
Isa. 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
In the Bible, there are two kinds of righteousness mentioned – the negative and the positive righteousness. The negative righteousness is the one given in the verse above. That is our own natural fleshly righteousness. Remember that this verse doesn’t say that “our wicked deeds or our sins are like filthy rags”. No! It says our righteousness is filthy rags. This means that ALL our good deeds coming from our own natural attributes and efforts, they are all filthy rags to God. This is also the reason why the Apostle Paul told us that no one is justified or saved from doing the Law. That is because our own efforts cannot make us righteous before God.
The positive righteousness on the other hand, is the righteousness of God in us. They are the work of God through us and not our own efforts as we can read in Isaiah 61:10:
“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
God is the One Who clothes us this robe of righteousness and not our own efforts.
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