Respectable Sins

Posted by on December 5, 2009

Last Sunday’s sermon application took in a list of sins taken from Jerry Bridges’ book, Respectable Sins (see a review of it here). Steve challenged us to not tolerate in our lives the sins that Jesus died for, and Bridges’ list is a list of sins that we tend to excuse more easily than others even though they’re no less sinful.

We looked at this list again at our Community Group on Thursday night which was a really fruitful exercise, not to mention humbling, encouraging, and bonding as we basically confessed our sins to each other and prayed for each other. But of course we can’t stop there – we need to fight our sin by acknowledging it, hating it, confessing it to God, and ultimately repenting of (or turning completely away from) it, and turning towards the Christlike attitudes and actions that replace it. We’re reproducing Jerry Bridges’ list below to this end.

anxieties and frustrations
discontentment
unthankfulness
pridefulness revealed specifically in self-righteousness, even in a pursuit of theological accuracy, in prideful motives behind our achievements and revealed in a spirit of independence
selfishness with our interests, time, money and inconsiderateness
lack of self-control in eating, drinking and temperament, finances, entertainment and shopping
impatience and irritability
anger, even anger towards God, and the underlying roots of anger in resentment, bitterness, enmity, hostility and holding grudges
judgmentalism and a critical spirit over differing convictions and doctrinal disagreements
envy, jealousy, competitiveness and being controlling
the sins of the tongue like gossip, slander, lying, harsh words, sarcasm, insults and ridicule
worldliness shown financially, by our idolatry and in “vicarious immorality,” that is, the enjoyment of watching or reading the sinfulness of others.
  • ungodliness
  • anxieties and frustrations
  • discontentment
  • unthankfulness
  • pride(fulness, revealed specifically in self-righteousness, even in a pursuit of theological accuracy, in prideful motives behind our achievements and revealed in a spirit of independence)
  • selfishness (with our interests, time, money and inconsiderateness)
  • lack of self-control (in eating, drinking and temperament, finances, entertainment and shopping)
  • impatience and irritability
  • anger (even anger towards God) and
  • the weeds of anger (underlying roots of anger in resentment, bitterness, enmity, hostility and holding grudges)
  • judgmentalism (and a critical spirit over differing convictions and doctrinal disagreements)
  • envy, jealousy, competitiveness and being controlling
  • sins of the tongue (like gossip, slander, lying, harsh words, sarcasm, insults and ridicule)
  • worldliness (shown financially, by our idolatry and in “vicarious immorality,” that is, the enjoyment of watching or reading the sinfulness of others)

As we tackle our ‘respectable sins’ and seek to expose them to the light, don’t forget this wonderful promise -

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

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