30 Bible Verses about Self Deception

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

You say, "I am rich; I have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who would enter to go in. (...) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win a single proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

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."read more.
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."

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.

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for he looks at himself and goes away, and immediately forgets what he was like.read more.
But one who looks intently into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but a doer that acts, this man will be blessed in what he does. If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."read more.
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

And he told them a parable, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods.read more.
And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have prepared?'

Bear fruit worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

"Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers!'

When once the owner of the house has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open for us.' He will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!'

"Then he will say to those on his left hand, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'read more.
Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

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."read more.
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."

But if you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God and know his will and approve of what is excellent, because you are instructed in the law, and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,read more.
an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a breaker of the law. For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something outward and in the flesh. He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, and not by the written code. His praise is not from men but from God.

Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what counts.

Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those mutilators of the body. For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh, though I myself have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:read more.
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever was gain to me, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become a fool so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."

Peter declared to him, "Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to him, "Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you." And so said all the disciples.

And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away; for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter said to him, "Even if all fall away, I will not."read more.
Jesus said to him, "Truly, I say to you that this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with you, I will not deny you!" And they all said the same.

But he said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day before you deny three times that you know me."

Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow, till you have denied me three times.

For we do not dare to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.

For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

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 since the creation of the world his invisible nature, even his eternal power and deity, has been clearly seen, being understood by the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,read more.
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.