Many Christians believe that all their good deeds are dirty rags, after all, this is what Isaiah 64. 6 seems to say: even our best deeds are dirty and worthless, but I don’t think that’s what Isaiah meant. Most likely they had in mind the superficial rituals offered by Israel, devoid of sincere faith and obedience. In Isaiah 65:1-7, the Lord rejects Israel’s sinful sacrifices. Are they an insult to the Lord, smoke to the nose, also as I am?Obedience? Isaiah 58’s ritualist did not impress the Lord because his people continued to oppress the poor, the acts of righteousness, were they dirty rags, because they were not at all righteous, they looked good, but they were nothing more than a farce, literally, a smokescreen to cover their disbelief and disobedience.
So, we shouldn’t think that every one? Act of justice?ours is like dirty rags in God’s eyes. Indeed, in the previous verse, Isaiah 64. 5, Isaiah declares, “You come to help with joy those who practice righteousness, who remember you and your ways. “May God’s people practice acts of righteousness that please God. John Piper explains:
- “Sometimes people are careless and speak carelessly of all human justice.
- As if there was nothing to please God.
- Isaiah 64.
- 6 is often quoted.
- Who says that our righteousness is like “a dirty rag.
- “It’s true? Gloriously true that no member of God’s people.
- Before or after the cross.
- Would be accepted by the immaculate God if we were not imputed the perfect righteousness of Christ (Romans 5.
- 19; 1 Corinthians 1.
- 30; 2 Corinthians 5.
- 21).
- But doesn’t that mean God doesn’t produce in these?Justified? (before and after the cross) an eertial justice that is not a “dirty rag”.
- On the contrary.
- It is; and that justice is precious to God and is asked.
- Not to justify justification (which is the righteousness of Christ only) but as evidence of being truly justified children of God?[1].
It is dangerous to ignore the Bible’s assumption and expectation that justice is possible. Of course, our justice can never appease the wrath of God. We need the imputed righteousness of Christ for this. There is more: we cannot produce justice in our own strength. But as born-again believers, it is possible to please God by His grace. Those who bear fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God are totally pleasing to God (Colossians 1:10). Presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice pleases God (Rom. 12: 1). Caring for our weaker brother is pleasing to God (Rom. 14:18). Obeying our parents pleases God (Colossians 3:20). Teaching the Word in an authentic way pleases God (1 Thess. 2: 4). Praying for government officials pleases God (1 Timothy 2: 1-3). Supporting family members in need is pleasing to God (1 Timothy 5: 4). Sharing financial resources with others pleases God (Hebrews 13:16). God is pleased when we keep his commandments (1 John 3:22). In general, every time you trust and obey God, he is satisfied. [two]
We believe it is a sign of spiritual sensitivity to consider everything we do as morally suspicious, but this is not how the Bible sees justice, and more importantly, such resignation does not reflect the truth about God.
A world of unhappiness reaches even the good Christians of today, because of a false understanding of who God is: the Christian life is thought of as something grim, a cross whose monotony does not suffer from a solution of continuity, under the gaze of a rigid Father who waits long and has no excuse, is austere, grumpy, extremely temperamental and extremely difficult to please. [3]
But this is not the way to see the God of the Bible. Our God is not a capricious foreman. He is not oversensitive or prone to tantrums from the slightest offense. He is slow to anger and full of love (Ex 34. 6). “It’s not hard to satisfy,” Tozer reminds us, “although it can be difficult to satisfy. ” [4]
Why do we imagine a God so indifferent to our sincere attempts to obey?After all, he’s Heavenly Father. What father could look at his daughter’s birthday card and complain because he didn’t like colors?What would the mother say to her, her son, after cleaning the garage, but putting the paint cans on the wrong shelves: “Is all this worthless to me?”What kind of parent impatiently reacts to the child’s first fall when he learns to ride a bike?There is no righteousness that makes us righteous before God, but the righteousness of Christ; But for those who have been made righteous before God exclusively by grace by faith, and have therefore been adopted into God’s family, many of our acts of righteousness are not only unclean. in the eyes of God, they are gentle, precious and kind to him.
[1] John Piper, Graca Futura (Sao Paulo, SP: Shedd Publications, 2009), p. 148
[2] See Wayne Grudem, “Pleasing God with Our Obedience,” in For the Fame of God?S Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper, ed. Sam Storms and Justin Taykir (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), p. 277.
[3] A. W. Tozer, Best of A. W. Tozer, Volume 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1978), p. 121.
[4] Ibid.
Excerpt from Kevin DeYoung’s book Brecha em Nossa Holidade, published by Editora Fiel
The gap in our holiness is that
We don’t seem to care much about holiness, or at least we don’t understand it. And we all have our reasons too: perhaps the search for holiness may seem legalistic; this may seem like something else to fear in your already oppressed life; the emphasis on effort in Christian life may not seem spiritual; Or maybe you’re trying to be holy and it just doesn’t work!In any case, the problem is clear: very few Christians resemble Christ and many do not seem to care.
It is a book for those of us who are willing to take holiness seriously, ready to look more like Jesus, ready to live in the light of grace that produces mercy. holiness and enjoy the process of transformation.