Respectable Sins

I've mentioned a few times about the women's Bible study I'm currently doing at a local church...I wanted to talk a little more about it. It's called "Respectable Sins" by Jerry Bridges. It is very good! The title itself is very interesting, and catches your attention. Here is a quote from the book:

"The very word, sin, which seems to have disappeared, was once a
proud word. It was once a strong word, an ominous and serious word...But the
word went away. It has almost disappeared--the word, along with the notion. Why? Doesn't anyone sin anymore? Doesn't anyone believe in sin? Karl Menninger "Whatever Became of Sin"

It's an 8 week study and these are the "respectable" sins Bridges covers (there are more than one in each week's session)

1. Ungodliness
2. Unthankfulness
3. Anxiety
4. Frustration
5. Discontentment
6. Pride
7. Selfishness
8. Impatience
9. Irritability
10. Anger
11. Judgementalism
12. Sins of the Tongue
13. Lack of Self-Control
14. Envy
15. Jealousy

YIKES!!! How many of us have many, if not all, of these sins daily/weekly? Bridges points out that sin is sin to God. We are quick to let ourselves off the hook for our impatience b/c it's not as bad as adultery or murder, so it's not as big of a deal to God. But as he points out "God has not given us the authority to establish values for different sins" (p. 20). Did Christ die on the cross only for the murderers, adulterers, and theifs? "All sin is serious because all sin is a breaking God's law" (p. 20). He warns that these subtle sins are scary because we trick ourselves into thinking that they're not that bad, or worse, not even thinking about them. Think about Isaiah 53:6

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all"

Bridges says "Shall we presume on God's grace by tolerating in ourselves the very sin that nailed Christ to the cross?" (p. 29). Wow! Putting in that perspective--that my anger at someone cutting me off is sin and THAT sin nailed Christ to the cross. God cannot look on sin--any sin. Big or small, it is still heinous in the sight of God! Something that he says he "preaches" to himself every day is the Gospel. When I started reading that chapter, I thought I don't need to preach the Gospel to myself every day. I know that Christ died on the cross to save me from eternal separation. I've been taught that for as long as I can remember. But he points out that without the Gospel, we have no hope of dealing with these subtle sins. Through the Gospel, we have hope-hope that God knows and will forgive and cares and wants us to overcome these sins. And hope that He is there to help us overcome them. Bridges uses several verses to "preach" the Gospel to himself every day.

• Psalm 103:12; 130:3-4
• Isaiah 43:25; 53:6; 1:18; 38:17
• Romans 4:7-8; 8:1
• Micah 7:19
• Ephesians 1:7
• Colossians 2:13-14
• Hebrews 8:12; 10:17-18

They are all verses that assure us of God's forgiveness. How many times do we hear people say "How can God allow such things to happen?" God does not tempt us (read James 1:13-14). "...he does bring or allow circumstances to come into our lives that give us the opportunity to put to death the particular subtle sins that are characteristic of our individual lives." (p. 44) It never fails! If we start trying to work on something in our lives (spiritual or otherwise), Satan will work hard against us! Last week the study was on frustration. Last week was FULL of frustrations for me with the kids!!! Anna was just out-right naughty (which rarely happens!) and Jacob was just into E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. and decided to scream practically all day every day! You can bet your hat that Satan was trying his hardest to make me sin (which I did) and discourage me from working on my sin of frustration.

Bridges believes that all of those other subtle sins stem from a root sin of ungodliness. Does it offend you when I say that you're ungodly? It did me when I read it! But I thought ungodliness was the same as unrighteousness. It's not. Unrighteousness "refers to sinful actions in thought, word, or deed....Ungodliness describes an attitude toward God." (p. 53) Ungodliness can be going throughout a day giving little or no thought of God. How many days have I done exactly that? We have an accountability to God, as believers. Our prayers have become ME centered instead of GOD centered. We forget our dependence on God for everything--our very breath!

Okay, I think that's enough for now :) I'll try to post some more later. It has been a very humbling study, but a good one!