Book Review — Respectable Sins

August 5, 2008

Again, sorry blogging has been very light.  I’m in the midst of another busy week, but I wanted to post this book review.  I just wrote it for my church’s bi-monthly newsletter, and thought I would post it here as well.

In Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges attempts to expose the subtle sins that we often justify in ourselves, even while we lament how godless and immoral the culture is around us. Among the sins that Christians often tolerate, Bridges takes a closer look at anxiety, jealousy, pride, ingratitude, judgmentalism and anger, to name a few. Before examining the ‘respectable’ sins, Bridges spends six chapters of the book giving general instructions on sin and the power of the gospel to destroy both the penalty and the power of sin.

I could go on and on writing about what a valuable resource this book is. So I will confine myself to sharing with you four reasons I found this book so helpful:

It is Gospel-Saturated – In chapter after chapter, Bridges explains that the remedy to the respectable sins is not through exercising greater will-power, but through the power of the gospel. It is only when we know that Christ has died to free us from the wages of our sin, that we can truly find the freedom and joy we need to put these persistent sins to death.

It is full of Scripture to empower you to fight these sins – Sin is appealing because it promises us satisfaction, and the only way to fight its deceitful promises is with a superior satisfaction in God. By filling his book with promises from God’s Word revealing the nature and character of the God we worship, Bridges gives us just what we need to make war on sin.

It beautifully mingles toughness and tenderness – Bridges is not shy about calling sin what it is: ugly, treasonous, and a stench in the nostrils of a holy God. He writes many things that pierced my heart as I saw just how serious my sin is. Yet Bridges does not write like a man who has conquered sin, but as one who is fighting with us. This book is humbly written by a man who has looked deeply at his own heart.

It encourages people to fight sin in community – In just about every chapter, Bridges urges the reader to speak with a spouse or close friend(s) for help in identifying and being held accountable for the sins we are struggling with. As the writer of Hebrews said, “Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.“ Fighting sin is a community project, and Bridges repeatedly encourages the reader to elicit the help of other Christians as we fight sin.

I am confident that any Christian will profit immensely from reading and applying the contents of this book. May we be known as a people who make war on sin, even the ‘respectable’ ones.

Posted by Larry | Filed Under Book Reviews, Seeking Him 

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