35 Bible Verses about Self Justification

"Indeed, how can a human being be righteous before God? And how will he who is born of a woman be pure?

Then the men of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who [is] able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? And to whom shall it go up from us?"

And who [can] endure the day of his coming? And who [is] the one who can stand {when he appears}? For he [is] like a refiner's fire, like launderers' alkali.

because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

Therefore, [because we] have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have [obtained] access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Therefore, where [is] boasting? It has been excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we consider a person to be justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or [is God] the God of the Jews only? [Is he] not also [the God] of the Gentiles? Yes, also of the Gentiles,read more.
since God [is] one, who will justify {those who are circumcised} by faith and {those who are uncircumcised} through faith.

and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and that [life] I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not declare invalid the grace of God, for if righteousness [is] through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.

"But they and our ancestors acted arrogantly and stiffened their neck and did not listen to your commandments.

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these [things], and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, "You are the ones who justify themselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts! For [what is] [considered] exalted among men [is] an abomination in the sight of God.

And he also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and looked down on {everyone else}: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood [and] prayed these [things] with reference to himself: 'God, I give thanks to you that I am not like other people--swindlers, unrighteous [people], adulterers, or even like this tax collector!read more.
I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far away, did not want even to raise his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than that one! For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. Therefore do and observe everything that they tell you, but do not do as {they do}, for they tell [others to do something] and do not do [it themselves].read more.
And they tie up heavy burdens and put [them] on people's shoulders, but [they] themselves are not willing with their finger to move them And they do all their deeds in order to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries broad and make their tassels long. And they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by people.

And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets,

And [while] all the people were listening, he said to the disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets,

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve the things that are superior, [because you] are instructed by the law, and are confident [that] you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of those in darkness,read more.
an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Therefore, the one who teaches someone else, do you not teach yourself? The one who preaches not to steal, do you steal? The one who says not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The one who abhors idols, do you rob temples? Who boast in the law, by the transgression of the law you dishonor God! For just as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." For circumcision is of value if you do the law, but if you should be a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Therefore, if the uncircumcised person follows the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be credited for circumcision? And the uncircumcised person by nature who carries out the law will judge you who, [though provided] with {the precise written code} and circumcision [are] a transgressor of the law.

And behold, a certain legal expert stood up to test him, saying, "Teacher, what must I do so that I will inherit eternal life?" And he said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read [it]?" And he answered [and] said, "You shall love the Lord your God from all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."read more.
And he said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live." But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed [as] having been crucified? I want only to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to be made complete by the flesh?read more.
Have you suffered so many [things] for nothing--if indeed also [it was] for nothing? Therefore does the one who gives you the Spirit and who works miracles among you [do so] by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

You are estranged from Christ, [you] who are attempting to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace.

Then Peter came up to him [and] said, "Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I will forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven! "For this [reason] the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man--a king--who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.read more.
And [when] he began to settle [them], someone was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents. And [because] he did not have [enough] to repay [it], the master ordered him to be sold, and his wife and his children and everything that he had, and to be repaid. Then the slave threw himself to the ground [and] began to do obeisance to him, saying, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay back everything to you!' So the master of that slave, [because he] had compassion, released him and forgave him the loan. But that slave went out [and] found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and taking hold of him, he began to choke [him], saying, 'Pay back everything that you owe!' Then his fellow slave threw himself to the ground [and] began to implore him, saying, 'Be patient with me and I will repay you!' But he did not want to, but rather he went [and] threw him into prison until he would repay what was owed. So [when] his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were extremely distressed, and went [and] reported to their master everything that had happened. Then his master summoned him [and] said to him, 'Wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you implored me! Should you not also have shown mercy to your fellow slave as I also showed mercy to you?' And [because he] was angry, his master handed him over to the merciless jailers until he would repay everything that was owed. So also my heavenly Father will do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from your hearts!"

Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden {at the windy time of day}. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. And Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, "Where [are] you?" And he replied, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I [am] naked, so I hid myself."read more.
Then he asked, "Who told you that you [were] naked? Have you eaten from {the tree from which I forbade you to eat}?" And the man replied, "The woman whom you gave [to be] with me--she gave to me from the tree and I ate."

{And} as he came near to the camp, he saw the bull calf and dancing, and {Moses became angry}, and he threw the tablets from his hand, and he broke them under the mountain. And he took the bull calf that they had made, and he burned [it] with the fire, and he crushed [it] until it became fine, and he scattered [it] on the surface of the water, and he made the {Israelites} drink. And Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you brought on them [such] a great sin?"read more.
And Aaron said, "{Let not my lord become angry}. You yourself know the people, that {they are intent on evil}. And they said to me, 'Make for us gods who will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' And I said to them, 'Whoever [has] gold, take [it] off.' And they gave [it] to me, and I threw it in the fire, and out came this bull calf."

