Thematic Bible: Self-righteousness


Thematic Bible






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! I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get.'

"No one [after] lighting a lamp puts [it] in a cellar or under a bushel basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is sincere, your whole body is full of light also. But when it is evil, your body [is] dark also. Therefore pay careful attention [that] the light in you is not darkness! read more.
If therefore your whole body [is] full of light, not having any part dark, it will be completely full of light, as when the lamp with [its] light gives light to you." And as he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him {to have a meal} with him, and he went in [and] reclined at table. And the Pharisee, [when he] saw [it], was astonished that he did not first wash before the meal. But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but your inside is full of greediness and wickedness. Fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give [as] charitable giving the things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. "But woe to you, Pharisees, because you pay a tenth of mint and rue and every garden herb, and neglect justice and love for God! But it was necessary to do these [things] without neglecting those things also. Woe to you, Pharisees, because you love the best seat in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces! Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, and the people who walk over [them] do not know [it]! And one of the legal experts answered [and] said to him, "Teacher, [when you] say these [things], you insult us also!" So he said, "Woe to you also, legal experts, because you load people [with] burdens hard to bear, and [you] yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers! Woe to you, because you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them! As a result you are witnesses, and you approve of the deeds of your fathers, because they killed them and you build [their tombs]! For this [reason] also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and [some] of them they will kill and persecute,' so that the blood of all the prophets that has been 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 temple building. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation! Woe to you, legal experts, because you have taken away the key to knowledge! You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering!" And [when] he departed from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly hostile, and to question him closely about many [things], plotting to catch him with reference to something {he might say}.

They replied to him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have not been enslaved to anyone at any time. How do you say, 'You will become free'?" Jesus replied to them, "Truly, truly I say to you, that everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. And the slave does not remain in the household {forever}; the son remains {forever}. read more.
So if the son sets you free, you will be truly free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are seeking to kill me, because my word makes no progress among you. I speak [the things] that I have seen with the Father; so also you do [the things] that you have heard from the Father." They answered and said to him, "Abraham is our father!" Jesus said to them, "If you are children of Abraham, do the deeds of Abraham! But now you are seeking to kill me, a man who spoke to you the truth which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father!" They said to him, "We were not born from sexual immorality! We have one father, God!" Jesus said to them, "If God were your father, you would love me, for I have come forth from God and have come. For I have not come from myself, but that one sent me. {Why} do you not understand my way of speaking? Because you are not able to listen to my message. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father! That one was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand firm in the truth, because truth is not in him. Whenever he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own [nature], because he is a liar and the father {of lies}. But because I am telling the truth, you do not believe me. Who among you convicts me concerning sin? If I am telling the truth, {why} do you not believe me? The one who is from God listens to the words of God. Because of this you do not listen--because you are not of God." The Jews answered and said to him, "Do we not correctly say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus replied, "I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me! But I do not seek my [own] glory. There is one who seeks and judges! Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never experience death {forever}." The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham and the prophets died, and you say, 'If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death {forever}.' You are not greater than our father Abraham who died, [are you]? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself [to be]?" Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. The one who glorifies me is my Father, [about] whom you say, 'He is our God.' And you have not known him, but I know him. And if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you! But I know him and I keep his word. Abraham your father rejoiced that he would see my day, and he saw [it] and was glad." So the Jews 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!" Then they picked up stones in order to throw [them] at him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple [courts].

They reviled him and said, "You are his disciple! But we are disciples of Moses! We know that God has spoken to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from." The man answered and said to them, "For the remarkable thing is this, that you do not know where he is from, and he opened my eyes! read more.
We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if someone is devout and does his will, he listens to this one. From {time immemorial} it has not been heard that someone opened the eyes of one born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything!" They answered and said to him, "You were born completely in sin, and are you attempting to teach us?" And they threw him out.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence! Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean! read more.
In the [same] way, on the outside you also appear righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but your inside is full of greediness and wickedness. Fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give [as] charitable giving the things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. read more.
"But woe to you, Pharisees, because you pay a tenth of mint and rue and every garden herb, and neglect justice and love for God! But it was necessary to do these [things] without neglecting those things also. Woe to you, Pharisees, because you love the best seat in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces! Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, and the people who walk over [them] do not know [it]!

[There is] a generation [that is] pure in its own eyes, but from its filthiness it will not be cleansed. Verse ConceptsPurity, Moral And SpiritualSelf DeceptionSelf Righteousness, Nature OfSelf DelusionEvil GenerationsPeople Being UncleanPure PeopleHolier Than Thou


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

And [when they] saw [it], the Pharisees began to say to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" And [when he] heard [it], he said, "Those who are healthy do not have need of a physician, but those {who are sick}. But go [and] learn what it means, "I want mercy and not sacrifice." For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."




