Today we will discuss self-righteous hypocrisy in the light of God’s Word. Many times we want to prove ourselves morally better than others and cannot admit our faults but want to show others that we are innocent and holy. But God knows the heart of our hearts, so we should purify ourselves before God.
The Pharisees saw themselves as righteous, but in reality they were wicked and unrighteous. That is why Jesus rebuked them and said, “You cannot deceive God, because He knows your hearts.”
The Pharisees would stand in the streets and pray to be seen by people, but they loved God. But their hearts were deceitful and they exploited other classes of people. They hated thieves, evildoers, adulterers, and even tax collectors. But God wants us to worship Him with a true heart, not like the Pharisees.
Therefore, we need to be careful and self-examine our lives and activities. Let us not become unrighteous in God’s sight by trying to show ourselves righteous.
Dear friends, let us now look at the following Bible passages that speak of self-righteous hypocrites.
Luke 11:39-44 : —
“The Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening wickednessYe fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?But rather give alms of such things as ye have; , behold, all things are clean unto youBut woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint rue all manner of herbs, pass over judgment the love of God: these ought ye to have done, not to leave the other undoneWoe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketsWoe unto you, scribes Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, the men that walk over them are not aware of them”
Luke 12:1-3 : —
“In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisyFor there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be knownTherefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops”
Luke 16:15 : —
“He said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God”
Luke 18:9-14 : —
“He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, despised othersTwo men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, the other a publicanThe Pharisee stood prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publicanI fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possessAnd the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinnerI tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; he that humbleth himself shall be exalted”
Luke 20:46-47 : —
“Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, love greetings in the markets, the highest seats in the synagogues, the chief rooms at feastsWhich devour widows’ houses, for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation”
Luke 6:46 : —
“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, do not the things which I say?”
Matthew 15:7-9 : —
“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, sayingThis people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from meBut in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”
Matthew 23:1-2 : —
“Then spake Jesus to the multitude, to his disciplesSaying The scribes the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat”
Matthew 23:10-17 : —
“Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even ChristBut he that is greatest among you shall be your servantAnd whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; he that shall humble himself shall be exaltedBut woe unto you, scribes Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go inWoe unto you, scribes Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnationWoe unto you, scribes Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea land to make one proselyte, when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselvesWoe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtorYe fools blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?”
Matthew 23:19 : —
“Ye fools blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?”
Matthew 23:23-26 : —
“Woe unto you, scribes Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint anise cummin, have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, faith: these ought ye to have done, not to leave the other undoneYe blind guides, which strain at a gnat, swallow a camelWoe unto you, scribes Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup of the platter, but within they are full of extortion excessThou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup platter, that the outside of them may be clean also”
Matthew 23:29-33 : —
“Woe unto you, scribes Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, garnish the sepulchres of the righteousAnd say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophetsWherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophetsFill ye up then the measure of your fathersYe serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”
Matthew 23:37-39 : —
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, ye would notBehold, your house is left unto you desolateFor I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord”
Matthew 5:20 : —
“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven”
Matthew 6:1 : —
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven”
Matthew 6:5 : —
“When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward”
Matthew 7:21-23 : —
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heavenMany will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? in thy name have cast out devils? in thy name done many wonderful works?then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”
Romans 2:1-3 : —
“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same thingsBut we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such thingsAnd thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?”
Romans 2:17-24 : —
“Behold, thou art called a Jew, restest in the law, makest thy boast of GodAnd knowest his will, approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the lawAnd art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darknessAn instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge of the truth in the lawThou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written”
Isaiah 29:13 : —
“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men”
Mark 12:38-40 : —
“He said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, love salutations in the marketplacesAnd the chief seats in the synagogues, the uppermost rooms at feastsWhich devour widows’ houses, for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation”
Mark 7:6-7 : —
“He answered said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from meHowbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”
James 1:26 : —
“If any man among you seem to be religious, bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain”
Titus 1:16 : —
“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, unto every good work reprobate”
Micah 3:11 : —
“The heads thereof judge for reward, the priests thereof teach for hire, the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord , say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us”