30 Bible Verses about Self Deception

If we say that we are without sin, we deceive ourselves, and have no regard to truth.

Know you not that the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God? be not deceived: neither the licentious, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor the brutal, nor thieves, nor misers, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor raparees, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

if we say that we have not sinned, we impeach his veracity, and discredit his word.

you say you are rich, and have increased your gain, and have need of nothing; but you do not consider that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who prey upon the estates of widows, under the pretext of making long prayers; therefore ye shall be punish'd with the greater severity. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye not only refuse to go in your selves, but hinder those that would. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who ransack sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is gain'd, ye make him deserve Gehenna much more than your selves.

but wo unto you Pharisees: for you will pay the tythes of mint, and rue, and all sorts of herbs, but as for justice and true piety, those you neglect. these you ought to have practised, without omitting however the other. wo unto you Pharisees, for you affect to have the first rank in the synagogue, and to be complimented in publick places. wo unto you: for you resemble subterraneous monuments, which men walk over, without perceiving them.read more.
Then a doctor of the law objected to him, saying, master, your discourse is an insult upon us also. but Jesus said, wo unto you likewise, doctors of the law; for you load men with insupportable burthens, the least part of which you will not yourselves bear: wo unto you, for you rebuild the sepulchres of those prophets, whom your fathers put to death: they were guilty of slaughter, and you raise monuments to their memory. agreeably to this, in the Wisdom of God 'tis said, "I will send them prophets and apostles: some they will kill, and others they will persecute: " so that the blood of all the prophets, which has been shed since the creation of the world, may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to that of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the temple: yes, I assure you, this generation shall be responsible for it all. wo unto you, doctors of the law; for after having taken the key of knowledge, you remain still in the dark, and hinder others, who desire to have light.

they answered him, we are Abraham's offspring, and were never slaves to any man: why then do you say, "ye shall be made free?" Jesus answered them, I declare unto you, whosoever committeth sin, is a slave to sin.

Don't delusively content your selves with being of the audience, but put what you hear in practice: for a bare auditor without practice is like one who sees his image form'd by a mirror: he takes a view, turns away, and instantly loses his appearance.read more.
whereas, he that attentively considers the perfect law of liberty, and is attach'd thereto, he is not a forgetful hearer, but reduces it to practice, and his conduct is crown'd with hapiness. If a person of an ungovernable tongue pretends to religion, he abuses himself: for his religion is meer illusion.

As for you, who affirm, "to-day, or, to-morrow we will go to such a city, we will stay there a whole year, there we will traffic, and find our account." how do you know, what will happen to-morrow? for, "what is your life?" a vapour that just appears, and then vanishes. your language ought to be this, "if the Lord pleases to give us life, we shall do this, or that."read more.
you triumph in your vain projects, but your presumption is vicious.

to which purpose he propos'd to them this parable: a rich man had some land that was very fruitful. and thus he reason'd with himself, what shall I do for want of room to store up my crop? this will I do, said he, I will pull down my barns, and build greater: and there I will bestow all my rich product.read more.
then I will say to my soul, soul, you have many enjoyments in reserve for a number of years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. but God said to him, thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee: who then shall enjoy what thou hast provided?

Let your actions then show your repentance: and don't pretend to say within your selves, We have Abraham for our father: for I tell you, that God is able out of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham:

let your actions therefore show your repentance, and don't pretend to say within yourselves, "we have Abraham for our father:" for I tell you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but only they who do the will of my Father who is in heaven. many will cry out to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? have we not cast out devils in thy name? and in thy name have we not wrought many miracles? and then will I make this declaration to them: I never knew you: depart from me ye that have practised iniquity.

when once the master of the family is enter'd in, and has fastned the door, you will stand without beating at the door, and cry, Lord, Lord, let us in: but he will answer, you are strangers to me. then you will say, we have eat, and drank with you, and you have taught in our streets. but he will answer, I tell you, you are strangers to me: depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.

then will he say to those on the left, depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. for I was prest with hunger, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.read more.
then will they answer, Lord, when did we see thee in hunger, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? to this he will reply, I declare unto you, your not doing this for one of the least of these, is the same thing as not doing it for me. and these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

they answered him, Abraham is our father. if you were Abraham's children, said Jesus, you would act like Abraham. but now ye seek to kill me, the man who has told you the truth, such as I have learnt it of God: Abraham did not act thus. your actions are like your father. at this they reply'd, we are no bastards; we have but one father, even God.read more.
Jesus said to them, if God were your father, ye would love me: for I was commissioned by God to come; I did not come of my self, but he sent me. why do not you understand my language? unless because ye cannot bear my doctrine? you, who have the devil for your father, will execute the designs of your father: he was a murderer from the beginning, and deserted the truth, since he has no love for the truth: when he lyes, he speaks like himself: for he is a lyar, and the father of a lyar. but as to me, because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me. which of you can convict me of sin? if then I say the truth, why don't you believe me? he that is of God, does therefore observe what God says: which you do not observe, because ye are not of God.

