Our Deeds Are Not Filthy Rags

Please remember to keep all comments respectful (if you are a Christian, you represent Christ at all times) and on topic. Please, no foul language. Comments which do not follow these rules will be deleted. Critiques are fine, but they have to pertain specifically to the question discussed in the video- those who simply use comments as a platform will be blocked. Such is not a statement that you are a bad or dumb person, but that I don't think your participation will facilitate substantive discussion. I know some will take my enforcement to be too strict, uneven, or unfair- but ultimately it is what it is.

Thanks so much for watching.

[Seraphim-Hamilton]

Refuting Protestantism from the Bible in 17 Hour Lecture Set:


Recordings sent by email.


Bundle with "Answering Calvinism from the Bible" for a discount (23 hours total):


To *just* get "Answering Calvinism from the Bible"


Topic list for Protestantism course:

1: Why Answer Protestantism from the Bible?
2: The Arc of Biblical Theology: Creation, Covenant, Redemption, Glorification
3: How Does Christ Purchase Salvation?
4: Justification, Deification, and Imputation
5: Justification, Deification, and Imputation (2)
6: Liturgical Worship in Biblical Theology
7: What Happens in Baptism and the Eucharist?
8: Apostolic Succession, the Holy Priesthood, and the Visibility of the Church
9: The Communion of Saints: Veneration and Intercession
10: The Woman: The Virgin Mary in Scripture
11: Now Mine Eyes Have Seen: Iconography and Idolatry
12: The Biblical Doctrine of Tradition

[venom]

Man that helped me immensely. I was like it’s by faith alone. But I said good deeds we should be doing anyway. Now I know my Lord is pleased by both. Former catholic then born again now immersing myself in Eastern Orthodox but all churches bear me are Russian or Greek. Language is. Problem and not being either one is like an outcast. But YouTube helps immensely

[bman]

Wait, so you’re telling me that ripping a verse out of context, which was never addressed to me and applying it to myself uncritically is not the best way to discover Christian doctrine.

[WoodchuckNorris.o]

Good timing. Thank you for this word on the eve of the feast of transfiguration.

[elijahreynolds]

Not gonna lie, I heard layman Protestant apologist use this a lot and I always felt that it was misapplied but never double check because of my biases

[EnochStultz]

Who is that in the black and white picture? Is that St John Maximovitch?

[matthewkay]

I think in Christ we can do the good works, and the works God planned us to do but our deeds outside of Christ are 'filthy rags', worthless for meriting salvation. That is Christ alone, faith alone - works outside of Christ are nothing. Works inside of Christ are garments on the saved person.

[account]

Jesus can rise from the dead for a Protestant but can't make a filthy rag clean? What a strange God.

[cornelkittell]

This verse can be Israel, but it is clearly individual as well as collective. Verse 5"we have all sinned", verse 7 "there is none that call your name". Until we are transformed into eternal bodies we can still sin. That is the point of the passage. Sinning and not seeking YHVH through repentance. The fact that it was wide spread, does not in fact make it about Israel.

[russellhood]

Does it not says like minstrel rags in the sight of the Lord?😉

[EricSmythChrist]

Yeah but the verse is fine out of context

Proverbs 16:2
Job 15:16
Romans 3:23
1 John 1:8
Proverbs 20:6
Proverbs 20:9
Luke 18:19
Jeremiah 17:9
Romans 3:10

And many more say the same thing

[jzarbaugh]

I don’t know of any Protestant that believes the works of a believer are filthy rags. The verse is understood to mean that without Christ, out works amount to nothing. Even less than nothing.

It is human nature for people to say that they think they will go to heaven because they are pretty good people. They often compare themselves to others. This scripture in Isaiah is often used to bring us back to reality. If we are counting on our works to save us, we have no idea how helpless we truly are without the righteousness of Christ.

God takes our sin and gives us His robes of righteousness. That is what saves us- the righteousness of Christ. 1 Corinthians 3 explains what it might looks like for someone to trust in Christ but then fail to follow the Holy Spirit and surrender to do the good works of God. Everything they have done selfishly will be burned up- but they will be saved only because of the foundation laid down by Jesus. In this case, it is by the skin of their teeth- or through the flames. They have no good works for Jesus to show, but they will be saved thanks to the righteousness of Christ. They will certainly suffer shame and have to face their Lord empty handed. But 1 Corinthians 3 makes it pretty clear that some people will fit that description.

Deeds of righteousness are righteous only because they have been instigated by the Holy Spirit and acted upon in obedience. They are righteous acts done by someone who has been declared righteous. We are wearing the righteousness of Jesus.

Revelation 19:7 tells us that Jesus Himself will give the saints their righteous robes. Even our righteous deeds have been given to us by Jesus.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

[EdgeOfEntropy]

Well, all of our deeds are filthy rags BEFORE we come to Christ. Isn't that the way it has always been understood? I must have just misunderstood.

[Coast-nx]

Yeah and Romans points out that it is no longer us that does these righteous things but Christ in us. It is not us! Our deeds ARE filthy.

[biblest]

No. It's literally saying that our goodness and righteousness are filthy rags before God, because it speaks to how Holy God is. God is sinless, hence why Christ was sinless. We cannot even come close to God's holiness Infact the we are all sinful and fallen short of the glory of God. This is why I'm a protestant i guess. We are taught to humble ourselves, not to be high minded but fear.

[jeff_farmerr]

Protestantism doesn't go against this belief. You do realize they believe this too right?

[deniselamb-zcgx]

Catholic.doctrine.you are twisting scripture

[SolitaireZeta]

EO: "Take that Protestants!"
Protestants: "Um....yeah, that's literally what we believe. You....don't exactly understand Protestantism, do you?"

Also leaves out this important aspect of Revelation 19:8:

"And to her it was *granted* to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." NKJV

In other words, even our righteous deeds are a gift allowed by Christ. Christ works in us, indeed.