June 05, 2023 | Christian Life by Stef Dowd
Have you ever felt disrespected? Disregarded perhaps? In Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges sends a reminder that God Himself feels those in response to our sins. Using everyday language, author Jerry Bridges gives the timeless truth that any and every sin committed, disrespects and disregards God’s holiness.
The stated and noble purpose of Respectable Sins is “to help saints honestly confront the subtle sins that are tolerated in our lives so that we will tend to walk more humbly before God and with respect to the unbelievers toward whom we may be judgmental.”
Prior to detailing specific sins, Bridges clearly and boldly addresses “saints,” or believers, on the weight and influence of sin and salvation. In fact, the first three chapters are dedicated to this emphasis. These chapters may be discouraging, especially for the saint who does not regularly ponder and confess the effects of his or her sin on God and on his or her own life.
However, Bridges ends what could be a discouraging section, with a hopeful gospel truth: “God forgives our sin because of the shed blood of Christ, but He does not tolerate it. Instead, every sin that we commit, even the subtle sin that we don’t even think about, was laid upon Christ as He bore the curse of God in our place.”
In this vein, before addressing specific sin, Bridges offers "preaching the gospel” to oneself as the remedy for any sin in a believer’s life. This redefines what “most Christians tend to think of the gospel,” that it is “only for non-Christians who need to be ‘saved’.” “Preaching the gospel” to oneself, according to Bridges, is acknowledging known and unknown sins and using certain Scriptures to be reminded of God’s forgiveness.
Following this remedy is an important, often neglected truth about God’s forgiveness which is vital for the saint “preaching the gospel” to themselves: forgiveness has a purpose and that purpose can only be achieved with the power of the Holy Spirit. This is described as the “principle of dependent responsibility; we are responsible before God to obey His Word, to put to death the sins in our lives, both the so-called acceptable sins and the obviously not acceptable ones. At the same time, we do not have the ability within ourselves to carry out this responsibility. We are in fact totally dependent upon the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.”
Chapter six is a review of sorts, but needs to be “thoroughly digested before moving any further” within the book. It is an introspective bridge from the concepts and realities of sin and forgiveness to the seemingly acceptable sins Believers keep in their lives. Here, more specific yet still general directions are listed for dealing with expected and unexpected “respectable” sins.
Several expected “respectable” sins, selfishness, pride, anger, envy, and jealousy are all addressed. These expected sins are spoken of in expected ways with clear definitions and correct Scripture references. Yet, they are explored in depth. For example, to explore the depths of anger, a chapter is devoted to “the weeds of anger: resentment, bitterness, hostility, strife, and holding grudges.” This is an eye-opening exploration of how deep the sin of anger may truly run in the heart of a saint.
Another expected sin that runs deep in most believers is pride. Though pride is typically taught as the root of all sin, Bridges identifies ungodliness as the sin from which all others spring; and does a wonderful, Scripture-filled job explaining his position. Indeed, ungodliness is visible in the rest of the sins discussed.
Within the unexpected “respectable” sins is anxiety. Bridges uses the expected passages, Matthew 6:25-24; Philippians 4:6; and 1 Peter 5:7, to define and address anxiety; but goes on to explain from Matthew 10:31 and Luke 12:7, that Jesus, used the phrases, “Fear not” or “do not be afraid,” in reference to anxiety. This explanation, however, is not directly apparent within the original context of those verses.
Though the purpose of the book is “to help saints honestly confront the subtle sins that are tolerated in our lives so that we will tend to walk more humbly before God and with respect to the unbelievers toward whom we may be judgmental,” anxiety is a truth upon which one ought to lightly tread.
So, stating anxiety is a sin because it “is a distrust of God” and “a lack of acceptance of God’s providence in one’s life” as a blanket statement, without offering a designation of being ongoing or situational, does not tread well through this truth. However, at the close of the chapter, godly instruction is offered through specific Scriptures for saints struggling with anxiety.
Another unexpected “respectable” sin is unthankfulness, defined as “failing to give thanks to God as a habit of life.” Within this discussion, Bridges does a wonderful job addressing various age groups and facets of unthankfulness; but, his train of thought is difficult to follow, and, at times, lacking in depth.
Respectable Sins ignites a time of deep personal introspection, causing subtle sins to surface; therefore, I recommend the included study guide be used only in groups of trusted, well-known brothers or sisters in Christ.
God, through Jerry Bridges, used Respectable Sins to reveal the daily disrespect and disregard for God in my life, brought about a change in my behavior, and equipped me with a new lens through which to see sin. Any Christian desiring to grow in spiritual maturity and seeking to improve their witness to the watching world (which ought to be every Christian) would greatly benefit, perhaps even experience a life change from taking the time to read this book.
