30 Bible Verses about Self Deception

If we claim to be already free from sin, we lead ourselves astray and the truth has no place in our hearts.

Do you not know that unrighteous men will not inherit God's Kingdom? Cherish no delusion here. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor any who are guilty of unnatural crime, nor theives, nor avaricious people, nor any who are addicted to hard drinking, to abusive language or to greed of gain, will inherit God's Kingdom.

If we deny that we have sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Message has no place in our hearts.

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.

"But alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you lock the door of the Kingdom of the Heavens against men; you yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow those to enter who are seeking to do so. No translation "Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you scour sea and land in order to win one convert--and when he is gained, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.

"But alas for you Pharisees! for you pay tithes on your mint and rue and every kind of garden vegetable, and are indifferent to justice and the love of God. These are the things you ought to have attended to, while not neglecting the others. Alas for you Pharisees! for you love the best seats in the synagogues, and you like to be bowed to in places of public resort. Alas for you! for you are like the tombs which lie hidden, and the people who walk over them are not aware of their existence."read more.
Hereupon one of the expounders of the Law exclaimed, "Rabbi, in saying such things you reproach us also." "Alas too for you expounders of the Law!" replied Jesus, "for you load men with cumbrous burdens which you yourselves will not touch with one of your fingers. Alas for you! for you repair the tombs of the Prophets, whom your forefathers killed. It follows that you bear testimony to the actions of your forefathers and that you fully approve thereof. They slew, you build. "For this reason also the Wisdom of God has said, 'I will send Prophets and Apostles to them, of whom they will kill some and persecute others,' so that the blood of all the Prophets, that is being shed from the creation of the world onwards, may be required from the present generation. Yes, I tell you that, from the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the House, it shall all be required from the present generation. "Alas for you expounders of the Law! for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves have not entered, and those who wanted to enter you have hindered."

"We are descendants of Abraham," they answered, "and have never at any time been in slavery to any one. What do those words of yours mean, 'You shall become free'?" "In most solemn truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "that every one who commits sin is the slave of sin.

But prove yourselves obedient to the Message, and do not be mere hearers of it, imposing a delusion upon yourselves. For if any one listens but does not obey, he is like a man who carefully looks at his own face in a mirror. Although he has looked carefully at himself, he goes away, and has immediately forgotten the sort of man he is.read more.
But he who looks closely into the perfect Law--the Law of freedom--and continues looking, he, being not a hearer who forgets, but an obedient doer, will as the result of his obedience be blessed. If a man thinks that he is scrupulously religious, although he is not curbing his tongue but is deceiving himself, his religious service is worthless.

Come, you who say, "To-day or to-morrow we will go to this or that city, and spend a year there and carry on a successful business," when, all the while, you do not even know what will happen to-morrow. For what is the nature of your life? Why, it is but a mist, which appears for a short time and then is seen no more. Instead of that you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we shall live and do this or that."read more.
But, as the case stands, it is in mere self-confidence that you boast: all such boasting is evil.

And He spoke a parable to them. "A certain rich man's lands," He said, "yielded abundant crops, and he debated within himself, saying, "'What am I to do? for I have no place in which to store my crops.' "And he said to himself, "'This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and in them I will store up all my harvest and my wealth;read more.
and I will say to my life, "'Life, you have ample possessions laid up for many years to come: take your ease, eat, drink, enjoy yourself.' "But God said to him, "'Foolish man, this night your life is demanded from you; and these preparations--for whom shall they be?'

Therefore let your lives prove your change of heart; and do not imagine that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our forefather,' for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones.

Live lives which shall prove your change of heart; and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our forefather,' for I tell you that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones.

"Not every one who says to me, 'Master, Master,' will enter the Kingdom of the Heavens, but only those who are obedient to my Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, "'Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name expelled demons, and in Thy name performed many mighty works?' "And then I will tell them plainly, "'I never knew you: begone from me, you doers of wickedness.'

As soon as the Master of the house shall have risen and shut the door, and you have begun to stand outside and knock at the door and say, "'Sir, open the door for us' --"'I do not know you,' He answers; 'you are no friends of mine.' "Then you will plead, "'We have eaten and drunk in your company and you have taught in our streets.' "But He will reply, "'I tell you that you are no friends of mine. Begone from me, all of you, wrongdoers that you are.'

"Then will He say to those at His left, "'Begone from me, with the curse resting upon you, into the Fire of the Ages, which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels. For when I was hungry, you gave me nothing to eat; when thirsty, you gave me nothing to drink; when homeless, you gave me no welcome; ill-clad, you clothed me not; sick or in prison, you visited me not.'read more.
"Then will they also answer, "'Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or homeless or ill-clad or sick or in prison, and not come to serve Thee?' "But he will reply, "'In solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you withheld such services from one of the humblest of these, you withheld them from me.' "And these shall go away into the Punishment of the Ages, but the righteous into the Life of the Ages."