'Tis true, you bear the name of a Jew, you depend upon the law, and boast of your worship: you know the divine will, and what is contrary thereto, having been educated in the law: you think you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,read more.
an instructer of the ignorant, a teacher to the weak, because you have a clear view of the true meaning of the law. you therefore who instruct others don't you instruct yourself? you who preach against stealing, do you steal? you who declaim against adultery, do you commit adultery? you who abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege? and you, who glory in the law, do you dishonour God by the violation of the law? for (as it is written) the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles by your miscarriages. Circumcision indeed is an advantage, if you keep the law: but if you violate the law, your being a Jew makes you no better than a heathen. if therefore an uncircumcised Gentile keep the moral precepts contained in the law, shall not he be reckon'd, as if he were circumcised? and shall not a Gentile, tho' he is not actually circumcised, if he fulfil the law, condemn thee, who, tho' literally circumcised, dost yet transgress the law? for it is not the Jew in outward appearance, neither is it the external mark of circumcision: but it is the Jew, who is so inwardly, and it is the circumcision of the heart, according to the spiritual, not the literal sense, which have the approbation, I do not say of men, but of God.

circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, in comparison of obeying the divine commands.

be upon your guard against snarlers, against the contrivances of the crafty, against the spurious breed; for we are the genuine sons of Abraham, who worship God in the spiritual manner, and value no other dependance than that on Jesus Christ, without confiding in any external advantages: which I might do more justly than any other man can pretend to:read more.
being circumcised the eighth day, of the family of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew by descent, by sect a Pharisee. if zeal is to be regarded, I persecuted the church; if the integrity prescrib'd by the law, I am without reproach; these advantages I renounce for Christ,

let no man deceive himself: if any among you pretends to worldly wisdom, let him commence fool, in order to be truly wise. for the wisdom of this world is folly, in the eye of God: as it is written, "he surprizes the wise in all their artifices." and again, "the Lord knows, that the thoughts of the wise are vain."

Peter thereupon said, tho' all the rest should abandon you, I never will. Jesus replied, I tell you for certain, that this night before the time of cock-crowing, thou shalt abjure me thrice. but Peter said, though it should cost me my life, I never will disown you. and so said all the disciples.

and Jesus said to them, this night you will all be staggered upon my account: for it is written, "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." but after I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. upon which Peter said to him, tho' all should stagger, yet I will not.read more.
Jesus said to him, verily I tell thee, to-day, even this night, before the cock crow twice, you will renounce me thrice. but he urg'd it with more vehemence, tho' I should die with you, I will not renounce you. and all the rest affirm'd the same.

Peter answer'd, Lord, I am ready to accompany you both to prison, and to death. but Jesus said, before the cock proclaims the day, you will thrice deny that ever you knew me.

Peter said to him, Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for your sake. Jesus answered him, you lay down your life for my sake! Verily, verily I say unto thee, the cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

for I dare not rank or compare my self with some who vaunt themselves: but they making their self-conceit the only standard whereby to judge of themselves, show their want of judgment.

for if a man thinks himself to be considerable, when he is not, he deceives himself.

And when you pray, be not as the hypocrites are: for they chuse to stand praying in publick places, and at the corners of the streets, to be observ'd by men. I assure you, they have their reward.

but he said to them, you pretend to piety before men, which, however they may admire, is an abomination to God, who knows your real temper.

Then he propos'd this parable, concerning those who had a great opinion of their own justice, and look'd with contempt upon others. two men went to the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, the other a Publican. the Pharisee in a standing posture pray'd thus by himself, O God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men, a robber, a cheat, an adulterer, or like that Publican.read more.
I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess. but the Publican, who stood a good way lower, not daring to lift up even his eyes to heaven, only smote his breast, and said, O God, be merciful to me, who am a sinner. I tell you this man went home approv'd as just, and not the other. for whoever exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

for ever since the creation of the world, his eternal power and divinity, things in themselves invisible, are clearly seen, being perceived by the things that are made; so that they are without excuse: because when they knew God, they did not with gratitude glorify him as God, but their reasoning became extravagance, and their minds, void of judgment, were involv'd in darkness. pretending to be wise, they became fools:read more.
the honour due to God, who is immortal, they transferr'd to idols representing men, who are mortal, to birds, and beasts, and insects.