Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate

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Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate

4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 · rating details · 1,201 ratings · 138 reviews

Have Christians become so preoccupied with "major" sins that we have lost sight of our need to deal with more subtle sins?

Navigator author Jerry Bridges addresses the “acceptable” sins that we tend to tolerate in ourselves, including pride and anger. He goes to the heart of the matter, exploring our feelings of shame and grief and opening a new door to God's forgiveness an...more

Hardcover, 192 pages

Published August 21st 2007 by NavPress

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Jan 20, 2013 Rhonda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: theology, psychology, philosophy

Someone at church had this book and I asked her what the title could possibly mean. She smiled and said that the author believed that there are any number of sins which we deem respectable in our modern life. I am curious to see if I suffer from them all or not. I doubt I wil be disappointed.

Indeed I was not disappointed when I sat down to read this book. It did take quite a bit longer and I just noticed that I had not completed my review. The primary reason for that is that I read the book in p...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Henry rated it 5 of 5 stars

I could not but help thinking in reading this book that the world would be a much better place if it were to be read more widely and taken seriously. Jerry Bridges deals here with respectable sins, those which are common even among evangelicals and not considered serious matters if considered sins at all today. He shows that respectable sins are still an affront to God, and must be dealt with. He does so in a serious and searching way that nevertheless I did not find oppressive. I have heard it...more

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May 15, 2008 Becca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-on-sin

This book is excellent! Our youth group is going through it and I am continuing to be convicted by the chapters. Mr. Bridges talks about the sins the we often don't look at and brush aside because "they don't seem as bad as this or that". The sins that the book covers are Ungodliness, Unthankfulness, Anxiety, Frustration, Discontentment, Pride, Selfishness, Lack of Self-Control, Impatience, Irritability, Anger, The Weeds of Anger, Jugdmentalism, Envy, Jealousy, and other related sins (such as co...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Cameron Brooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, christianity, church, morality, christian, author

In Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Jerry Bridges gently focuses our attention on widespread sins in the church. Not only are they common, but they also go unchecked. [return][return]1) Bridges� confession[return][return]Before expanding on these sins, though, he makes a confession to his readers: He� s not perfect, he has committed many of these sins over the years and he doesn� t pretend to be any better or holier than the rest of us.[return][return]He makes this confession...more In Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, Jerry Bridges gently focuses our attention on widespread sins in the church. Not only are they common, but they also go unchecked. [return][return]1) Bridges� confession[return][return]Before expanding on these sins, though, he makes a confession to his readers: He� s not perfect, he has committed many of these sins over the years and he doesn� t pretend to be any better or holier than the rest of us.[return][return]He makes this confession right at the start, helping readers to understand his humble attitude while writing this book, which ultimately helps us to accept what he has to say about these sins. [return][return]2) Seasoned Christians still have room to grow[return][return]Next, Bridges walks us through those familiar Bible verses about sin, salvation and grace. He knows he� s talking to people who� ve heard these things a million times, but he reframes them to help us see ourselves� that is, lifelong Christians who think we� ve got this faith thing all worked out� in the centre of God� s plan of salvation. [return][return]Even now, as seasoned believers, with years of Sunday services under our belts, countless worship songs sung, who knows how many prayers said, devotions read and volunteer hours logged, we're still sinners in need of God� s grace who have lots of room left to grow.[return][return]3) Down to the nitty-gritty: Sins Christians tolerate[return][return]Bridges covers everything from anger, judgmentalism, anxiety and impatience to worldliness, pride, selfishness and lack of self-control. [return][return]Sometimes we Christians purposely ignore these 'respectable' sins. Sometimes we just don't take them seriously. Gossip and materialism are a couple examples of this.[return][return]Other times these sins are winked at or they� re the subject of jokes. I can think of a few, but I� m curious which sins you (reading this review) would file under this category?[return][return]4) Bridges hits the mark[return][return]I� ve grown up in the church and consider myself to have been a believer most of my life, (You know, the � asked Jesus into my heart at age 6� story), and I� ve seen each and every one of these sins in myself and in most � mature� Christians around me.[return][return]Some of them, like materialism and selfishness, are shied away from in sermons, Bible studies, devotionals and especially in conversation with one another. We� re so hardwired from birth to practically idolize individualism, privacy and a citizen� s � rights� to do whatever he wants with his money that we hardly distinguish them from the true sins of materialism and selfishness that God� s Word tries to guide us away from.[return][return]Other sins, like anger, are sometimes wrongly interpreted. I� ve been angered by serious sin in the church (e.g. putting personal comfort over helping a neighbor in need), and for that I have been accused of the � sin� of anger. We Christians don� t know the difference between good anger (e.g. at cruel injustice) and sinful anger. [return][return]5) Bridges also missed a few biggies[return][return]Bridges really does justice to most sins that we Christians often let slide. He invites the reader, after reviewing each issue, to consider instances in our own lives where we have committed those sins and how we can return to a belief and a lifestyle more reflective of God� s desire for us, His Bride. [return][return]There are a few sins, though, I wish he had mentioned.[return][return]- Love your neighbor: We don� t do it[return]The second commandment, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, seems like a biggie in Scripture. And yet, growing up I� ve witnessed countless times when Christians have refused to help a fellow Christian in need. [return][return]Not helping one� s neighbor is often made to seem acceptable with the false teaching that people must suffer in silence, without asking for help, in order to prove that they� re trusting God. Scripture, on the other hand, is full of commands and examples of Christians tangibly helping one another and that this is linked to proof of our salvation. (See John Piper� s sermon on this.)[return][return]- Church: The old boys� club[return]I� ve gotta be honest. Sometimes the church resembles an old boys� club more than a family of mature, caring believers who actually live by integrity. I� ve seen � mature� Christians cover up fellow Christians� sins and paving the way for that sin to continue. They also attacked anyone who brought those sins into the light. [return][return]Take the sexual abuse of children by clergy and other church leaders, for example. Consider the lengths to which � mature� Christians have gone to cover up those sins, regardless of the fact that known pedophiles were free to continue abusing children because of the community� s collective will to keep it all quiet.[return][return]- Accountability: Who's it for anyway?[return]Often the church patriarchs and matriarchs consider themselves above accountability. Their age and status in the community gives them a kind of immunity from it. [return][return]Jesus and Paul� s clear instructions to deal with sin and conflict in the church (Matt. 5:23-24; Matt. 18:15-17, 1 Cor. 5: 11-13) are only applied to hot button sins (e.g. divorce, premarital sex, challenging � authority,� etc.). These sins are loudly preached against and the people who committ them are publicly disciplined, cast out, or otherwise raked over the coals. [return][return]What about extreme sins, like when missionaries and elders and pastors rape children? No, we� re told, we must pray for those leaders and do nothing more. If we break the code of silence, we� re accused of the sin of judgmentalism, vengeance, anger and so forth. [return][return]You know in some ways, the Church is seriously screwed up. That� s why these are some of the very deep and dangerous sins I wish Bridges had covered in his otherwise stellar work.[return][return]6) 4.5 out of 5[return][return]Overall, the book was a huge encouragement to me, in that Bridges� gentle treatment of these common sins paints a bright, uplifting picture of what the Church can become if we simply want to. All we need is to humble ourselves� I mean totally forget our privilege, status and years of service� and decide that our lives will not be a breeding ground for these sins anymore. [return][return]No sin is respectable.[return][return]Speaking of respect, it isn� t easy taking on the attitudes of overly comfortable Christians. I respect Jerry Bridges for the courage to share this unpopular yet urgently needed message with us.[return][return]--- Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."(less)

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Jan 14, 2013 Joel Stanton rated it 5 of 5 stars

The title of this book first caught my attention. “Respectable Sins?” I thought, “I have to read this!” This was the first book by the author Dr. Jerry Bridges that has come across my desk, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. However, I can now confidently assert that this book is a fantastic read for the Christian man or woman! First off, this book passed with flying colors my two basic litmus tests for any Christian book that I read:

1) Does the author possess and write from a worldview tha...more The title of this book first caught my attention. “Respectable Sins?” I thought, “I have to read this!” This was the first book by the author Dr. Jerry Bridges that has come across my desk, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. However, I can now confidently assert that this book is a fantastic read for the Christian man or woman! First off, this book passed with flying colors my two basic litmus tests for any Christian book that I read:

1) Does the author possess and write from a worldview that is shaped by the belief of the sovereignty of God?
2) Does the author rely upon Scripture first and foremost as the chief authority, and does the author quote the Scriptures often?

