How do we know we cannot be holy before God?

According to Jeremiah 17:9, 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?' This scripture reveals the inherent wickedness within each human heart. Matthew 15:19 further explains that 'out of the heart come evil thoughts,' which confirms that our natural state is corrupt. Isaiah 64:6 states that even our best deeds are like 'filthy rags' before God's holiness, emphasizing the impossibility of achieving righteousness on our own. This prepares the way for understanding our desperate need for Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice.