Lord’s Library editors offer an Isaiah 64:6 meaning with commentary and supporting Scriptures for your edification.
Isaiah 64:6 declares: “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.” This important Scripture conveys a sobering truth about human nature and our attempts at works righteousness. In this passage, Isaiah emphasizes that, in the sight of a holy and perfect God, even our best efforts to be righteous are insufficient and tainted by sin.
To fully understand the meaning of this verse, we must explore the broader biblical context regarding human sinfulness, the inadequacy of human deeds, and the need for God’s grace to inherit eternal life.
The phrase “we are all as an unclean thing” draws attention to the universal reality of human sin. No one is exempt from the taint of sin; it affects every aspect of our being. This is cemented in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Human beings, by nature, are separated from God because of their sin.
Isaiah’s use of “unclean” is reminiscent of the ceremonial laws in Leviticus, where those who were unclean were considered impure and unable to participate in worship without purification. See Leviticus 13:45-46: “And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.”
In a spiritual sense, sin makes all people unclean before God, leaving them in need of divine cleansing by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 64:6 Meaning
Religious works—when performed apart from God’s grace—is utterly insufficient. The works that people might consider righteous or commendable are like “filthy rags” before God the father. This is cemented in Romans 3:10: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” Human beings cannot achieve righteousness on their own because their hearts and actions are marred by sin. The image of “filthy rags” speaks of something polluted and impure, showing how even the good deeds we take pride in are influenced by sin.
Just as a leaf withers and falls from a tree, so too does humanity fall short and fade away because of sin. Psalm 103:15-16 echoes this visualization: “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.” The fleeting nature of human life and righteousness apart from God emphasizes one’s complete dependence on Him for both life and salvation.
Similary, Romans 6:23 says: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Sin carries devastating consequences, and apart from God’s intervention, it leads to spiritual death and separation from Him.
The Bible makes it clear that only through God’s grace can one be made righteous. Titus 3:5 confirms this: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Salvation and salvific righteousness come only from God’s grace, not from our efforts.
In contrast to human righteousness, the Bible presents the righteousness of Christ as the only way to be made right with God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Through faith in Christ, believers receive His righteousness, which is the only righteousness acceptable before God. This is a gift of grace, made possible by Christ’s blood atonement on the Cross.
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