April Read: "Respectable Sins" by Jerry Bridges

If you have never read “Respectable Sins” by Jerry Bridges, it is certainly a must read for all Christians. It is impossible to read that book without feeling like you are being raked over the coals though – so be prepared! Jerry Bridges definitely does some “sanctified meddling,” if you will.

The book confronts the sins that Christians tolerate in their lives to the point that believers don’t even view them as sin any longer. Hence, they become “respectable.” While living our lives trying to serve and glorify God, believers are careful to keep their lives free from sin…at least those big, terrible sins that everyone else in the world is committing – but never us. You know: murder, adultery, and the like. And then we begin to feel pretty good about ourselves, forgetting all the while that we are blindly and shamelessly committing other, more subtle sins (yet no less gross before a holy God). Anxiety, frustration, discontentment, pride, impatience, anger, envy, and irritability are just a few of the “respectable” sins addressed.

The one “respectable” sin which I found most challenging was that of ungodliness. That may seem odd to categorize ungodliness as a subtle, respectable sin. Ungodliness is normally equated with wickedness, and therefore, Christians would most often not consider themselves guilty of such a sin. A Christian acting ungodly? That is exactly why it is a subtle sin.

It is commonly taught that pride is the most foundational of all sins; that when you get to the root of any sin, it is usually found to have pride at its center. But Bridges suggests otherwise. He contends that it is ungodliness – not pride – which is the root of our sin. I agree. Let me explain why. Bridges defined 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).  

As you can see, ungodliness can be very simple for anyone – even believers – to commit. This definitely grabbed my attention, and over the last weeks, I have tried to be more conscience of my own ungodliness. I desire to live consciously of living before a holy God all the time, 24/7. Let me tell you: It’s hard. It’s hard to actually do it, and it’s hard to live with the reality of that fact. When we are aware of being constantly in God’s presence, it’s so much harder to live in any type of sin. Oh, by God’s grace, I desire to live a godly life so that I would be free from all of the respectable sins. And as I grow closer to Christ, I hope to see my acceptance of these sins diminishing and my affections for holiness growing.

[I feel like I could keep going – but instead, I’ll just encourage you once again to read this book. Prepare to be challenged.]"