In his book, “Respectable Sins; Confronting the Sins We Tolerate”, Dr. Jerry Bridges asks the probing question, “Are there sins in our life that are not only allowed to remain in our lives unhindered, but have we even ceased to be consider them as being really sinful?” Dr. Bridges continues by laying out his case that the world always tries to remove the idea of sin from its vocabulary and society. This shouldn’t surprise us as we know that unsaved men “suppress the truth in unrighteousness”. But when Christians, men and women who have been given new natures in Christ Jesus our Lord, stop calling sin in our own lives sin, we have massive problems. But before Dr. Bridges begins gently applying the surgeon’s knife to our consciences, he lays out the solution; the Gospel. This is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much! Dr. Bridges makes the point that the Gospel is for sinners, not just for unbelievers. So rather than berating ourselves over the sins that we discover have become “respectable” in our eyes, Dr. Bridges instructs us to run to the cross and cast ourselves upon the inexhaustible mercies of God, trusting that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus”.

After laying out the problem and the solution, Dr. Bridges takes a deep breath and then plunges unreservedly into the sins which are increasingly viewed as more acceptable in the modern evangelical church. And keep in mind, my Reformed friends, that we are just as susceptible and guilty as our evangelical brothers and sisters in Christ. Dr. Bridges confronts the sins of anxiety, discontentment, anger, bitterness, resentment, envy, a critical spirit, and selfishness, just to name a few. In each chapter, he carefully inspects the smaller, more subtle expressions of these sins which often lurk in the lives of Christians. At the end of the day, Dr. Bridges explains, all of these “respectable sins” come from one root sin: ungodliness. I really liked how Dr. Bridges developed the idea of ungodliness being a source of all the varied ways in which we still express our sin natures. He 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.” Having laid that definition out, Dr. Bridges goes on to make one of the best arguments for the Reformation principle of “Soli Deo Gloria” that I have ever read. At the end of the day, whether our “respectable sin” happens to be an occasional outburst of anger, selfish behavior, lack of self-control, anxiety, discontentedness, etc., our practicing of that sin demonstrates that we are not concerned first and foremost with bringing God glory and living our life to please Him.

Now, at this point, you might be wondering, “Dr. Bridges sure is making a big deal about small stuff. Is he advocating perfectionism or something?” The answer is emphatically no! Dr. Bridges is first to recognize that perfection is not possible or achievable even as a Christian. Instead, Dr. Bridges maintains that we are to strive to be more Christ-like and to “make no provision for the flesh”. This means that we are to confront ALL areas of sin in our life, including the areas that might seem small or acceptable. Dr. Bridges summed it up best by writing,

“When we sin, when we violate the Law of God in any way, be it ever so small in our eyes, we rebel against the sovereign authority and transcendent majesty of God. To put it bluntly, our sin is an assault on the majesty and sovereign rule of God. It is indeed cosmic treason…The damage to God’s glory by our sin is determined not by the severity of our sin but by the value of God’s glory.”

But thanks be to God that He has sent His Holy Spirit to not only convict us of these “respectable” sins, but also to produce in us the peaceable fruits of righteousness and the blessings of freedom from those sins!

So, in closing, I would highly recommend this book to Christians of all ages. I would especially recommend this book to second and third generation Christians (I myself being a second generation believer) as we can often times become complacent in our very moral and law-abiding upbringing. This book will cause you to recognize just how sinful we still are and, hopefully, motivate you to confess and repent of these “respectable sins”. As Dr. Bridges said,

“Remember that our progressive sanctification – that is, our putting off sin and putting on Christlikeness – rests on two foundation stones: the righteousness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit…Remember, if you are united to Christ, God sees you clothed in His perfect righteousness. And always look to the Holy Spirit to enable you to deal with the sin in your life and to produce in you the fruit of the Spirit.”

Soli Deo Gloria!
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Jun 16, 2012 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: spirituality

"Respectable Sins" is a study on the subtle sins that God's people often overlook in their own lives. Bridges spends the first six chapters of the book unpacking the doctrine of sin in the Scriptures. He pretty well hits it on the head in Chapter Three in describing what sin is:

"Therefore, when we sin, when we violate the law of God in anyway, be it ever so small in our eyes, we rebel against the sovereign authority and transcendent majesty of God. To put it bluntly, our sin is an assault on the...more "Respectable Sins" is a study on the subtle sins that God's people often overlook in their own lives. Bridges spends the first six chapters of the book unpacking the doctrine of sin in the Scriptures. He pretty well hits it on the head in Chapter Three in describing what sin is:

"Therefore, when we sin, when we violate the law of God in anyway, be it ever so small in our eyes, we rebel against the sovereign authority and transcendent majesty of God. To put it bluntly, our sin is an assault on the majesty and sovereign rule of God. It is indeed cosmic treason" (27).

