Why does Isaiah 26:10 suggest that grace alone doesn't lead to righteousness? Full Text “Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they persist in wrongdoing and do not perceive the majesty of the LORD.” — Isaiah 26:10 Immediate Literary Setting Isaiah 24–27 is the so-called “Little Apocalypse,” a prophetic song contrasting two cities: the lofty city of human arrogance (24:10–12; 25:2) and the strong city of God (26:1–2). Verse 10 sits in a stanza (26:7–11) where the righteous wait for God’s judgment while observing that the wicked remain incorrigible, even under God-given blessings. Historical Milieu Written in the eighth century BC, Isaiah faced a Judean society enjoying economic expansion under Uzziah and Hezekiah yet morally adrift. Archaeologically, Sennacherib’s Prism records Assyria’s siege of Jerusalem (701 BC), validating Isaiah’s political context. The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaᵃ, c. 125 BC) contains this verse verbatim, demonstrating textual stability. Common Grace Versus Saving Grace Isaiah describes common grace—sunshine, rainfall, prosperity, prophetic warning, and covenant protection (cf. Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17). Scripture distinguishes this from saving (effectual) grace, by which God regenerates the heart (Ephesians 2:4-10; Titus 3:5). Common grace restrains evil and reveals God’s kindness; saving grace imparts new life. Isaiah 26:10 shows the first without the second. Why Grace Alone (in the Merely External Sense) Does Not Produce Righteousness a. Depraved Nature: “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). Without regeneration, sinners suppress truth (Romans 1:18). b. Willful Blindness: “They do not perceive (nāḡaḥ) the majesty of the LORD.” The moral failure is cognitive (they will not see) and volitional (they persist). c. Absence of Faith Response: Grace is “shown,” but not “received through faith” (Romans 3:25; 4:16). d. No Indwelling Spirit: Righteousness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). External favor cannot substitute for internal renewal (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Canonical Parallels • Romans 2:4: Kindness is meant to lead to repentance, but hearts can remain unrepentant. • Hebrews 10:29: Some “trample the Son of God” and “insult the Spirit of grace.” • 2 Corinthians 6:1: One may “receive God’s grace in vain.” These reinforce Isaiah’s assertion: grace, unaccompanied by responsive faith and regeneration, leaves the sinner unchanged. Reformation Sola Gratia Clarified “Sola gratia” never meant that permissive grace automatically equals transformation. Reformers said salvation is “by grace alone through faith,” emphasizing (1) God’s sovereign initiative and (2) the Spirit-wrought response of repentance and trust. Isaiah 26:10 exposes cheap grace—favor ignored or abused. Philosophical and Behavioral Insight Empirical psychology recognizes that external incentives (rewards) alone do not reform entrenched moral habits; genuine change requires an internal shift in values and identity. Scripture anticipates this by locating righteousness in a new heart (Psalm 51:10). Isaiah thus aligns with observed human behavior: benefits alone do not remake moral agents. Eschatological Perspective Isaiah anticipates a final division (cf. Matthew 25:31-46). The wicked’s misuse of grace will magnify divine justice, while the righteous—made so by saving grace—enter the strong city (26:1-2). Pastoral Application Believers must: • Proclaim both kindness and severity (Romans 11:22). • Urge hearers not merely to receive blessings but to learn righteousness. • Seek the Spirit’s regenerating work in evangelism, knowing moral exhortations alone cannot convert. Conclusion Isaiah 26:10 teaches that displaying grace to the wicked, without their Spirit-enabled response of faith and repentance, does not produce righteousness. The verse complements, rather than contradicts, the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace, by distinguishing common grace from the saving grace that unites sinners to the risen Christ. |
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