What Are the “Self-Sins” Tozer Describes in Removing the Veil?

Short answer: In Chapter 3, “Removing the Veil,” Tozer calls the self-sins the inward expressions of the self-life that obstruct spiritual fellowship: self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love, and related forms of self-centeredness. He also mentions outward expressions such as egotism, exhibitionism, and self-promotion. His point is that the deepest spiritual obstacles are not always obvious outward sins; they can be respectable forms of self at the center.

Why Tozer calls them “self-sins”

Tozer uses the phrase because each item is built around the self.

These are not simply isolated mistakes. They reveal a deeper orientation in which the self becomes the reference point for righteousness, security, worth, sympathy, ability, or love.

That is why they can remain hidden inside religious people.

Self-righteousness

Self-righteousness trusts personal goodness, correctness, morality, or religious performance as grounds for superiority.

It may appear as contempt for weaker believers, unwillingness to admit wrong, or the belief that “people like me” are spiritually safer than others.

The gospel directly challenges this because righteousness before God is not a trophy for moral achievement.

Self-pity

Self-pity is more than honest grief.

Biblical lament brings pain to God honestly. Self-pity turns pain inward until the self becomes the center of the story and resentment begins to grow.

A helpful question is: Does my suffering move me toward God and others, or only deeper into myself?

Self-confidence and self-sufficiency

Healthy confidence in a God-given ability is not necessarily sinful. Tozer is criticizing independence from God.

Self-confidence says, “I can handle this without dependence.”

Self-sufficiency says, “I do not truly need God or other people.”

James 4 and many other passages challenge proud independence and call believers to humility and dependence on God.

Self-admiration and self-love

Tozer is not denying appropriate gratitude for God’s work in a person or the biblical command to love one’s neighbor as oneself.

His target is self-fascination: the need to admire, promote, protect, or center oneself.

This becomes especially dangerous in ministry because spiritual service can be used to build a personal brand.

Why these sins can survive orthodoxy

One of Tozer’s sharpest observations is that self can survive even in settings committed to correct doctrine.

A person can defend grace while craving recognition. He can teach humility while needing praise. He can argue for truth while refusing correction.

Knowledge alone does not automatically crucify pride.

That is why Tozer’s “inner veil” is not removed merely by learning the correct definition of self-denial. Truth must lead to repentance and surrender.

How should Christians evaluate Tozer’s list?

The exact phrase “self-sins” is Tozer’s devotional vocabulary, not a biblical category that must be adopted word-for-word.

But the underlying concerns are strongly biblical:

pride;
self-exaltation;
self-righteousness;
boasting;
independence from God;
refusal of self-denial.

Luke 9:23 calls disciples to deny self and follow Christ. James 4:6 teaches that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.

Those texts help evaluate Tozer’s list without treating his terminology as Scripture.

A practical self-sins inventory

Ask:

When corrected, do I defend myself before listening?
When overlooked, do I become resentful?
When successful, do I quietly feel superior?
When suffering, do I believe no one understands me and withdraw into bitterness?
When making decisions, do I pray because I depend on God or only after my own plans fail?
When serving, do I need visible appreciation?
When another person succeeds, can I rejoice without comparison?

The aim is not endless self-analysis. It is honest repentance.

What should replace the self-sins?

The Christian answer is not simply to think badly about oneself.

The better replacements are gospel-shaped:

self-righteousness → dependence on Christ’s grace;
self-pity → honest lament joined with trust;
self-confidence → confidence in God while stewarding gifts;
self-sufficiency → prayerful dependence;
self-admiration → gratitude;
self-promotion → humble service;
self-centered love → love of God and neighbor.

Put It Into Practice

Choose one item from Tozer’s list that appears most clearly in your life. Connect it to one Scripture passage, confess it specifically, and practice its opposite this week. If the issue is self-promotion, serve where no recognition is likely. If it is self-sufficiency, ask for prayer and help. If it is self-righteousness, confess where you have judged others proudly.