In the very next chapter, Bridges articulates the remedy for sin:

"The remedy for our sin, whether scandalous or acceptable, is the gospel in its widest scope" (33).

In Chapters 5 and 6, Bridges summarizes the doctrine of sanctification by explaining the work of the Holy Spirit against the flesh. In this regards, he lays a principle which he calls the principle of dependent responsibility:

"We are responsible before God to obey His Word, to put to death the sins in our lives, both the so-called acceptable sins and the obviously not acceptable ones. At the same time, we do not have the ability within ourselves to carry out this responsibility. We are in fact totally dependent upon the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. In this sense, we are both responsible and dependent" (41)

Bridges in Chapter 6 again describes sin in light of the gospel:

"We should always address our sin in the context of the gospel" (47).

The remaining chapters of the book, Chapters 7-21, confront specific sins including ungodliness, anxiety, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, anger, judgmentalism, envy, and worldliness. For each chapter, Bridges briefly surveys Scriptural teaching and examples on the specific sin he is dealing with. At the end of each chapter, he reminds his reader that that particular sin is an egregious offense against Christ and the gospel.

He closes in Chapter 21 reiterating that the gospel is the believer's greatest need in this earthly life:

"The way to grow in our new affection for Christ that Chalmers preached about is to grow in our awareness of Christ's love for us as revealed to us in the gospel. The apostle Paul wrote that it is Christ's love for us that constrains us to live for Him. Such love for Him that will drive out our love for the world can only be a response to the deep, heartfelt sense of His love for us" (178).

Be prepared to be convicted as you read "Respectable Sins." Bridges tends to be a bit formulaic at times in his approach to dealing with sin, but his overall emphasis on the gospel is appreciated. The end-result of reading this book should be a greater love and loyalty to the gospel. If that is the end-result, then a reading of "Respectable Sins" is worth it.(less)

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May 16, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

I used this with my small group, and while it did lead to some great discussions, I thought the book itself was just ok. Random points I would make about this book:
1. It does cover a very wide array of topics. This naturally leads to a more generalized discussion of the sin without going very in-depth. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on what exactly you're looking for.
2. He speaks in quite a conversational tone. Again, could be good or bad. After a while it started to frustrate me...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Ben Zajdel rated it 3 of 5 stars

There are sins in our lives that hide in the shadows, lurking until they slowly destroy our souls. We focus on the glaring, scandalous sins of others, but tolerate subtle ones that have taken up permanent residence in the church and in our lives. In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges launches an assault on those sins we often ignore.

Bridges is simple and straightforward: sin is bad, there are too many sins that we completely ignore, and Jesus can save us from sin, whether it is grand or c...more

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Nov 10, 2009 Pastoralmusings rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jerry Bridges is a very thought-provoking author, for sure. His books are also very Biblical. Bridges, in his books, usually gives us a glimpse into his own soul, thus exposing his own foibles and sins to us. He comes across as genuine in his faith.
Respectable Sins is no exception to this.
Bridges reminds us that we are right to oppose immorality.
The problem, however, is that we tolerate things in our hearts and lives that are equally as damaging as immorality.
We have sins that are respectable. O...more

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Nov 02, 2009 Debbie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, non-fiction

I received this book as a review copy from the publisher. I liked that "Respectable Sins" frequently referred to Scripture. It also pointed the reader to God for help. I appreciated that the author stressed the character and sovereignty of God while still (implied by his statements) acknowledging the role of free will. This was a good book in that it stressed the seriousness of all sin ("small" and "large") and it pointed out that wrong attitudes are serious, too.

Since the sins listed on the bac...more I received this book as a review copy from the publisher. I liked that "Respectable Sins" frequently referred to Scripture. It also pointed the reader to God for help. I appreciated that the author stressed the character and sovereignty of God while still (implied by his statements) acknowledging the role of free will. This was a good book in that it stressed the seriousness of all sin ("small" and "large") and it pointed out that wrong attitudes are serious, too.

Since the sins listed on the back cover are all ones of attitude (jealousy, anger, pride, unthankfulness, judgmentalism), I assumed the point of the book was about attitudes--how the Bible teaches that we might get our behavior outwardly correct, but as long as our attitudes are wrong then our wrong behavior will keep slipping through despite our best efforts. Thus, we need to have changed attitudes in order to have permanently changed behaviors.

