken before God. Counting on one's own righteousness as ground of hope is self-deception and self-righteousness, not true knowledge of Christ, for human righteousness cannot recommend anyone to God, earn pardon, cover sin, or obtain heaven, and victory at last comes only through the merits of Christ. What is required is to confess sins without trusting in own merits or excusing them, to sincerely repent, cast oneself on mercy, yield the will to His control, and submit to wear His yoke and learn of Him. It means tearing away the rags of self-righteousness and self-made standards when the mirror of God's Word shows defective, distorted characters as they really are, washing the robe of character in the blood of the Lamb, and redeeming the time with earnest, persevering effort, for God will help and pity and save those who feel their need of His help.

When the repentant soul is so clothed in Christ's righteousness, God sees not nakedness and deformity but perfect obedience to His law. He refuses the enemy's accusations, rebukes Satan, pardons abundantly, receives the penitent, and carries forward His redeeming work in them as they continue to believe and trust. Through faith the sinner receives forgiveness, power to become a son of God and perfect Christlike character, for no one inherits holiness by birth and no method devised by people can produce holiness or loyalty to God. By the Spirit of God there is transformation from self-indulgence and love of self to self-denial and love of God, and in the strength of the Redeemer weak, erring people can overcome the evil that besets them, live His life and obey the law with heart, will, mind and thought united to Him. They are changed by beholding Him into His likeness in meekness, gentleness, humility and grace, seen in love for Jesus and for others, in thankfulness and in witness that melts hearts by His matchless love, testifies of His mercy and draws others to Him.