Customer Reviews

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A new book from the pen of Jerry Bridges is always a noteworthy event and this month we're blessed to see not one, but two new books bearing his name. The first of these, published by NavPress, is titled Respectable Sins. "The motivation for this book stems from a growing conviction that those of us whom I call conservative evangelicals may have become so preoccupied with some of the major sins of society around us that we have lost sight of the need to deal with our own more `refined' or subtle sins." And in the book Bridges addresses these "respectable sins"--sins, that though they bring dishonor to God, are too often overlooked among Christians. We are apt to focus on the obvious ills of society and our attention to those seemingly great sins somehow convinces us that our small sins are acceptable.

Bridges begins this book, as he usually does, by laying the foundation of the gospel. He addresses the Bible's continual exhortations that we are to "be what we are." We are called saints and are expected by God to act like those who have been set apart to be holy. We are to act like a people who have been separated unto God. While the Bible makes it clear that any conduct unbecoming a saint is sin, and while all Christians acknowledge that we do sin, we are still prone to ignoring certain transgressions that simply do not seem that serious. "We can readily identify sin in the immoral or unethical conduct of people in society at large. But we often fail to see it in what I call the `acceptable sins of the saints.' In effect, we, like society at large, live in denial of our sin."

All sin, no matter how subtle it may seem to us, is malignant. It "wages war against our souls." Some subtle sins we commit without really thinking about them, either at the time or afterward. "We often live in unconscious denial of our `acceptable sins.'" But even these sins are "an assault on the majesty and sovereign rule of God. It is indeed cosmic treason." But, in His sovereign good pleasure, God has graciously provided a remedy for sin in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. After discussing the ramifications of Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf, Bridges transitions to a word about the power of the Holy Spirit, teaching how He works in and with us to cleanse us from our sin.

And here, after about fifty pages of important introductory material, Bridges begins to discuss individual sins he has identified in his own life and in the lives of other believers. Here is the list:

* Ungodliness
* Anxiety and Frustration
* Discontentment
* Unthankfulness
* Pride
* Selfishness
* Lack of Self-Control
* Impatience and Irritability
* Anger
* The Weeds of Anger
* Judgmentalism
* Envy, Jealousy, and Related Sins
* Sins of the Tongue
* Worldliness

Each one of these is discussed in some detail: how the sin can be identified, how it dishonors God, how it affects a Christian's life, and what Scriptures we can use to overcome it. He encourages the reader to go slowly from chapter-to-chapter, pausing to meditate on the Scriptures he provides and seeking to allow them to challenge and, if necessary, to convict. The person who reads the book quickly will be rewarded, but the one who reads it slowly and meditatively will surely be rewarded more.

Jerry Bridges has long served the church in the area of applying the gospel to personal holiness, using the Word to convict of sin and the gospel to restore hope. This book is a welcome addition to his already powerful list of books. The respectable sins he outlines I could often identify in my own life as ones that I have been willing to overlook. I suspect the same will be true of any Christian who takes the time to read it. This book is built upon a simple premise and Bridges executes it powerfully. I don't know of any Christian would not benefit from reading it and from considering those subtle, dangerous, respectable sins.

I enjoy Jerry Bridges books. His classic book THE PURSUIT OF HOLINESS was one of the best books I have ever read on holiness and the Christian's call to live a holy life (1 Peter 1:15-16). This book by Jerry Bidges falls in line with THE PURSUIT OF HOLINESS in that it calls the believer to live a holy life but it also confronts our sins that we often gloss over in taking aim at the "larger" sins.

This book will two two things that I believe are key to the disciple. First, the book opens by showing us the gospel of Jesus Christ and what God has done for us to help us to be people of holiness. Bridges reminds us that holiness is not something we can obtain on our own since our flesh wars against the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17). Bridges shows that the way to holiness is not in rules of religion but only by the grace of God given to us freely in Christ (Titus 2:11-14). The problem of holiness is not that we can't obtain it but that we are by nature children of sin who need to be born again by the Spirit (Ezekiel 36:25-27; John 3:3-7).