However, the author didn't clearly point this out and treated attitudes the same way as behavior--this is a wrong attitude that makes us act in these ways; don't act this way, but act this way; ask God for help. Most of each chapter was focused on how we act--behavior--rather than staying focused on the root of the problem (the heart/attitudes) and the solution (Christ). Some chapters were better with this than others.

I had problems with chapters 3-6. The author previously stated that those who have accepted Christ as their Savior are now saints and that God sees Jesus' righteousness when He looks at us. Great! But then he stressed multiple times that our identity is really still "a great sinner" and that we are constantly sinning and can do nothing without selfish motives.

Um. Christ's work means my identity is no longer SINNER even if I sin. Also, I'm not constantly sinning and I can do things with no selfish motives--and all the credit, praise, and glory for this goes to God. If this isn't happening, I have to wonder if the person is allowing God to work in their life.

The author also stated that our progress on changing can be very slow, so much so that it appears no progress is being made. Again, this isn't how it has to be. Generally, the Holy Spirit convicts me of sin, I fall on my knees in sincere repentance, and I pray "Lord, I know this attitude is not pleasing to you, but I acknowledge my inability to change it. I surrender. Please take Lordship over this part of my heart. Give me your heart / an attitude pleasing to you about this situation." I'm delighted to find that my attitude has truly and lastingly changed within minutes to hours of saying this prayer. (Though sometimes I also have to add "help me to see this sin the way you do so that I can sincerely reject this attitude and want to change.") It's then easy and joyful to behave correctly--not to mention restful since I don't have the burden of making this impossible change on my own.

Which brings me to a statement the author also repeatedly made. It's summarized on page 49: "...while depending on the Holy Spirit, we must at the same time recognize our responsibility to diligently pursue all practical steps for dealing with our sins....Here the wisdom of some of the older writers will help us: 'Work as if it all depends on you, and yet trust as if you did not work at all.'"

I agree that we play a role--sincere repentance and surrender, asking God to transform our attitudes, and not repeating actions we know are going to put us in the way of temptation. However, I don't agree that we should act as if anything depended on us. The whole point is that it doesn't. Besides, since when does God share the glory? If we can claim credit for getting ourselves part of the way to perfection, then we're stealing some of the credit and glory that belongs only to God.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Parts were good, and I'm sure there are people who would find it convicting. However, I think that books like "Because He Loves Me" by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick, "Believing God" by Beth Moore, and "Eyes Wide Open" by Jud Wilhite do a much better job at explaining how to become free of these sins.(less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Jkanz rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I opened my Christmas gifts from my wife this year, there were a lot of Jerry Bridges books. In fact, I think all of them were from Jerry Bridges, which is fine by me. He has been my favorite author as of late. The most recent one was Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, a book I have been looking forward to reading for a long time.

In this book, Bridges addresses the sins that we as Christians tolerate. From his preface, "The motivation for this book stems from a growing con...more When I opened my Christmas gifts from my wife this year, there were a lot of Jerry Bridges books. In fact, I think all of them were from Jerry Bridges, which is fine by me. He has been my favorite author as of late. The most recent one was Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, a book I have been looking forward to reading for a long time.

In this book, Bridges addresses the sins that we as Christians tolerate. From his preface, "The motivation for this book stems from a growing conviction that those of us whom I call conservative evangelicals may have become so preoccupied with some of the major sins of society around us that we have lost sight of the need to deal with our own 'more refined' sins." He acknowledges how deeply our sins, even these more respectable ones, can affect our lives. As he so commonly does, he points to the gospel as the remedy.

His sixth chapter on "Directions for Dealing with Sins" is particularly worth while. He suggests:

We should always address our sins in the context of the gospel.
We must always learn to rely on the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
While depending on the Holy Spirit, we must at the same time recognize our responsibility to diligently pursue all practical steps for dealing with our sins.
We must identify specific areas of acceptable sins.
We should bring to bear specific applicable scriptures to each of our subtle sins.
We should cultivate the practice of prayer over the sins we tolerate.
We should involve one or more other believers with us in our struggle against our subtle sins.

