Thematic Bible: Self-righteousness


Thematic Bible






The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other menextortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.'

"No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore be careful that the light in you is not darkness. read more.
If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light." While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him; so he went in and sat at table. The Pharisee was surprised to see that he did not first wash before dinner. But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish ones! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it." One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, by saying these things you reproach us also." And he said, "Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. So you witness that you approve of the deeds of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering." As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard, and to provoke him to speak of many things, lying in wait for him, to catch at something he might say.

They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not continue in the house forever, but a son continues forever. read more.
So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's descendants, yet you seek to kill me, because my word has no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your Father." They answered him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the things Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You do the deeds of your father." They said to him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I have not come of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you are not able to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God; the reason you do not hear them is that you are not of God." The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it and he will be the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word he will never see death." The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, 'If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you claim to be?" Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God. But you have not known him; I know him. If I said, I do not know him, I would be a liar like you; but I do know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad." The Jews then said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.

Then they reviled him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. read more.
We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, he listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. read more.
Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish ones! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. read more.
But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it."



Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." Verse ConceptsSinnersUncharitablenessChrist Knowing About PeopleSoliloquyWho Is This?What Kind?Jesus The Prophet

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when Jesus heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."





And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Verse ConceptsLawyersInheritance, SpiritualSeeking LifeTesting ChristDoing God's WorksTests


More than that, I count everything to be loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God and is by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death; read more.
in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

But whatever was gain to me, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count everything to be loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God and is by faith, read more.
that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death;

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.






And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Verse ConceptsSheddingAncestorsKilling ProphetsProphets KilledTimes Of People

"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other menextortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.'



Also he told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other menextortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. read more.
I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."



For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Verse ConceptsHypocrisy, Description OfLegalismSelf Righteousness, Nature OfSelf Righteousness, And The GospelSpiritual IgnoranceTrusting In WorksSeeking For Abstract ThingsIgnorance of GodignoranceFutile Faith


For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Verse ConceptsHypocrisy, Description OfLegalismSelf Righteousness, Nature OfSelf Righteousness, And The GospelSpiritual IgnoranceTrusting In WorksSeeking For Abstract ThingsIgnorance of GodignoranceFutile Faith



The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other menextortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. Verse ConceptsExtortion, Examples OfAttitudes, in prayerHypocrisy, Description OfPrejudiceStandingStatusTax CollectorsHypocrites, Description OfSelf DelusionEvildoersNot Like PeopleAvoid AdulteryWe Thank GodConfession of sin




For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Verse ConceptsHypocrisy, Description OfLegalismSelf Righteousness, Nature OfSelf Righteousness, And The GospelSpiritual IgnoranceTrusting In WorksSeeking For Abstract ThingsIgnorance of GodignoranceFutile Faith