Is Our Righteousness Really Filthy Rags?

 

The problem here is the same as in many other problem areas of doctrine: too many fail to recognize and apply the Scripture to the right people. The sinner's righteousness is as filthy rags because he is trying to buy his salvation with it. He is trampling the blood of Christ and esteeming his own goodness better than the atoning blood of the Saviour. It is easy to understand how God would despise and reject that.

But what about the saint of God? Does God turn his face away as if there was a terrible stink when one of his redeemed suffers reproach for His name? Is He really offended when someone denies themselves and surrenders to serve God on some foreign mission field? When a child of God turns from sin and begins to do righteousness, does God say "what a mess! what a stench in my nostrils!"? Of course He doesn't! Yet that is heard in the pulpits over and over being preached to Christian people. No matter what you do; the very BEST you can do, it is only "stinking rags".

What effect do you think that has on the person who wants to live for God? Do you think that it encourages righteousness? Surely it doesn't! If my best effort is going to be snubbed by God because it stinks, then I don't have much incentive to continue doing right. Is that the way it works in real life? Suppose you work on a job and do your best and every time the boss comes by he says your work stinks. Does that make you love him and want to keep working for him? No! You want to quit and get away from the old grouch.

Please don't represent God that way! He is pleased and smiles on those who do things to please Him - after they are saved and they do it out of gratitude for what He has already done for them. What makes them stinking rags is when they are held up to God as if you are doing Him a favor. If you think of your righteousness as a favor from you to God, then they are stinking rags. It could be possible for a saved person to fall into that for a while, but that is what a lost person always does with their righteousness. They present their good works to God and say, "now God, what are you going to do for me?' If you really want to encourage righteousness in the people you preach to, show the difference between the saint and the sinner.

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