Secondly, Bridges turns to showing us that sin is not just found in society at large but it can be in our thoughts, our words, and in our actions. It is easy to see sin in others, Bridges points out, but we need to first see sin in us (Matthew 7:1-3). Bridges then takes the light of God's Word and allows us to see that all sin grieves the heart of God (Ephesians 4:29-31). Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). The Law of God shows us our sins (Romans 7:7, 14; 1 Timothy 1:8-10; James 2:8-11).

Overall, I was greatly encouraged after reading this book. While Bridges will cut you with the Word (Hebrews 4:12), he also shows us the awesome grace of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). While the Law convicts us, God's grace brings the joy of the Lord to help us overcome our sins.

This book did more to cause me to examine my own personal walk with the Lord and stop focusing so much on the sins of others (something I do frequently)---even the anti-Christian attitudes so prevalent in our culture today.

The Ted Haggard catastrophe should have been a wake-up call to many Christians that the Christian life is a life of obedience that flows out of the faith that God gives to his Church (Romans 1:5), and that focusing more on the major sins of the culture, and not on our own personal sanctification, has the potential of leading to a tragic event such as what happened to Ted Haggard.

Boycotting anti-Christian movies and picketing abortion clinics only serves to fuel the God-haters of this world and leads to even more God-hating. What the unbelieving world needs to see from the Church is a "peculiar people" who are not of this world, but are truly transformed by the Gospel.

The modern-day Church has pretty much abandoned the Gospel and is turning the Church into a moralistic religion that is barely distinguishable from other religious systems i.e. Buddhism, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, etc., which all teach that salvation is merited by our own good works and not Christ's. As we recognize that it's Christ's righteousness, and not our own that merits our salvation, then the result is true humility, which is one of the godly characteristics for which Christ suffered and died to give to his people.

"Respectable Sins" has been very valuable to me in that it exposed the huge log I have sticking out of my eye most of the time. This log is capable of blinding me to my own lack of godly character as I seek to magnify the sins of others. I cannot expect to be used by God until I have attained some measure of godliness, and godliness marked by humility is contradicted by my pride which forgets that I am a sinner saved only by grace that comes by faith, which is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-10).

"This book, as the title announces, is about sin--not only the obvious sins of our culture but the subtle sins of believers, the target audience of this book." (p. 9)

The above quote is an apt description of Respectable Sins. It really is a book about sin, but it deals with the sins that we often do not take seriously. Bridges understands our current Christian culture. Christians have a way of focusing on the sins of society around us while overlooking the sins so prominent in our own hearts and lives. Bridges takes the scalpel of the Word of God and performs spiritual surgery on our hearts by exposing the cancerous sins which are destroying us spiritually. After exposing our sin, he offers hope of obedience through the gospel.

Respectable Sins begins by explaining the seeming disappearance of sin among us. Very few people in our culture think in terms of sin. Even our politically correct terminology has drifted from any awareness of sin. What about Christians? Surely we still recognize sin and are quick to point it out and denounce it. Has the idea of sin evaporated from our Christian churches? Bridges comments, "No, it has not disappeared, but it has, in many instances, been deflected to those outside our circles who commit flagrant sins such as abortion, homosexuality, and murder, or the notorious white-collar crimes of high level corporate executives." (p. 19)

After explaining the disappearance of the recognition of certain sins from Christian culture, Bridges goes on to explain why this matters so much. He devotes the next four chapters of the book to a general explanation of sin. To give you an idea of the flow of these chapters, in order the titles go; The Malignancy of Sin, The Remedy for Sin, The Power of the Holy Spirit, and Directions for Dealing with Sins. These chapters are absolutely packed full of Biblical teaching on sin and the gospel. Bridges wants us to learn to take sin seriously, but also to take the gospel seriously. His teaching on sin in these chapters is gospel centered. "Stepping forward to accept my place as a sinner in need of the gospel each day drives a dagger into my self-righteous heart and prepares me to face up to and accept the reality of the sin that still dwells within me." (p. 34) A proper understanding of the gospel and the power that it gives for obedience is the major emphasis of these introductory chapters. Apart from these first 6 chapters and the application of the gospel to life, any discussion of sin offers no hope and only brings more condemnation.

