Are All of Our Works, “Filthy Rags?”

—An Evangelical misunderstanding of works—

Question: Why do evangelicals view works of faith as unimportant?

Before we dive into the answer, I want to clarify, I am not saying you can earn salvation. The Bible teaches salvation is a gift from God received through faith. Got that straight? OK. Let’s go…

The reference to “filthy rags” comes from the old testament (Isaiah 64:6), and is an ancient reference to ceremonially unclean rags, (basically used maxi-pads). At that time in history, Israel had been committing atrocities so egregious that the Lord was ready to utterly wipe them out. At that point no outwardly “righteous” act (such as sacrificing a bull) could save them from this advanced state of impending judgement. The “filthy rags” description was the strongest comparison the prophet could make to the Israelites’ horrendous practice of doing empty rituals to Yahweh whilst simultaneously sacrificing their children in the fire and performing perverted acts with male temple prostitutes and unspeakable Satanic worship to Baal etc.

This analogy should not be used to describe a new testament Christian who is following his conscience and attempting to offer service to the Lord out of sincere gratitude.

It also would not apply to an ancient gentile who is attempting to offer sincere works of faith to the observable God of the Universe (See Romans 1:20). When Paul spoke of how he counted it all “loss” compared with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Phil 3:8), he was referring to his zeal as a pharisee, his hypocritical adherence to the law, his outward circumcision and inward murderous rage while persecuting the church. This ceremonial adherence to outward laws without true faith or love for God was displeasing to Yahweh, though perhaps not as horrendous as the Israelites’ acts described above. In my reading, throughout Paul’s letters, he draws a distinction between the “doers of the law” who are following their conscience and performing works motivated by true faith (Romans 2:6-7), and the “works” of outward adherence, such as circumcision and ceremonial animal sacrifice, or not eating certain foods (Rom. 2:27 “he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law”). Note: it is possible to adhere to an outward ritual while breaking the actual moral code in your heart. Paul points out that God always disdained this sort of hypocrisy and desired a people with his law written on their hearts so that they could finally actually do his will! I believe a people who would finally “image” (verb) God on earth and do “thy will as it is done in heaven” was really the whole point! (far from being secondary and unnecessary). Jesus, in this sense came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it!

Believers walking in the light with the Holy Spirit, can now actually perform works of faith consistently. But even before this, you have examples, such as Cornelius (Acts 10:2), who was neither a Jew, nor a Christian. And did God say, “your alms have arisen as ‘filthy rags?’” No. He was commended (Acts 10:4), and an Apostle was sent to save him and his entire household (see Acts 10:44-48). The Centurion (Mat. 8:5-13) was also commended for acting in faith when he asked Jesus to heal his servant from a distance by using his authority as the son of God. Indeed, Paul stated this concept in Romans and in Acts by acknowledging that “circumcision is of the heart” (Romans 2:29) and that those acting in faith are pleasing God. Even if they do not yet understand Yahweh fully, they may “feel their way toward him” by their awareness of his divine attributes observed in nature (see Acts 17:27, Romans 1:20). This sort of “work” has always been pleasing to God (those acting morally) above those who have the outward law, yet do not follow it. How did Jesus respond to those who did the “work” of bringing him a paralytic on a mat? (Mat. 9:1-8). He immediately recognized it as a display of true faith! If they had not brought him the paralytic, their “faith” would have been worthless, meaningless and still-born (dead on arrival). There would be no healing without acting… in faith.

There are many examples in scripture of sincere faith-motivated works being pleasing to the Lord, and false outward empty ritual “works” being reprehensible to him. Yet, modern Evangelical theology dismisses all work as somehow at odds with being saved by “faith alone” (as though faith can exist without obedience to God). As a result, it downplays the importance of living the Christian life with discipline. But it goes further than that, many in the Calvinist vein subscribe to Christian fatalism, saying we are so depraved that God must make us choose him, and that we have no free will of our own, not even enough to grab a life raft to escape drowning.  **We are essentially dead bodies floating in the water until God zaps us with a salvation ray, after which we can live like demons. Our works of faith are not only unecessary, they are compared to “filthy rags!”

I find this teaching repulsive.

This false theology assumes that somehow our free will diminishes God’s sovereignty and ignores the fact that God sovereignly chose to give us free will. Therefore, even a gentile can choose God and display this in moral works of faith. And this faith is pleasing to God, for it is real!