{who say}, "{Keep to yourself}! You must not come near me, for I am [too] holy for you!" These [are] a smoke in my {nostrils}, a fire burning all day. Verse ConceptsHypocrisy, Description OfNosesPrejudicePride, Examples OfSmokeHypocrites, Description OfFire Of EvilAll DayHolier Than ThouChanging YourselfsmokingSmoke Used Poetically

And behold, a certain legal expert stood up to test him, saying, "Teacher, what must I do so that I will inherit eternal life?" Verse ConceptsLawyersInheritance, SpiritualSeeking LifeTesting ChristDoing God's WorksTests


{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, so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, read more.
if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

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, read more.
so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean! In the [same] way, on the outside you also appear righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

"You shall not say {to yourself} {when Yahweh your God is driving them out} {before you}, {saying}, 'Because of my righteousness Yahweh brought me to take possession of this land'; but because of the wickedness of these nations Yahweh [is] driving them out {before you}. Verse ConceptsRetributionSelf Righteousness, Nature OfWhy It Happened

[There is] a generation [that is] pure in its own eyes, but from its filthiness it will not be cleansed. Verse ConceptsPurity, Moral And SpiritualSelf DeceptionSelf Righteousness, Nature OfSelf DelusionEvil GenerationsPeople Being UncleanPure PeopleHolier Than Thou

When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, "May you be blessed by Yahweh! I have kept the word of Yahweh." Verse ConceptsLying, Examples OfSalutationsI Keep The Commandmentssaul



and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in 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 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! I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all that I get.'

I myself will declare your righteousness and your works, but they will not benefit you. Verse ConceptsUnprofitable Sins

When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, "May you be blessed by Yahweh! I have kept the word of Yahweh." But Samuel said, "Then what [is] this bleating of the sheep [that I hear] in my ears and the lowing of the cattle that I am hearing?" Saul said, "They have brought them from [the] Amalekites; the troops spared the best of the sheep and the cattle in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God. But the rest we have utterly destroyed." read more.
Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop and let me tell you what Yahweh said to me last night." So he said to him, "Speak." Samuel said, "Even though you [are] small in your [own] eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh has anointed you as king over Israel. When Yahweh sent you on your way, he said to you: 'Go! You must utterly destroy the sinners, [the] Amalekites, and you must fight against them until you have destroyed them.' Why did you not listen to the voice of Yahweh and fall with shouting on the plunder? You have done evil in the sight of Yahweh!" Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have listened to the voice of Yahweh, and I have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me! I brought Agag the king of Amalek, and the Amalekites I have utterly destroyed. The troops took from the plunder, sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal." Then Samuel said, "Is there [as much] delight for Yahweh in burnt offerings and sacrifices as [there is] in {obeying} Yahweh? Look! {To obey} [is] better than sacrifice; to give heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion [is like] the sin of divination; arrogance [is like] iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, he has rejected you from [being] king!" Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned because I have transgressed {the commandment of Yahweh} and your words, for I feared the troops and I listened to their voice. So then, please pardon my sin and return with me {so that I can worship} Yahweh." But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and he has rejected you from being king over Israel!" As Samuel turned around to go, he caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. Then Samuel said to him, "Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor {who is better than you}. Moreover, the Glory of Israel will not break faith and will not regret, for he [is] not a human that he should regret." Then he said, "I have sinned! Now please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me {so that I can worship} Yahweh your God." So Samuel returned after Saul, and Saul {worshiped} Yahweh.

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."


If I wash myself with soap, and I cleanse my hands with lye, then you plunge me into the [slime] pit, and my clothes abhor me.


{who say}, "{Keep to yourself}! You must not come near me, for I am [too] holy for you!" These [are] a smoke in my {nostrils}, a fire burning all day. Verse ConceptsHypocrisy, Description OfNosesPrejudicePride, Examples OfSmokeHypocrites, Description OfFire Of EvilAll DayHolier Than ThouChanging YourselfsmokingSmoke Used Poetically




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! Verse ConceptsExtortion, Examples OfAttitudes, in prayerHypocrisy, Description OfPrejudiceStandingStatusTax CollectorsHypocrites, Description OfSelf DelusionEvildoersNot Like PeopleAvoid AdulteryWe Thank GodConfession of sin


Even though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; [even though] I [am] blameless, yet it would pronounce me guilty. Verse ConceptsSelf CondemnationHuman ImperfectionPlea Of Innocencecondemnation