"Our father is Abraham," they said. "If you were Abraham's children," replied Jesus, "it is Abraham's deeds that you would be doing. But, in fact, you are longing to kill me, a man who has spoken to you the truth which I have heard from God. Abraham did not do that. You are doing the deeds of your father." "We," they replied, "are not illegitimate children. We have one Father, namely God."read more.
"If God were your Father," said Jesus, "you would love me; for it is from God that I came and I am now here. I have not come of myself, but *He* sent me. How is it you do not understand me when I speak? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my words. The father whose sons you are is the Devil; and you desire to do what gives him pleasure. *He* was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand firm in the truth--for there is no truth in him. Whenever he utters his lie, he utters it out of his own store; for he is a liar, and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. Which of *you* convicts me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is a child of God listens to God's words. You do not listen to them: and why? It is because you are not God's children."

And since you claim the name of Jew, and find rest and satisfaction in the Law, and make your boast in God, and know the supreme will, and can test things that differ--being a man who receives instruction from the Law-- and have persuaded yourself that, as for you, you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,read more.
a schoolmaster for the dull and ignorant, a teacher of the young, because in the Law you possess an outline of real knowledge and an outline of the truth: you then who teach your fellow man, do you refuse to teach yourself? You who cry out against stealing, are you yourself a thief? You who forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You who loathe idols, do you plunder their temples? You who make your boast in the Law, do you offend against its commands and so dishonour God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentile nations because of you, as Holy Writ declares. Circumcision does indeed profit, if you obey the Law; but if you are a Law-breaker, the fact that you have been circumcised counts for nothing. In the same way if an uncircumcised man pays attention to the just requirements of the Law, shall not his lack of circumcision be overlooked, and, although he is a Gentile by birth, if he scrupulously obeys the Law, shall he not sit in judgement upon you who, possessing, as you do, a written Law and circumcision, are yet a Law-breaker? 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.

Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing: obedience to God's commandments is everything.

Beware of 'the dogs,' the bad workmen, the self-mutilators. For we are the true circumcision--we who render to God a spiritual worship and make our boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in outward ceremonies: although I myself might have some excuse for confidence in outward ceremonies. If any one else claims a right to trust in them, far more may I:read more.
circumcised, as I was, on the eighth day, a member of the race of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew sprung from Hebrews; as to the Law a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the Church; as to the righteousness which comes through Law, blameless. Yet all that was gain to me--for Christ's sake I have reckoned it loss.

Let no one deceive himself. If any man imagines that he is wise, compared with the rest of you, with the wisdom of the present age, let him become "foolish" so that he may be wise. This world's wisdom is "foolishness" in God's sight; for it is written, "He snares the wise with their own cunning." And again, "The Lord takes knowledge of the reasonings of the wise--how useless they are."

"All may stumble and fail," said Peter, "but I never will." "In solemn truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "that this very night, before the cock crows, you will three times disown me." "Even if I must die with you," declared Peter, "I will never disown you." In like manner protested all the disciples.

Then said Jesus to them, "All of you are about to stumble and fall, for it is written, 'I will strike down the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered in all directions.' But after I have risen to life again I will go before you into Galilee." "All may stumble and fall," said Peter, "yet I never will."read more.
"I solemnly tell you," replied Jesus, "that to-day--this night--before the cock crows twice, you yourself will three times disown me." "Even if I must die with you," declared Peter again and again, "I will never disown you." In like manner protested also all the disciples.

"Master," replied Peter, "with you I am ready to go both to prison and to death." "I tell you, Peter," said Jesus, "that the cock will not crow to-day till you have three times denied that you know me."

"Master," asked Peter again, "why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life on your behalf. "You say you will lay down your life on my behalf!" said Jesus; "in most solemn truth I tell you that the cock will not crow before you have three times disowned me."

For we have not the 'courage' to rank ourselves among, or compare ourselves with, certain persons distinguished by their self-commendation. Yet they are not wise, measuring themselves, as they do, by one another and comparing themselves with one another.

For if there is any one who thinks himself to be somebody when he is nobody, he is deluding himself.

"And when praying, you must not be like the hypocrites. They are fond of standing and praying in the synagogues or at the corners of the wider streets, in order that men may see them. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward.

"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.

And to some who relied on themselves as being righteous men, and looked down upon all others, He addressed this parable. "Two men went up to the Temple to pray," He said; "one being a Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee, standing erect, prayed as follows by himself: "'O God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people--I am not a thief nor a cheat nor an adulterer, nor do I even resemble this tax-gatherer.read more.
I fast twice a week. I pay the tithe on all my gains.' "But the tax-gatherer, standing far back, would not so much as lift his eyes to Heaven, but kept beating his breast and saying, "'O God, be reconciled to me, sinner that I am.' "I tell you that this man went home more thoroughly absolved from guilt than the other; for every one who uplifts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be uplifted."

For, from the very creation of the world, His invisible perfections--namely His eternal power and divine nature--have been rendered intelligible and clearly visible by His works, so that these men are without excuse. For when they had come to know God, they did not give Him glory as God nor render Him thanks, but they became absorbed in useless discussions, and their senseless minds were darkened. While boasting of their wisdom they became utter fools,read more.
and, instead of worshipping the imperishable God, they worshipped images resembling perishable man or resembling birds or beasts or reptiles.