Holy Works and filthy rags comes up time and time again and it's the topic of a question from

Hanley in New Zealand he's on to this topic and is a timely one as he reads

Nehemiah 13 and as many of us read Nehemiah 13 to finish out the book in our Bible reading today.

Here's his email.

Hello, Pastor John, I'm a young believer from New Zealand

and I thank God for his work through you.

I am confused as to why the Saints of the Old Testament regularly pray to God to regard them

according to their own righteousness. Most notably for me right now are

Nehemiah Chapter 13 versus 14, 22, 30 and 31. Is this a practice

for us today? Do we bring to God our righteous deeds and ask Him not to forget them. I've never prayed that way. Never even

considered it. I guess my default is to think of all my righteous deeds as filthy rags, Isaiah 64, six.

Do you remind God of your righteous deeds, should we, and why do we need to?

Okay, Henley, let's buckle up because I'm going to pack a lot into a very short space here,

a kind of mini theology of good works, how they relate to faith, how they relate to rewards, how they relate to prayer.

So let's start with Isaiah 64-6.

You are not alone in thinking that this verse teaches that all Christian good works are filthy

rags in the sight of God. That is a profoundly mistaken reading of that verse. The verse just before, 64-5, says,

You, O Lord, meet him who joyfully works,

righteousness, those who remember you in your ways.

This is a commendation of righteousness

in the people of God.

God does not despise the righteous deeds of his children done by faith.

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