[Some] of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the army {followed him trembling}. He waited seven days according to the appointed time Samuel determined, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and {the army started to slip away from him}. So Saul said, "Bring here to me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." Then he offered up the burnt offering.read more.
{Just as} he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Samuel was coming. So Saul went out to meet him [and] to bless him. But Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul said, "Because I saw that the army {was scattering} from me and you did not come {at the appointed time} and [that the] Philistines had gathered at Micmash, therefore I said, 'Now [the] Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet implored the face of Yahweh.' So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering." Then Samuel said to Saul, "You have behaved foolishly! You have not kept the command of Yahweh your God which he commanded you. For then, Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now, your kingdom will not endure. Yahweh has sought for himself a man according to his [own] heart, and Yahweh has appointed him as leader over his people, because you have not kept what Yahweh commanded you."

And behold, someone came up to him [and] said, "Teacher, what good [thing] must I do so that I will have eternal life?" And he said to him, "Why are you asking me about [what is] good? There is one [who is] good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments!" He said to him, "Which [ones]?" And Jesus said, "Do not commit murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,read more.
honor your father and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself." The young man said to him, "All these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give [the proceeds] to the poor--and you will have treasure in heaven--and come, follow me." But [when] the young man heard the statement, he went away sorrowful, because he was one who had many possessions.

And [as] he was setting out on [his] way, one [individual] ran up and knelt down before him [and] asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do so that I will inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one [is] good except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"read more.
And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one [thing]: Go, sell all that you have, and give [the proceeds] to the poor--and you will have treasure in heaven--and come, follow me." But he looked gloomy at the statement [and] went away sorrowful, {because he had} many possessions.

And a certain ruler asked him, saying, "Good Teacher, [by] doing what will I inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one [is] good except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"read more.
And he said, "All these I have observed from my youth." And [when he] heard [this], Jesus said to him, "{You still lack one thing}: Sell all that you have, and distribute [the proceeds] to the poor--and you will have treasure in heaven--and come, follow me." But [when he] heard these [things] he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy.

although I [could] have confidence even in the flesh. {circumcised on the eighth day}, from the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew [born] from Hebrews, according to the law a Pharisee, according to zeal persecuting the church, according to the righteousness in the law being blameless.read more.
But whatever [things] were gain to me, these [things] I have considered loss because of Christ. {More than that}, even consider all [things] to be loss because of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for the sake of whom I have suffered the loss of all [things], and consider [them] dung, in order that I may gain Christ and may be found in him, not having my righteousness [which is] from the law, but [which is] through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith,

Therefore you are without excuse, O man, every one [of you] who passes judgment. For in that which you pass judgment on someone else, you condemn yourself, for you who are passing judgment are doing the same [things]. Now we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who do such things. But do you think this, O man who passes judgment on those who do such things, and who does the same [things], that you will escape the judgment of God?read more.
Or do you despise the wealth of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will reward each one according to his works: to those who, by perseverance in good work, seek glory and honor and immortality, eternal life, but to those [who act] from selfish ambition and who disobey the truth, but who obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. [There will be] affliction and distress for every {human being} who does evil, of the Jew first and of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and to the Greek. For [there] is no partiality with God.

A man who is reproved, being stubborn of neck-- suddenly he will be broken, and there will not be healing.

Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden {at the windy time of day}. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. And Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, "Where [are] you?" And he replied, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I [am] naked, so I hid myself."read more.
Then he asked, "Who told you that you [were] naked? Have you eaten from {the tree from which I forbade you to eat}?" And the man replied, "The woman whom you gave [to be] with me--she gave to me from the tree and I ate." Then Yahweh God said to the woman, "What [is] this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Then Yahweh God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you [will be] cursed more than any domesticated animal and more than any wild animal. On your belly you shall go and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. And I will put hostility between you and between the woman, and between your offspring and between her offspring; he will strike you [on the] head, and you will strike him [on the] heel." To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase {your pain in childbearing}; in pain you shall bear children. And to your husband [shall be] your desire. And he shall rule over you." And to Adam he said, "Because you listened to the voice of your wife and you ate from the tree {from which I forbade you to eat}, the ground [shall be] cursed on your account. In pain you shall eat [from] it all the days of your life. And thorns and thistles shall sprout for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, until your return to the ground. For from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Hear, O earth, look, I [am] about to bring disaster to this people, the fruit of their plans, because they have not listened attentively to my words, and my teaching, they have rejected it also. What [is] this to me? Frankincense comes from Sheba, and the precious spice reed from a distant land. Your burnt offerings [are] not {acceptable}, your sacrifices are not pleasing to me." {Therefore} thus says Yahweh: "Look, I [am] about to put before this people stumbling blocks, and they will stumble against them, fathers and children together, neighbor and his friend will perish."read more.
Thus says Yahweh: "Look, a people [is] coming from [the] land of [the] north, a great nation is woken up from [the] farthest part of [the] earth. [The] bow and [the] short sword they grasp [are] cruel, and they show no mercy. Their sound roars like the sea, and on horses they ride, drawn up like a man for battle against you, O daughter of Zion."

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this [is] not from yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; [it is] not from works, so that no one can boast.

But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified about by the law and the prophets-- that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For [there] is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,read more.
being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people,

But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not by deeds of righteousness that we have done, but because of his mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,read more.
so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

If you, O Yah, should {keep track of} iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you [is] forgiveness, so that you may be feared."

And do not enter into judgment with your servant, because no one alive [is] righteous before you.