The Bible does not specifically mention Narcissistic Personality Disorder by name. It does, however, discuss many traits of narcissism. Many narcissists claiming to be “Christians” or “religious people” refuse to acknowledge these verses, and only quote ones that benefit them, such as ones regarding forgiveness or honoring parents. That does not change the fact the Bible has plenty to say about narcissism!
Here are some examples of what the *Bible has to say about Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Remember, 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage];”, so please consider these verses, especially if you have received abuse under the guise of Christianity.
- 1 Samuel 2:3 “Do not go on boasting so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And by Him actions are weighed (examined).
- 2 Chronicles 26:16 [ Pride Is Uzziah’s Undoing ] But when Uzziah became strong, he became so proud [of himself and his accomplishments] that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful and sinned against the Lord his God, for he went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
- 2 Chronicles 32:25 But Hezekiah did nothing [for the Lord] in return for the benefit bestowed on him, because his heart had become proud; therefore God’s wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.
- Psalm 1:1 “1 Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers).”
- Psalm 10:2 “In pride and arrogance the wicked hotly pursue and persecute the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.”
- Psalm 31:18 “Let the lying lips be mute, Which speak insolently and arrogantly against the [consistently] righteous With pride and contempt.”
- Psalm 40:4 “Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who makes the Lord his trust, And does not regard the proud nor those who lapse into lies.”
- Psalm 101:5 “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will silence; The one who has a haughty look and a proud (arrogant) heart I will not tolerate.”
- Proverbs 6:16-19 “16 These six things the Lord hates; Indeed, seven are repulsive to Him: 17 A proud look [the attitude that makes one overestimate oneself and discount others], a lying tongue,
- And hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that creates wicked plans, Feet that run swiftly to evil, 19 A false witness who breathes out lies [even half-truths], And one who spreads discord (rumors) among brothers.”
- Proverbs 8:13 “The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.”
- Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes [boiling up with an arrogant attitude of self-importance], then come dishonor and shame, But with the humble [the teachable who have been chiseled by trial and who have learned to walk humbly with God] there is wisdom and soundness of mind.”
- Proverbs 13:10 “Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife, But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.”
- Proverbs 15:25 “The Lord will tear down the house of the proud and arrogant (self-righteous), But He will establish and protect the boundaries [of the land] of the [godly] widow.”
- Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”
- Proverbs 16:5 “Everyone who is proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting and exceedingly offensive to the Lord; Be assured he will not go unpunished.”
- Proverbs 21:4 “Haughty and arrogant eyes and a proud heart, The lamp of the wicked [their self-centered pride], is sin [in the eyes of God].”
- Proverbs 21:24 “Proud,” “Haughty,” “Scoffer,” are his names Who acts with overbearing and insolent pride.”
- Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down, But he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:8 “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit (pride).”
- Isaiah 2:11 “The proud look of man will be degraded And the arrogance of men will be humbled, And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.”
- Isaiah 2:12 “[ A Day of Reckoning Coming ] For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against all who are proud and arrogant And against all who are lifted up, That they may be degraded.”
- Isaiah 2:17 “Then the pride of man will be humbled And the arrogance of men will be degraded; The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,”
- Isaiah 5:15 “So the common man will be bowed down and the man of importance degraded, And the eyes of the proud (arrogant) will be degraded.”
- (Regarding Lucifer’s fall from Heaven) Isaiah 14:12-14 “12 How you have fallen from heaven,
O [a]star of the morning [light-bringer], son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, You who have weakened the nations [king of Babylon]! 13 But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly In the remote parts of the north. 14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “ - Jeremiah 50:32 “The arrogant (proud) one will stumble and fall With no one to raise him up; And I will set fire to his cities And it will devour all who are around him.”
- Habakkuk 2:4 “Look at the proud one, His soul is not right within him, But the righteous will live by his faith [in the true God].”
- Matthew 23:4 “The scribes and Pharisees tie up [a]heavy loads [that are hard to bear] and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger [to make them lighter].”
- Matthew 23:27-28 “27 “Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28 So you, also, outwardly seem to be just and upright to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
- Luke 4:6-8 “6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this realm and its glory [its power, its renown]; because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore if You worship before me, it will all be Yours.” 8 Jesus replied to him, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”
- Luke 18:9-14 “9 He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [posing outwardly as upright and in right standing with God], and who viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood [ostentatiously] and began praying to himself [in a self-righteous way, saying]: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—swindlers, unjust (dishonest), adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even raise his eyes toward heaven, but was striking his chest [in humility and repentance], saying, ‘God, be merciful and gracious to me, the [especially wicked] sinner [that I am]!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his home justified [forgiven of the guilt of sin and placed in right standing with God] rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself [forsaking self-righteous pride] will be exalted.” “
- John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and it is your will to practice the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant.”
- 2 Corinthians 11:14 “And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
- 2 Timothy 3:1-5 “3 But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. 2 For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, 3 [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.” (Notice the word I underlined! This translation of the Bible actually uses the word narcissistic!)
- James 4:6 “But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].”
- 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world.”
- 3 John 9 “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to put himself first, does not accept what we say and refuses to recognize my authority.”
*All Scriptures on this page are taken from the Amplified translation of the Bible.