16 Bible Verses about False Worship

Most Relevant Verses

Matthew 15:8-9

"'This is a People who honour Me with their lips, while their heart is far away from Me; but it is in vain they worship Me, while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'"

Mark 7:6-7

"Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites," He replied; "as it is written, "'This People honour Me with their lips, while their hearts are far away from Me: But idle is their devotion while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'

Colossians 2:23

These rules have indeed an appearance of wisdom where self-imposed worship exists, and an affectation of humility and an ascetic severity. But not one of them is of any value in combating the indulgence of our lower natures.

Matthew 6:5

"And when praying, you must not be like the hypocrites. They are fond of standing and praying in the synagogues or at the corners of the wider streets, in order that men may see them. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward.

Luke 18:10-14

"Two men went up to the Temple to pray," He said; "one being a Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee, standing erect, prayed as follows by himself: "'O God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people--I am not a thief nor a cheat nor an adulterer, nor do I even resemble this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week. I pay the tithe on all my gains.'read more.
"But the tax-gatherer, standing far back, would not so much as lift his eyes to Heaven, but kept beating his breast and saying, "'O God, be reconciled to me, sinner that I am.' "I tell you that this man went home more thoroughly absolved from guilt than the other; for every one who uplifts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be uplifted."

John 4:22

You worship One of whom you know nothing. We worship One whom we know; for salvation comes from the Jews.

Acts 17:22-23

So Paul, taking his stand in the centre of the Areopagus, spoke as follows: "Men of Athens, I perceive that you are in every respect remarkably religious. For as I passed along and observed the things you worship, I found also an altar bearing the inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' "The Being, therefore, whom you, without knowing Him, revere, Him I now proclaim to you.

Mark 12:41-44

Having taken a seat opposite the Treasury, He observed how the people were dropping money into the Treasury, and that many of the wealthy threw in large sums. But there came one poor widow and dropped in two farthings, equal in value to a halfpenny. So He called His disciples to Him and said, "In solemn truth I tell you that this widow, poor as she is, has thrown in more than all the other contributors to the Treasury;read more.
for they have all contributed out of what they could well spare, but she out of her need has thrown in all she possessed--all she had to live on."

John 4:23-24

But a time is coming--nay, has already come--when the true worshippers will worship the Father with true spiritual worship; for indeed the Father desires such worshippers. God is Spirit; and those who worship Him must bring Him true spiritual worship."

Bible Theasaurus

Worship (503 instances)

From Thematic Bible


false Worship » Other objects of worship » Heavenly bodies

false Worship » Idolatry » Forbidden

false Worship » False gods and Goddesses » General references to

1 Corinthians 12:2

You know that when you were heathens you went astray after dumb idols, wherever you happened to be led.

false Worship » Other objects of worship » Devils worshipped

Revelation 9:20

But the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues, did not even then repent and leave the things they had made, so as to cease worshipping the demons, and the idols of gold and silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear, nor move.

false Worship » Idols characterized, as » Vanity of

Acts 17:29

Since then we are God's offspring, we ought not to imagine that His nature resembles gold or silver or marble, or anything sculptured by the art and inventive faculty of man.

false Worship » Brazen serpent places devoted to idolatry » Idolatrous temples

Acts 19:27

There is danger, therefore, not only that this our trade will become of no account, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana will fall into utter disrepute, and that before long she will be actually deposed from her majestic rank--she who is now worshipped by the whole province of Asia; nay, by the whole world."

false Worship » Other objects of worship » The golden calves of jeroboam, set up in dan and bethel

More verses: 1 Kings 12:28

false Worship » gods, false » Images » Names of » Ashtaroth » Ashtaroth or ashtoreth, a Goddess of the phoenicians

More verses: 1 Samuel 31:10

false Worship » Other objects of worship » Teraphim, images, household gods

More verses: Hosea 3:4

false Worship » Brazen serpent places devoted to idolatry » Idolatrous altars

More verses: Acts 17:23

false Worship » gods, false » Images » Names of » Baal-peor » Baal-peor, a God of the moabites

false Worship » Other objects of worship » The golden calf made by aaron

Acts 7:41

"Moreover they made a calf at that time, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and kept rejoicing in the gods which their own hands had made.

false Worship » gods, false » Images » Names of » Molech, moloch, or milcom, a God of the ammonites

Acts 7:43

Yes, you lifted up Moloch's tent and the Star of the God Rephan--the images which you made in order to worship them; and I will remove you beyond Babylon.'

false Worship » Idolatry » Prophecies concerning the overthrow of

false Worship » gods, false » Images » Names of » Chemosh » Chemosh, a God of the moabites

false Worship » Idols characterized, as » Degrading

Romans 1:22-23

While boasting of their wisdom they became utter fools, and, instead of worshipping the imperishable God, they worshipped images resembling perishable man or resembling birds or beasts or reptiles.

1 Corinthians 12:2

You know that when you were heathens you went astray after dumb idols, wherever you happened to be led.

1 Corinthians 8:4

As to eating things which have been sacrificed to idols, we are fully aware that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but One.

false Worship » gods, false » Images » Names of » Dagon » Dagon, a God of the philistines

false Worship » Idols characterized, as » Helpless

Acts 14:18

Even with words like these they had difficulty in preventing the thronging crowd from offering sacrifices to them.

false Worship » gods, false » Images » Names of » Diana » Diana, a Goddess of the ephesians

Acts 19:24

There was a certain Demetrius, a silversmith, who made miniature silver sanctuaries of Diana, a business which brought great gain to the mechanics in his employ.

Acts 19:35

At length the Recorder quieted them down. "Men of Ephesus," he said, "who is there of all mankind that needs to be told that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Diana and of the image which fell down from Zeus?

Acts 19:28

After listening to this harangue, they became furiously angry and kept calling out, "Great is the Ephesian Diana!"

false Worship » Other objects of worship » Men deified and worshipped

Acts 12:22

and the assembled people kept shouting, "It is the voice of a god, and not of a man!"

Acts 14:11

So he sprang up and began to walk about. Then the crowds, seeing what Paul had done, rent the air with their shouts in the Lycaonian language, saying, "The gods have assumed human form and have come down to us."

Acts 28:6

They expected him soon to swell with inflammation or suddenly fall down dead; but, after waiting a long time and seeing no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

false Worship » Idols characterized, as » Insentiate

false Worship » Idols characterized, as » Perishable

false Worship » Idols characterized, as » Unworthy of worship of intelligent beings

Acts 17:29

Since then we are God's offspring, we ought not to imagine that His nature resembles gold or silver or marble, or anything sculptured by the art and inventive faculty of man.

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