Bridges closes this section of the book by offering 7 general directions for dealing with sin. These directions include:
* Apply the gospel
* Depend on the Holy Spirit
* Recognize your responsibility
* Identify specific respectable sins
* Memorize and apply appropriate Scriptures
* Cultivate the practice of prayer
* Involve one or a few other believers with you
Throughout the rest of the book, Bridges addresses each of the respectable sins we tolerate. He spends a chapter discussing each sin and gets very specific. Some of the sins discussed are: ungodliness, pride, anxiety, jealousy, sins of the tongue, worldliness and impatience.

Each chapter has a similar flow. He begins each chapter with a short explanation of what each sin means and looks like. For example, he defines ungodliness as "living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, or of one's dependence on God." (p. 54) After explaining what each sin looks like he often explains several ways in which it manifests itself in our lives. The helpful thing about each of these chapters is the specific way in which Bridges addresses these sins. He does not simply discuss pride. He explains several ways in which pride commonly manifests itself. He then ends the chapter by offering ways to confront the sin.

I believe this book will be tremendously helpful to Christians of all ages as they read it. It accomplishes several goals if read with humility. First, it brings sins we often neglect to deal with to the front of our minds. How many of us have even thought about our impatience this week? It's a sin we learn to live with. Or how many of us have thought about our lack of self control today? Second, this book focuses on heart issues and not externals. Sins of the heart are serious before the Lord, but we neglect them because no one else sees them. Respectable Sins drives our attention inward to our own hearts. Third, after driving our spiritual gaze inward, Bridges drives our gaze upward to the gospel. This book is gospel saturated and thoroughly explains how the gospel confronts our sins and shapes our lives. Finally, this book helps us to take sin seriously. As explained in the book, our culture seems to brush sin aside with ease. Respectable Sins will help us realize the malignancy of sin.

Respectable Sins is the type of book to keep close by and pull out when you are dealing with a specific sin and need help. It will direct your attention to Christ and offer Biblical ways to confront your respectable sins.

As a recovering Pharisee, this book has shown me much more of the blackness of my heart, and God has used it to bring me to repentance and to depend more deeply on him in all things. I highly recommend this book for those who are truly looking to serve God and not simply giving lip service to Him.

After hearing Bridges speak in person, I realized that this book would not be a condemning or judgemental work. Mr. Bridges does a superb job of explaining the definition of sin, its consequences as well as some very practical solutions to overcoming sin. It was a real eye opener in regards to sins that I tend to ignore in my own life. But each chapter left you feeling encouraged and hopeful. Definately a worthwhile read.

This is a good old-fashioned classic Navigators book that confronts the sins we tolerate! Most Christians know that fornication, drunkenness, idolatry and adultery are considered to be morally wrong.

But we are so quick to point these sins out when we see them and not so quick to notice the pride, the lack of self-control, the bitterness, and the selfishness in our own lives.

In the opening chapters, Jerry Bridges discusses how to identify these sins in our lives and then he gives a step by step process on what to do about it once we are aware of them.

He notes that the root of many of these sins comes from our godlessness, or our practical atheism. We may go to church every week and we may even read a Bible verse here and there, but we often live out the rest of our week as if God wasn't around. We don't pray for guidance during the day, we make other things in our lives a higher priority than our love for Him, and we basically live the same as everyone else.

Then Bridges devotes a chapter for each of the sins he has decided to expose in this book. He mentions the pride that we exhibit when we forget to give God the credit for all the good things that happen in our lives.

He also has a chapter on immorality and idolatry. He points out that we our idolaters whenever we make work or sports or personal goals ahead of our relationship with the Lord.

There is also a chapter on worldliness. When we get so gung ho about high school sports that we get carried away at games, that's worldliness. When we get irate at the referees and instill in our kids that winning at all costs is important, that is also worldliness. He mentions 1 John 2:15-18 as a good scriptural definition for worldliness.

Thee are also chapters on anger and self-control. Bridges even says that when we show a lack of self-control in any area of our lives (like eating too much ice cream), it opens the door and makes us more likely to show a lack of self control in other areas.

