30 Bible Verses about Self Deception

If we say we have not sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Know you not that the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous persons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor the rapacious, shall 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.

For you say, I am rich and have become rich and have need of nothing, and know not that you are miserable, and pitiable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven before men; for you enter not into it, neither do you suffer those entering to go in. (Added verse not retained in Sawyer) Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you compass the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte; and when he is gained you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

But woe to you, Pharisees! for you tithe mint, and rue, and every kind of plant, and omit justice and the love of God. These things you ought to do, and not to omit those. Woe to you, Pharisees! for you love the first seat in the synagogues, and salutations in the markets. Woe to you! for you are like concealed tombs; and men walk over them and know it not.read more.
And one of the lawyers answered and said to him, Teacher, in saying these things you reproach us also. And he said, Woe to you, lawyers! for you load men with burdens difficult to be borne, and you yourselves will 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; therefore you are witnesses, and approve the deed of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build. Therefore also the wisdom of God said, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall kill and persecute, that the blood of all the prophets which has been poured out since the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the house. 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 do not enter in yourselves, and you forbid those entering.

They answered him, We are children of Abraham, and were never in servitude to any one; how say you, You shall become free? Jesus answered them, I tell you most truly, that every one who commits sin is a servant of the sin.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man perceiving his natural face in a glass; for he perceived himself, and went away, and immediately forgot what kind of a man he was.read more.
But he that looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, not being a forgetful hearer but a doer of work, he shall be blessed in his doing. But if any one among you thinks he is religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his mind, that man's religion is vain.

Come now, you that say, To-day and to-morrow we will go to such a city and engage in business there a year, and trade and make profits, who know not what will be on the morrow; for what is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes away; for you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall both live and do this or that.read more.
But now you glory in your boasting; all such glorying is evil.

And he told them a parable, saying, The farm of a certain rich man produced abundantly; and he reasoned in himself, saying, What shall I do, for I have no place where I shall bring together my fruits? And he said, I will do this; I will take down my storehouses and build greater; and there will I bring together all my produce and my goods;read more.
and I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years rest, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. But God said to him, Foolish man, this night they shall require your soul from you; and who then will have the goods which you have provided?

Bear fruit, therefore, worthy of a change of mind; and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for a father; for I tell you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham;

Bear fruits, therefore, worthy of a change of mind. And say not within yourselves, We have Abraham for a father; for I tell you that God is able from 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 he that does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name performed many mighty works? and then will I confess to them, I never knew you; depart from me you that commit wickedness.

When the householder has risen and shut the door, and you stand without and knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us, and he will answer and say to you, I know you not whence you are, then you will say, We eat and drank in your presence, and you have taught in our streets; and he will say to you, I know not whence you are; depart from me, all doers of wickedness.

Then shall he say to those on his left hand, Depart from me accursed, 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; a stranger, and you took me not in; sick and in prison and you visited me not.read more.
Then shall they also answer and say, Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not serve you? Then he shall answer them saying, I tell you truly, that inasmuch as you have not done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have not done it to me. And these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.

They answered and said to him, Our father is Abraham. Jesus said to them, If you were children of Abraham, you would have done the works of Abraham; but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I have heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You do the works of your father. They said to him, We were not born by fornication, we have one father, God.read more.
Jesus said to them, If God was your father you would have loved me; for I came forth and come from God; for I came not of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and stood not by the truth; for truth is not in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own; for he is a liar, and the father of him [that lies]. But because I tell you the truth you believe me not. Who of you convicts me of a sin? If I say the truth, why do you not believe me? He that is of God hears the words of God; you, therefore, hear not, because you are not of God.

But [what] if you are called a Jew and rest on the law, and boast of God, and know his will, and approve of things which are excellent, being instructed by the law, and believe yourself to be a guide of the blind, a light of those in darkness,read more.
an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law; you that teach another, do you not teach yourself? You that preach not to steal, do you steal? You that command not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You that abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege? You who boast of the law, by the transgression of the law do you dishonor God? For the name of God is blasphemed on your account among the nations as it is written. For circumcision indeed is profitable if you perform the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. If therefore the uncircumcision keeps the ordinances of the law, shall not its uncircumcision be accounted for circumcision? And the uncircumcision by nature which keeps the law shall judge you who with the written law and circumcision are a transgressor of the law. For not that which is external is the Jew, nor is that which is external in the flesh circumcision. But that which is in secret is the Jew, and circumcision of the heart is in the spirit not in the writing, the commendation of which is not of men but of God.

Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping God's commandments.

Beware of the dogs, beware of evil laborers, beware of the concision. We are the circumcision, who serve God in spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and trust not in the flesh, although I have ground of confidence in the flesh. If any other one thinks he may trust in the flesh, I [may] more;read more.
circumcised the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal persecuting the church, as to righteousness by the law being blameless. But whatever things were my gain, these I have considered a loss for the sake of Christ.

Let no one deceive himself; if any one seems to be wise among you in this life, let him be a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written; He takes the wise in their craftiness. And again; The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are vain.

And Peter answered and said to him, If all men shall be offended with you, I will not. Jesus said to him, I tell you truly, that this night, before the cock crows, you will deny me thrice. Peter said to him, If it should be necessary for me to die with you, I will by no means deny you. And all the disciples said the same.

AND Jesus said to them, You will all be offended; for it is written, I will smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered; but after I am raised I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter said to him, Even if all should be offended, yet I will not.read more.
And Jesus said to him, I tell you truly, that to-day, on this night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me thrice. And he said, more strongly, If it should be necessary for me to die with you I will by no means deny you; and they all said the same.

And he said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death. And he said, I tell you, Peter, a cock shall not crow today, before you shall deny thrice 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? I tell you most truly, a cock shall not crow till you shall deny me thrice.

For we dare not judge or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves; but they, measuring themselves with themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are not wise.

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

And when you pray, be not like the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and at the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. I tell you truly, they have their reward.

And he said to them, You are they that justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts; for that which is high among men is an abomination before God.

And he also spoke 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 publican. The Pharisee, standing by himself, offered this prayer; God, I thank thee that I am not as other men, rapacious, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican;read more.
I fast twice a week; I tithe all I acquire. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote on his breast, saying, God, be propitious to me a sinner. I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than that; for every one that exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

For his invisible [attributes] are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being perceived by the things which are made, even his eternal power and deity, so that they have no defense, because having known God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful, but became vain in their reasonings and their ignorant mind was darkened. Saying that they were wise they became foolish,read more.
and changed the glory of the imperishable God into the likeness of the image of perishable man, and of birds, and quadrupeds, and reptiles.