30 Bible Verses about Outward Appearance

By their fruits you will easily recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from brambles? Just so every good tree produces good fruit, but a poisonous tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a poisonous tree good fruit.read more.
Every tree which does not yield good fruit is cut down and thrown aside for burning. So by their fruits at any rate, you will easily recognize them.

"There is no good tree that yields unsound fruit, nor again any unsound tree that yields good fruit. Every tree is known by its own fruit. It is not from thorns that men gather figs, nor from the bramble that they can get a bunch of grapes. A good man from the good stored up in his heart brings out what is good; and an evil man from the evil stored up brings out what is evil; for from the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

Just so let your light shine before all men, in order that they may see your holy lives and may give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.

"Either grant the tree to be wholesome and its fruit wholesome, or the tree poisonous and its fruit poisonous; for the tree is known by its fruit. O vipers' brood, how can you speak what is good when you are evil? For it is from the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks. A good man from his good store produces good things, and a bad man from his bad store produces bad things.read more.
But I tell you that for every careless word that men shall speak they will be held accountable on the day of Judgement. For each of you by his words shall be justified, or by his words shall be condemned."

By this is God glorified--by your bearing abundant fruit and thus being true disciples of mine.

So also faith, if it is unaccompanied by obedience, has no life in it--so long as it stands alone. Nay, some one will say, "You have faith, I have actions: prove to me your faith apart from corresponding actions and I will prove mine to you by my actions.

At these words his brow darkened, and he went away sad; for he was possessed of great wealth.

"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you wash clean the outside of the cup or dish, while within they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first wash clean the inside of the cup or dish, and then the outside will be clean also. "Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are just like whitewashed sepulchres, the outside of which pleases the eye, though inside they are full of dead men's bones and of all that is unclean.read more.
The same is true of you: outwardly you seem to the human eye to be good and honest men, but, within, you are full of insincerity and disregard of God's Law.

"Beware of the false teachers--men who come to you in sheep's fleeces, but beneath that disguise they are ravenous wolves.

The Master however said to him, "Here we see how you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup or plate, while your secret hearts are full of greed and selfishness. Foolish men! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But as to what is within, give alms, and instantly all is clean in you.

For men of this stamp are sham apostles, dishonest workmen, assuming the garb of Apostles of Christ. And no wonder. Satan, their master, can disguise himself as an angel of light. It is therefore no great thing for his servants also to disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be in accordance with their actions.

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.

Do not neglect to show kindness to strangers; for, in this way, some, without knowing it, have had angels as their guests.

If a child is circumcised even on a Sabbath day, are you bitter against me because I have restored a man to perfect health on a Sabbath day? Do not form superficial judgements, but form the judgements that are just."

To all this the Pharisees listened, bitterly jeering at Him; for they were lovers of money. "You are they," He said to them, "who boast of their own goodness before men, but God sees your hearts; for that which holds a proud position among men is detestable in God's sight.

You judge according to appearances: I am judging no one.

Is it outward appearances you look to? If any man is confident as regards himself that he specially belongs to Christ, let him consider again and reflect that just as he belongs to Christ, so also do we.

My brethren, you must not make distinctions between one man and another while you are striving to maintain faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our glory. For suppose a man comes into one of your meetings wearing gold rings and fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man wearing shabby clothes, and you pay court to the one who wears the fine clothes, and say, "Sit here; this is a good place;" while to the poor man you say, "Stand there, or sit on the floor at my feet;"read more.
is it not plain that in your hearts you have little faith, seeing that you have become judges full of wrong thoughts?

You say, I am rich, and have wealth stored up, and I stand in need of nothing; and you do not know that if there is a wretched creature it is *you* -- pitiable, poor, blind, naked.

"You are they," He said to them, "who boast of their own goodness before men, but God sees your hearts; for that which holds a proud position among men is detestable in God's sight.

From those leaders I gained nothing new. Whether they were men of importance or not, matters nothing to me--God recognizes no external distinctions. To me, at any rate, the leaders imparted nothing new.

Her children too shall surely die; and all the Churches shall come to know that I am He who searches into men's inmost thoughts; and to each of you I will give a requital which shall be in accordance with what your conduct has been.

Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to the disciples, "Beware of the Scribes, who like to walk about in long robes, and love to be bowed to in places of public resort and to occupy the best seats in the synagogues or at a dinner party; who swallow up the property of widows and mask their wickedness by making long prayers. They will be punished far more severely than others."

When you give in charity, never blow a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and streets in order that their praises may be sung by men. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward.

We are not again commending ourselves to your favour, but are furnishing you with a ground of boasting on our behalf, so that you may have a reply ready for those with whom superficial appearances are everything and sincerity of heart counts for nothing.

All who desire to display their zeal for external observances try to compel you to receive circumcision, but their real object is simply to escape being persecuted for the Cross of Christ.

Therefore we are not cowards. Nay, even though our outward man is wasting away, yet our inward man is being renewed day by day. For this our light and transitory burden of suffering is achieving for us a preponderating, yes, a vastly preponderating, and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at things seen, but things unseen; for things seen are temporary, but things unseen are eternal.

For the true Jew is not the man who is simply a Jew outwardly, and true circumcision is not that which is outward and bodily. But the true Jew is one inwardly, and true circumcision is heart-circumcision--not literal, but spiritual; and such people receive praise not from men, but from God.

Your adornment ought not to be a merely outward thing--one of plaiting the hair, putting on jewelry, or wearing beautiful dresses. Instead of that, it should be a new nature within--the imperishable ornament of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which is indeed precious in the sight of God. For in ancient times also this was the way the holy women who set their hopes upon God used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their husbands.

and I would have the women dress becomingly, with modesty and self-control, not with plaited hair or gold or pearls or costly clothes, but--as befits women making a claim to godliness--with the ornament of good works.