Isaiah 64:6 We are all as unclean things, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; we are all as a leafaded, and our iniquities have carried us away as the wind.
How many times have I heard this verse used to defend a sinful lifestyle, including christians. It is crucial to understand that in this passage, when Isaiah uses the pronoun “we,” he is speaking collectively, representing the general state of the men of his nation, but not of himself as a prophet engaged in
a holy relationship with God. Isaiah, a man called and
sanctified to be the voice of God, is not placing himself in this condition of impurity, but rather he is describing the spiritual state of the majority of the Israelites, who through their sin and disobedience have defiled their relationship with God.
In this context, the “we” refers to the general spiritual state of Israel, a people who have abandoned righteousness, rejected God’s commandments, and engaged in outward religious practices devoid of inward sincerity. Their selfrighteousness, based on rituals or formal acts, is compared to “filthy rags”
because it is neither accompanied by a pure heart nor based
on a genuine relationship with God. This righteousness is
rejected by God, not because true righteousness is impossible, but because it is here tinged with hypocrisy and rebellion.
Isaiah, in this passage, acts as an intercessor, pleading for God’s mercy on a corrupt nation. By saying “we,” he humbly identifies himself with his people while knowing that true personal righteousness comes from sincere obedience.
Isaiah 64:6 does not reject the ability of regenerate man to live in righteousness consistent with God’s will, but it criticizes the general state of wicked man, cut off from God and trying to produce an outward righteousness that is insufficient. So, Isaiah is not speaking of himself, but represents the collective state of a rebellious nation.