Bible Verses About Self-Righteousness

`And he was angry, and would not go in, therefore his father, having come forth, was entreating him;

and he answering said to the father, Lo, so many years I do serve thee, and never thy command did I transgress, and to me thou didst never give a kid, that with my friends I might make merry;

but when thy son--this one who did devour thy living with harlots--came, thou didst kill to him the fatted calf.

`And he said to him, Child, thou art always with me, and all my things are thine;

but to be merry, and to be glad, it was needful, because this thy brother was dead, and did live again, he was lost, and was found.'

And also the Pharisees, being lovers of money, were hearing all these things, and were deriding him,

and he said to them, `Ye are those declaring yourselves righteous before men, but God doth know your hearts; because that which among men is high, is abomination before God;

And he spake also unto certain who have been trusting in themselves that they were righteous, and have been despising the rest, this simile:

`Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer;

the Pharisee having stood by himself, thus prayed: God, I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of men, rapacious, unrighteous, adulterers, or even as this tax-gatherer;

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all things--as many as I possess.

`And the tax-gatherer, having stood afar off, would not even the eyes lift up to the heaven, but was smiting on his breast, saying, God be propitious to me--the sinner!

I say to you, this one went down declared righteous, to his house, rather than that one: for every one who is exalting himself shall be humbled, and he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.'

And a certain ruler questioned him, saying, `Good teacher, what having done--shall I inherit life age-during?'

And Jesus said to him, `Why me dost thou call good? no one is good, except One--God;

the commands thou hast known: Thou mayest not commit adultery, Thou mayest do no murder, Thou mayest not steal, Thou mayest not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.'

And he said, `All these I did keep from my youth;'

and having heard these things, Jesus said to him, `Yet one thing to thee is lacking; all things--as many as thou hast--sell, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, be following me;'

and he, having heard these things, became very sorrowful, for he was exceeding rich.

They answered him, `Seed of Abraham we are; and to no one have we been servants at any time; how dost thou say--Ye shall become free?'

They reviled him, therefore, and said, `Thou art his disciple, and we are Moses' disciples;

They answered and said to him, `In sins thou wast born altogether, and thou dost teach us!' and they cast him forth without.

And Jesus said, `For judgment I to this world did come, that those not seeing may see, and those seeing may become blind.'

And those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and they said to him, `Are we also blind?'

Jesus said to them, `If ye were blind, ye were not having had sin, but now ye say--We see, therefore doth your sin remain.