Isaiah 5:20–23, 6:1–5; Romans 3:21–26

Bible Studies for Life
Chair and Armstrong Professor of Religion, Department of Religion, Samford University

Why ‘Good’ Isn’t Good Enough
Isaiah 5:20–23, 6:1–5; Romans 3:21–26

Evil Rationalized (Isa. 5:20–23)
In one of the most devastating criticisms of the people of Judah, the prophet Jeremiah told them that they had “forgotten how to blush” (Jer. 6:15). In a similar way, although bringing God’s message to Israel a century earlier, Isaiah tackled the problem of religious people who reversed the moral order and justified their sinful attitudes and actions. Life requires a framework, a particular perspective for making decisions, distinguishing between good and evil. Isaiah, like many other prophets in the Old Testament, confronted and criticized this tendency as he drew a sharp line between right and wrong. The prophets brought a contemporary application of God’s law to bear upon new circumstances, holding the people accountable to earlier theological traditions associated with Moses and reminding them of God’s justice that called them to be obedient to His holy laws. The issues that Isaiah faced were not merely those of personal piety in terms of “drinking wine” to excess but also of social justice — people in positions of authority who would “acquit the guilty with a bribe and deprive the innocent of their rights!” Holiness affects our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationships with one another. Sin is both personal and social in its manifestation and consequences.

Holiness Recognized (Isa. 6:1–5)
Isaiah’s call to prophetic ministry does not occur at the beginning of the book, as in many other prophetic narratives, but is located in the midst of a story about a society that has turned its back on God. In that context, when it might have been possible for Isaiah to become overwhelmed with sin and judgment, he was apprehended by a vision of God’s holiness. In the context of entering into the temple, Isaiah became overwhelmed with a sense of the glory and majesty of God, who is holy, holy, holy. The root meaning of the word is not that of purity but of being separate, exalted, different, a “cut above the rest.” In the presence of the One who is beyond our comprehension, who is perfectly righteous, pure and loving, Isaiah became aware of his own sinfulness and cried out, “Woe is me! … I am a man of unclean lips.” One suggestion of why he specified this sin is because Isaiah lived in Jerusalem, perhaps as a member of the ruling class, of the aristocracy, and he was aware of the spiritual declension and direction of his people and he had been silent up to this moment in time. God called him to repent of the sin of silence and speak for truth and righteousness. Sin is not an abstract notion but a personal experience, a breakdown in the nature of relationship, a moral breach that always has consequences, however small they may appear to be, and damages the way things are meant to be among ourselves and with God. Prayers of confession enable that relationship to be straightened out, restoring the relationship, repairing the breach, receiving forgiveness. From the altar of sacrifice, prefiguring the sacrificial death of Jesus, a “live coal” was taken and touched Isaiah’s sinful lips and he was forgiven.

Righteousness Realized (Rom. 3:21–26)
At the heart of Paul’s message of good news was the gift of justification, and so in verse 24, he rejoiced that despite our human sinfulness, believers “are now justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The miracle of God’s mercy toward a sinful world is that He forgives and accepts us as if we had never sinned — that is the wonder of justification. In the parable of the prodigal son, although the Old Testament declared that such an obstinate and rebellious son should be stoned to death, Jesus teaches us that when God sees His recalcitrant offspring walking up the garden path, He runs to meet him, embraces him and throws a party to remind people that the angels in heaven rejoice over a sinner who repents. If we ever wonder if God is willing to express such generosity of grace toward us, then Paul reminds us that He has demonstrated this grace in the “sacrifice of atonement by His blood” that He offered on our account.