As Christians, we spend a lot of time bewailing the sins of our society. Maybe we like to point out certain sexual sins, abortion, pornography or materialism. Unfortunately, this draws our attention away from confronting the more subtle sins we allow into our own life. We may downplay them as “not that bad” or not even notice them. We may excuse them or try to justify them as “caused” by the sinful behavior of others.
In his book, Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges encourages us to confront our many everyday sins, repent and strive to eliminate them from our lives. True sanctification results only from recognizing and repenting for all or our sins, turning to the Gospel message, and relying on the Holy Spirit to help us change.
Some of the sins discussed are:
- Ungodliness
- Anxiety and frustration
- Discontentment
- Unthankfulness
- Pride
- Selfishness
- Lack of Self-Control
- Impatience and Irritability
- Anger
- Judgmentalism
- Envy and Jealousy
- Sins of the Tongue
- Worldliness
If you’re anything like me, you’ll find more than one category to identify with! It will open your eyes and make you more sensitive to the sins we all tolerate and ignore. There is an accompanying study guide which can be purchased, as well as a 9 session curriculum for small groups.
VERDICT: I give this book 5 stars and would love to use it with my small group sometime in the future.
Lutheran Ladies Connection 