This book is another Nav classic, another Jerry Bridges classic. It's a great book to read and I also recommend picking up the study guide.

This book is a wonderful eye opener for the grounded, mature Christian that needs a little pruning. It's refreshing to read insight aimed at inspiring us as believers to REALLY look at our hearts, even when that hurts, with the aim at being more Christ like. The author did a great job of pointing out some difficult issues tactfully. Well done!

"Sin is sin. Even those sins that I call `the acceptable sins of the saints' - those sins that we tolerate in our lives - are serious in God's eyes. Our religious pride, our critical attitudes, our unkind speech about others, our impatience and anger, even our anxiety (see Philippians 4:6); all of these are serious in the sight of God." (pg. 21)

In his new book, Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Jerry Bridges tackles areas of sin that are often overlooked, justified, tolerated, and even accepted among Christians. As believers, we seem to have fallen into the trap of thinking that "sin is what people outside our Christian communities do." (pg. 16)

We can easily identify, and condemn, those areas that we would consider "big" or "serious" sins of society - blatant immorality, shady business practices, or homosexuality. But, we fail to see our own "more acceptable" sins in the same light. "It is easy to let ourselves off the hook by saying that these sins are not as bad as the flagrant ones of society. But God has not given us the authority to establish values for different sins.... The truth is, all sin is serious because all sin is a breaking of God's law." (pg. 20)

In the first several chapters, Bridges lays the foundation. He helps us understand the true nature of our sin - any sin - as unacceptable before a holy God. While he suggests that we may feel the need to throw the book across the room, I found his blunt, but humble style anything but infuriating. He continually offers practical suggestions for putting to death the various expressions of sin in our lives, always pointing us back to the grace and mercy of God found in the message of the Gospel, reminding us that "there is never a day in our lives when we are so `good' we don't need the gospel." (pg. 37)

In chapters 7 through 20, Bridges addresses some of the "Respectable Sins" that believers deal with. I was amazed at his list. While it is not exhaustive, it certainly covers a wide range of attitudes, emotions and actions. I have heard sermons preached on gossip, pride, and anger - some of the more obvious, but still "accepted" Christian sins. But, there were areas addressed in this book that I had never before considered for what they really were - as sin!

Ungodliness:
Bridges begins his discussion of "acceptable sins" by addressing what he believes to be the root cause of our other sins. No, not pride. Ungodliness. "We don't think of ourselves as ungodly. After all, we are Christians..." (pg. 53) But, in this chapter, Bridges points out that even believers are susceptible to this sin. (And yes, he calls it sin.) He defines ungodliness as "living one's everyday life with little or no thought of God, or of God's will, or of God's glory, or of one's dependence on God." (pg. 54)

How often do we read our Bible, or pray at the start of the day, but then go on with the rest of our activities without thinking of our dependence on God, or our responsibility to Him? If He is not a part of our thinking, how are we actively seeking to glorify Him with our actions?
"A person may be moral and upright, or even busy in Christian service, yet have little or no desire to develop an intimate relationship wit God. This is the mark of ungodliness.
For the godly person, God is the center and focal point of his or her life. Every circumstance and every activity of life, whether in the temporal or spiritual realms is viewed through the lens of this God-centeredness." (pg. 58)
Bridges offers several Scriptures to memorize, ponder, and pray over in order to help us become "more conscious of the fact that you live every moment of every day under his all-seeing eye." (pg. 61)

Selfishness:
"Selfishness is a difficult sin to expose because it is so easy to see in someone else but so difficult to recognize in ourselves." (pg. 102)

I have a two (almost three!) year old. "Sharing," or learning to do so, is an oft-repeated theme in our home these days. But, as I read this chapter, I wondered if I spent as much time working on this concept in my own life, as I do working on it in my daughter. I think Bridges point on this topic was especially insightful as he said,
"We can be very learned in our theology or very upright in our morality and yet fail to display the gracious qualities of Christian character that Paul called the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23)." (pg. 101)

