16 Bible Verses about Formality

And LORD said, Inasmuch as this people draw near [me] with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but have removed their heart far from me, {but in vain they worship me (LXX/NT)}, {teaching the commandments and doctrines of men

Keep thy foot when thou go to the house of God, for to draw near to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools. For they know not that they do evil.

For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.

Why shall I come before LORD, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old? Will LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, [or] with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

Bring no more vain oblations. Incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies--I cannot bear iniquity and the solemn meeting.

When the priests enter in, then they shall not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but they shall lay their garments there in which they minister, for they are holy. And they shall put on other garments, and shall approa

I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs, for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

For thou delight not in sacrifice, else I would give it. Thou have no pleasure in burnt-offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise.

And while those men departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes about John, What did ye go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what did ye go out to see? A man clothed in delicate clothes? Behold, those wearing delicate things are in king's houses. But what did ye go out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

Then scholars and Pharisees from Jerusalem come to Jesus, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.

Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye tithe the mint and the anise and the cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law--justice and mercy and faith. These things must be done, and not neglecting t

but now knowing God, but rather being known by God, how is it ye turn again to the weak and destitute elements to which ye desire again to be in bondage anew? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest somehow I have labored toward you in vain.

If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why do ye submit to rules, as though living in the world?

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, impious, devoid of natural affection, irreconcilable, slanderous, without self-control, savage, no lovers of good,read more.
traitors, reckless, beclouded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of piety, but repudiating the power of it. Now turn away from these men,

Behold, thou are called a Jew, and rely upon the law, and boast in God, and know his will, and approve the things that are significant, being instructed out of the law. And thou have confidence in thyself to be a guide of the blind, a light of those in darkness,read more.
a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the childlike, having in the law the essence of knowledge and truth, thou therefore who teach another, do thou not teach thyself? Thou who preach not to steal, do thou steal? Thou who say not to commit adultery, do thou commit adultery? Thou who abhor idols, do thou rob temples? Thou who boast in law, dishonor God by thy transgression of the law. For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, just as it is written. For circumcision is indeed beneficial if thou perform law, but if thou are a transgressor of law, thy circumcision has become uncircumcision. If therefore a man of uncircumcision keeps the ordinances of the law, will not his uncircumcision be considered circumcision? And the man of natural uncircumcision who fulfills the law, will judge thee, a transgressor of law through a document and circumcision. For he is not a Jew in what is visible, nor is circumcision in what is visible, in flesh, but he is a Jew in what is hidden, and circumcision is of the heart, in spirit not a document, whose praise is not from men but from God.

Although (I having confidence also in flesh) if any other man seems to be confident in the flesh, I more: in circumcision the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; regarding law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness in law, having become blameless.read more.
But whatever was gain to me, these things I regarded loss because of the Christ.