19 Bible Verses about Self Righteousness, Nature Of

For they were ignorant of God's way of right standing and were trying to set up one of their own, and so would not surrender to God's way of right standing.

But he, as he wished to justify his question, said, "But who is my neighbor?"

To some people who were confident that they themselves were upright, but who scorned everybody else, He told the following story:

though I too might rely on these. If anyone thinks that he can rely on outward privileges, far more might I do so: circumcised when I was a week old; a descendant of Israel; a member of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew, a son of Hebrews. Measured by the law, I was a Pharisee; by the standard set by zeal, I was a persecutor of the church, and measured by the uprightness reached by keeping the law, I was faultless.

If we claim "We are already free from sin," we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in our hearts.

And this is the message that we have heard from Him and now announce to you: God is light, and there is no darkness at all in Him. If we say "We have fellowship with Him," and yet live in darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.

"A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! For you pay tithes on mint and dill and cummin, and yet leave out the more vital matters of the law, justice, love and fidelity. These latter especially you ought to have done, but ought not to have left out the former. You blind leaders, who are straining out the gnat but gulping down the camel!

Then He said to them, "You are the men who exhibit your uprightness before the public, but God knows your hearts. For what stands high in the sight of men is detestable in the sight of God.

but day by day, as long as "Today" shall last, continue to encourage one another, so that not one of you may be hardened by sin's deceiving ways,

To some people who were confident that they themselves were upright, but who scorned everybody else, He told the following story: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee stood and said this self-centered prayer, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, robbers, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector.

Stop acting from motives of selfish strife or petty ambition, but in humility practice treating one another as your superiors.

Stop letting anyone pass judgment on you in matters of eating and drinking, or in the matter of annual or monthly feasts or sabbaths. These were but the shadow of what was coming; the reality belongs to Christ. Stop letting anyone, in gratuitous humility and worship of angels, defraud you as an umpire, for such a one is taking his stand on the mere visions he has seen, and is groundlessly conceited over his sensuous mind.

If we claim "We have not sinned," we are making Him a liar, and His message is not in our hearts.

For it is not the man who keeps on recommending himself who is really approved, but it is the man whom the Lord recommends.

You people, whoever you are among you, who try to get into right standing with God, through law have cut yourselves off from Christ, you have missed the way of God's favor.

Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money had been listening to all this, and they began to ridicule Him.

To some people who were confident that they themselves were upright, but who scorned everybody else, He told the following story: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee stood and said this self-centered prayer, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, robbers, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector.read more.
I fast two days in the week. I pay a tithe on everything I get.' But the tax-collector stood at a distance and would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but continued to beat his breast, and say, 'O God, have mercy on me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man, and not the other, went back home forgiven and accepted by God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Then Jesus said, "I have come into this world to judge people, so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind." Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and asked Him, "We are not blind, are we?" Jesus answered them, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty, but now you keep on claiming, 'We can see'; so your sin remains."

Because you say, 'I am rich, I have already become rich, I need nothing,' and you do not know that you are the very one that is wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked; I advise you to buy of me gold that has been refined in the fire, so that you may become rich, and white clothes to put on, to hide your shameful nakedness, and salve to put on your eyes, to make you see.