In this chapter, Bridges covers four ways that selfishness is manifest in the lives of believers: our interests, our time, our money, and the trait of inconsiderateness. It was the last one - inconsiderateness - that really caught my attention. I don't know that I have ever heard someone describe "inconsiderateness" in this way before. But, as Bridges clearly points, "Anytime we do not think about the impact of our actions on others, we are being selfishly inconsiderate. We are thinking only of ourselves." (pg. 105)

He gives examples of a person who is always late and makes others wait, or a person who leaves his or her mess for others to clean. He also includes being inconsiderate of another's feelings - or at the very least, an indifference to them. My husband worked as a waiter for several years, and would always comment on the behavior of certain customers he knew to be believers. Our behavior toward others, especially those who are serving us in some way (waiters, store clerks, and even family) can go a long way in brightening, or ruining someone's day.

"Living unselfishly will likely not cost us our lives, but it will cost. It will cost time and money. It will cost becoming interested in the interests, concerns and needs of others. And it will cost in learning to be considerate of the emotions and feelings of others." (pg. 107)

Judgmentalism:
The sin of judgmentalism is one of the most subtle of our "respectable" sins because it is often practiced under the guise of being zealous for what is right." (pg. 141) I found this chapter to be one of the most convicting in the book. Sadly, it is probably because it was one that I have seen demonstrated most often in my own life. Many of the examples in this chapter were from Bridges own experiences, but I could identify with them quite closely - issues of casual or dressy "church clothes," church music styles, temperance versus abstinence (from alcohol). However, as he pointed out, many of these issues are based on personal preferences, which we often (wrongly) elevate to the position of biblical truth, or conviction.

"It is easy to become judgmental toward anyone whose opinions are different from ours. And then we hide our judgmentalism under the cloak of Christian convictions." (144) He is not saying that we are not to address conduct that is out of line with Scripture. When a practice is clearly condemned or prohibited by Scripture, then we are to agree with Scripture, and call it what it is - sin. However, we must be careful to remember that we are also sinners before God.

Under the topic of judgmentalism, Bridges also addresses the issue of having a critical spirit. He says,
"Most of us can slip into the sin of judgmentalism from time to time. But there are those among us who practice it continually. These people have what I call critical spirit. They look for and find fault with everyone and everything. Regardless of the topic of conversation - whether it's a person, a church, an event, or anything - they end up speaking in a disparaging manner." (pg. 146)
And, just in case that quote is not quite convicting enough, it was his next statement that caught my attention: "I'm not writing about theoretical people. I've been with some of the, and they are not pleasant to be around."
Guilty as charged. I have caught myself, more often than I would care to admit, expecting a pastor, speaker, or author to say something wrong - something that I disagree with. I have even gone to the extreme of actively, and intentionally looking for that something wrong.

There is nothing wrong with holding strong convictions. But, they must be held with humility, remembering Romans 14:4, "Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand."

Sin - especially those that we have attempted to rationalize, justify, and even accept - is not a pleasant topic. But, "we must also face them in order to deal with them. The worst sin of all, in practical terms, is the denial of the subtle sins in our lives. We cannot deal with them until we admit their presence." (pg. 178) While I cannot guarantee that you will not be tempted to throw this book out the window a time or two, resisting that temptation might very well result in conviction in one, probably more, of the areas Bridges addresses. But, it will be well worth it. Bridges offers humble, practical, and most importantly, biblical advice for facing, dealing with, and ultimately putting to death the "Respectable Sins" in our lives.

In Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Jerry Bridges gently focuses our attention on widespread sins in the church. Not only are they common, but they also go unchecked.

1) Bridges' confession

Before expanding on these sins, though, he makes a confession to his readers: He's not perfect, he has committed many of these sins over the years and he doesn't pretend to be any better or holier than the rest of us.

He makes this confession right at the start, helping readers to understand his humble attitude while writing this book, which ultimately helps us to accept what he has to say about these sins.

2) Seasoned Christians still have room to grow

Next, Bridges walks us through those familiar Bible verses about sin, salvation and grace. He knows he's talking to people who've heard these things a million times, but he reframes them to help us see ourselves--that is, lifelong Christians who think we've got this faith thing all worked out--in the centre of God's plan of salvation.