In the later chapters of the book, he does address specific sins including: ungodliness, anxiety and frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride selfishness, lack of self control, impatience and irritability, anger, the weeds of anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, sins of the tongue, and worldliness. I was particularly convicted by the chapters on self control and pride as they hit closest to home for me, though I suspect if you are human, you will find conviction and hope here too.(less)

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Oct 16, 2011 Alexis Neal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion, 100-books

A decent, unobjectionable little book. The book opens with a clear presentation of the gospel, and all the sins discusses are viewed through the lens of that gospel. Bridges addresses thirteen different types of "respectable" sin, and with that many topics to cover, the chapters are quite short and easily digestible. Indeed, I often found myself wishing the book contained a more thorough exposition of the various sins and more advice on how to address them in my own life. I suspect, too, that I...more A decent, unobjectionable little book. The book opens with a clear presentation of the gospel, and all the sins discusses are viewed through the lens of that gospel. Bridges addresses thirteen different types of "respectable" sin, and with that many topics to cover, the chapters are quite short and easily digestible. Indeed, I often found myself wishing the book contained a more thorough exposition of the various sins and more advice on how to address them in my own life. I suspect, too, that I mistook Bridges' purpose in writing this book. To my mind, the reader of a book entitled Respectable Sins is already in agreement that such sins are prevalent in the church and that they should not be. But Bridges takes several pages in the opening chapters to convince his readers that respectable sins exist, that they matter, and that they should be eradicated. He seems to think that his readers not only recognize these sins as "respectable" but are quite content to continue tolerating them, whereas I tend to think that his audience will necessarily be largely made up of those who wish to excise these respectable sins from their own lives. And this theme was repeated in the chapters on each particular respectable sin--Bridges would take time to persuade the reader, from Scripture, that the behavior or attitude he addressed was actually sin. Which is by no means a bad thing, but with chapters so concise as to be bordering on brusque, I wasn't sure it was the best use of Bridges' time and space, as it further limited his discussion of the nature of and solution to the sin at issue. ("X sin is bad. Scripture says so. That means you should not do it. The end.")

Still, he was spot on in most of his discussion of the various sins. As far as I could tell, he didn't say anything wrong--I just wish he'd said more. And with a discussion of 14 separate respectable sins, plus several opening chapters dedicated to the presentation of the gospel and a concluding chapter, Bridges would have been perfectly justified in expanding this book beyond its slender 181 pages. Then again, no one can claim that this book is too intimidating or too complex to be read and understood. So there's that.

Bottom line: Solid book, just not quite as helpful as I was hoping it would be.(less)

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Mar 17, 2013 Iris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, christianity

Respectable Sins addresses the smaller sins we allow in our lives such as anxiety, discontentment, impatience, and judgmentalism. After a couple of chapters telling the importance of facing the sin in our lives and general principles for dealing with it, Jerry Bridges addresses thirteen of these accepted sins in individual chapters. Bridges carefully describes each sin so that we can identify it in our lives. He then gives specific helps for each sin. While the book can be read quickly, I believ...more

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Aug 08, 2011 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

Respectable Sins is a practical equivalent of the book of Hebrews. It is for the mature Christian who has grown complacent, often subconciously, and needs solid food vs. milk in their spiritual diet.

Bridges does a brilliant job of attacking and challenging our acceptance of various subtle sins that we blindly tolerate. Too often our culture is overly focused on "gross" sins and ignores the more common ungodliness that plagues our fallen hearts such as anxiety, discontentment, resentment, pride,...more Respectable Sins is a practical equivalent of the book of Hebrews. It is for the mature Christian who has grown complacent, often subconciously, and needs solid food vs. milk in their spiritual diet.

Bridges does a brilliant job of attacking and challenging our acceptance of various subtle sins that we blindly tolerate. Too often our culture is overly focused on "gross" sins and ignores the more common ungodliness that plagues our fallen hearts such as anxiety, discontentment, resentment, pride, selfishness, and envy among others. But God tells us that if we fail to keep any part of the law, we are guilty of all of it (James 2:10). Believers are consecrated to God and are called to mortify the sins that plague our heart condition. We are commanded, by the power of the holy spirit, to sanctification in order to reflect Christ more faithfully. Sadly, however, we often tolerate these "respectable" sins and condemn the flagrant sins of society. In our self righteousness and self protective tendencies, we put a human scale on sin. But no sin is outside of God's gaze. All rebellion, subtle or gross, is reprehensible in His sight, is reponsible for nailing our savior to the cross, and is worthy of his curse and wrath.

