Respectable Sins

 A friend has leant me a new book  by Jerry Bridges called “Respectable Sins” ….  Rather foolishly, I took home and settled down to read.  Not for long though,  by the time I had reached the third chapter I was on my knees before God -  this is a hard-hitting book because it speaks about sins of the heart.

 It began innocently enough, Chapter One is called “Ordinary Saints”,  in which Jerry Bridges explains just exactly what a Christian is – we are the “saints” that Paul addressed in his letters ….

“The answer lies in the meaning of the word as it is used in the Bible. The Greek word for saint is hagios, and it refers not to one’s character but to a state of being. Its literal meaning is “one who is separated unto God.”  In this sense, every believer – even the most ordinary and the most immature – is a saint.”

And then the clincher –

“Separated for what? A better question is, Separated for whom? And the answer is, “for God”. Every true believer has been separated or set apart by God for God.”

 Now my interest was well and truly focused,  because this is true.  I have by this time,  come to the sure and certain knowledge that if being a Christian depended on me, then I was lost ….  My only hope and plea is Jesus Christ my Lord.

 However, the chapter ended on a slightly ominous note  ….

“We can readily identify sin in the immoral or unethical conduct of people in society at large. But we often fail to see it in what I call the “acceptable sins of the saints.” ……

 And I realized he was right,  we are all ready to say that murder, stealing, adultery  etc. – all the big, visible sins are sin – of course.   But then so are all the invisible sins ….

“Our religious pride, our critical attitudes, our unkind speech about others, our impatience and anger, even our anxiety …. All of these are serious in the sight of God.”

 It has been surprising to me, when visiting various Christian forums, so see how people feel justified in talking to each other,  and talking about other Christians.  It has been heartbreaking speaking to people who tell horrible stories of their treatment by “Christians” ….  Some have found healing  …. But some have left the faith.

 But then the Holy Spirit convicted me ….  The “respectable” sins lurking in my own heart …. My impatience, my anxiety,  my procrastination …. To name a few ….. and of course pride,  that subtle and utterly devilish sin …..  it is like the hydra of myth, as soon as I chop off one head, another springs up ….. until I howl like Paul does in Romans 7.

 The third chapter is “The Malignancy of Sin” …..  Jerry Bridges calls it a cancer, and thinking about it, I agree.  Sin often grows unnoticed before bursting out,  and it also sends out corrupting tumors to all parts of our personality …..

 I still remember the sense of shock, when I first heard a Christian express the thought that sinless perfection in this life is possible, indeed should be possible  for Christians … I still can’t  understand how that could be believed …..

 One of the many good points in this chapter was the exposure of the subtlety of “respectable” sins….

 “The acceptable sins are subtle in the sense that they deceive us into thinking they are not so bad, or not thinking of them as sins, or even worse, not even thinking about them at all! Yes, some of our refined sins are so subtle that we commit them without even thinking about them, either at the time or afterward. We often live in unconscious denial of our “acceptable” sins.” …..

 And yes, at this point I was indeed tempted to “throw this book across the room” …. And I did some serious thinking about whether I really did want to read this book.

 I still don’t know if I want to,  but I think I need to …..  so there may be another installment next week.

 But how about you,   have you ever thought about “respectable sins”?