Even now, as seasoned believers, with years of Sunday services under our belts, countless worship songs sung, who knows how many prayers said, devotions read and volunteer hours logged, we're still sinners in need of God's grace who have lots of room left to grow.

3) Down to the nitty-gritty: Sins Christians tolerate

Bridges covers everything from anger, judgmentalism, anxiety and impatience to worldliness, pride, selfishness and lack of self-control.

Sometimes we Christians purposely ignore these 'respectable' sins. Sometimes we just don't take them seriously. Gossip and materialism are a couple examples of this.

Other times these sins are winked at or they're the subject of jokes. I can think of a few, but I'm curious which sins you (reading this review) would file under this category?

4) Bridges hits the mark

I've grown up in the church and consider myself to have been a believer most of my life, (You know, the `asked Jesus into my heart at age 6' story), and I've seen each and every one of these sins in myself and in most `mature' Christians around me.

Some of them, like materialism and selfishness, are shied away from in sermons, Bible studies, devotionals and especially in conversation with one another. We're so hardwired from birth to practically idolize individualism, privacy and a citizen's `rights' to do whatever he wants with his money that we hardly distinguish them from the true sins of materialism and selfishness that God's Word tries to guide us away from.

Other sins, like anger, are sometimes wrongly interpreted. I've been angered by serious sin in the church (e.g. putting personal comfort over helping a neighbor in need), and for that I have been accused of the `sin' of anger. We Christians don't know the difference between good anger (e.g. at cruel injustice) and sinful anger.

5) Bridges also missed a few biggies

Bridges really does justice to most sins that we Christians often let slide. He invites the reader, after reviewing each issue, to consider instances in our own lives where we have committed those sins and how we can return to a belief and a lifestyle more reflective of God's desire for us, His Bride.

There are a few sins, though, I wish he had mentioned.

- Love your neighbor: We don't do it
The second commandment, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, seems like a biggie in Scripture. And yet, growing up I've witnessed countless times when Christians have refused to help a fellow Christian in need.

Not helping one's neighbor is often made to seem acceptable with the false teaching that people must suffer in silence, without asking for help, in order to prove that they're trusting God. Scripture, on the other hand, is full of commands and examples of Christians tangibly helping one another and that this is linked to proof of our salvation. (See John Piper's sermon on this.)

- Church: The old boys' club
I've gotta be honest. Sometimes the church resembles an old boys' club more than a family of mature, caring believers who actually live by integrity. I've seen `mature' Christians cover up fellow Christians' sins and paving the way for that sin to continue. They also attacked anyone who brought those sins into the light.

Take the sexual abuse of children by clergy and other church leaders, for example. Consider the lengths to which `mature' Christians have gone to cover up those sins, regardless of the fact that known pedophiles were free to continue abusing children because of the community's collective will to keep it all quiet.

- Accountability: Who's it for anyway?
Often the church patriarchs and matriarchs consider themselves above accountability. Their age and status in the community gives them a kind of immunity from it.

Jesus and Paul's clear instructions to deal with sin and conflict in the church (Matt. 5:23-24; Matt. 18:15-17, 1 Cor. 5: 11-13) are only applied to hot button sins (e.g. divorce, premarital sex, challenging `authority,' etc.). These sins are loudly preached against and the people who committ them are publicly disciplined, cast out, or otherwise raked over the coals.

What about extreme sins, like when missionaries and elders and pastors rape children? No, we're told, we must pray for those leaders and do nothing more. If we break the code of silence, we're accused of the sin of judgmentalism, vengeance, anger and so forth.

You know in some ways, the Church is seriously screwed up. That's why these are some of the very deep and dangerous sins I wish Bridges had covered in his otherwise stellar work.

6) 4.5 out of 5

Overall, the book was a huge encouragement to me, in that Bridges' gentle treatment of these common sins paints a bright, uplifting picture of what the Church can become if we simply want to. All we need is to humble ourselves--I mean totally forget our privilege, status and years of service--and decide that our lives will not be a breeding ground for these sins anymore.

No sin is respectable.

Speaking of respect, it isn't easy taking on the attitudes of overly comfortable Christians. I respect Jerry Bridges for the courage to share this unpopular yet urgently needed message with us.