'Motives' in the Bible
Everyone speaks lies to his neighbor; they speak with flattering lips and hidden motives.
Love the LORD, all his godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful and repays those who act with proud motives.
who speak against you with evil motives, your enemies who are acting in vain.
What the wicked person sacrifices is detestable how much more when he offers it with vile motives!
If you say, "Look here, we didn't know about this," doesn't God, who examines motives, discern it? Doesn't the one who guards your soul know about it? Won't he repay each person according to what he has done?
LORD of the Heavenly Armies, who tests the righteous, who sees the inner motives and the heart, let me see you take vengeance on them, for I've committed my case to you.
Therefore, stop judging prematurely, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of our hearts. Then each person will receive his praise from God.
If I have fought with wild animals in Ephesus from merely human motives, what do I get out of it? If the dead are not raised, "Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
For this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God's grace especially toward you.
But so what? Just this that in every way, whether by false or true motives, the Messiah is being proclaimed. Because of this, I rejoice and will continue to rejoice.
For our appeal to you does not spring from deceit, impure motives, or trickery.
Rather, because we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, we speak as we do, not trying to please people but God, who tests our motives.
then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not?