As Bridges surgically and brilliantly applies scriptural context and encouragement for dealing with each type of respectable sin, he provides a very helpful summary roadmap for remedying these offenses: 1) Address our sin in the context of the Gospel 2) Rely on the enabling power of the Spirit 3) Diligently pursue all practical steps for dealing with our sin 4) Identify specific areas of respectable sins 5) Apply specific scriptures to each of our subtle sins 6) Cultivate the practice of prayer over the sins we tolerate.

Bridges concludes by reminding us that God now sees us as redeemed people clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ. We need to put off the old self and put on the new self in order that we may walk worthy of this calling.

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Feb 02, 2012 Phil Dunn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Called 'Respectable Sins', the aim of the book is to confront the sins that we as Christians all too readily tolerate. But before getting into the nitty-gritty of various 'respectable sins', Bridges spends no less than five whole chapters putting a gospel framework in place. His advice, "always address your sin in the context of the gospel." Nice.

Then its down to business. Ungodliness, anxiety and frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, anger are just a few of the sins...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Jared Totten rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jerry Bridges wrote one of the best books I've ever read on Christian sanctification in Pursuit of Holiness. But if Pursuit of Holiness is Sanctification 101, then Respectable Sins is Sanctification 301. While the former book focused on the broader subject of sanctification and dealt with the more common besetting sins, the latter focuses on the more subtle sins that often go unaddressed.

Before dealing with specific areas of sin, the opening chapters of Respectable Sins set the necessary foundat...more

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Sep 06, 2010 Erin Kennedy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Helpful look at the sins we in polite society tend to minimize in ourselves. It's tempting to look at more blatant, obviously harmful sins in others and think we're doing comparatively better, but if we're called to take up our cross daily that means there are things we must put to death on a regular basis. I like how Jerry Bridges can point out sins that are common in our polite Christian culture that we're tempted to ignore or minimize. The danger is that we can be overwhelmed when we see how...more

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May 12, 2008 Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an excellent book. Bridges teaches ways to deal with and overcome the subtle sin in our lives which we have for so long chosen to tolerate. It is a real motivator for spiritual growth.

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Jul 28, 2010 Vaughn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Respectable Sins addresses the sins we tend to overlook in our lives as Christians (e.g., ungodliness, anxiety, frustration, discontent, unthankfulness, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, irritability, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, sins of the tongue, and worldliness).

Three things that make this book great are (1) each of these "respectable" sins are easily explained in a Biblical manner and made practical by illustrations found in daily living; (2) the material is also not...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very convicting. Have to be in the right frame of mind to read this one. But EXCELLENT. There is a sect of Christians out there that bemoan the moral depravity of our culture all the while neglecting their own internal sins that grieve the heart of God just as much! If we could only see our own sins of the heart in light of Scripture, I believe we would be a FAR more compassionate and gracious people. We would understand God's grace on a whole new level. We would be like Isaiah in Isaiah 6 when...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Cbarrett rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book will bring you face to face with the corruption that remains. It will drive you to the cross and lead you to be more relentless in your waged war against sin, even the sins that you can hide from everyone else, even the person across from you in the church pew. The same hand that painfully brings you to see your sin also writes words of comfort, assurance, and victory as he brings you to the glorious triumph of Christ's work. Even your respectable sins do not hold dominion over you bec...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Nicholas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: knowinggod-faith-christianity

This book was such a blessing to read. It was very convicting I really enjoyed it and found it very profitable.

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Mar 02, 2011 Josh Meares rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jerry Bridges does a good job uncovering the respectable sins of Christianity. He exposes our willingness to judge those outside of our community for their sins while disregarding our own. I don't think that Jerry's writing is the best, and I don't agree with some of his methods for trying to overcome these respectable sins. But the fact that he is willing to call a sin a sin, and to point out some of the "logs in our own eye" makes this book a worthwhile read. I believe that those who read this...more

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Jan 10, 2010 Gina Paoletto rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book brought to my attention the sins I had tolerated in my life to name a few, jealousy, anger, pride, frustration, unthankfulness and judgementalism. After reading this book I was able to forgive myelf and others. Giving everything to God and trusting Him in transforming me into His likeness, it has been a process. He is a loving God He loves the sinner and I found laying my sins at his feet lifted a heavy weight off my shoulders, trusting God to take care of any obstical that comes my wa...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is excellent (I read it as part of a bible study). It brings to light the sins that are part of our everyday life and we tend not to repent for, but are nonetheless sins. It was very convincting.

On the down side, I got discouraged at a couple of points because I thought, "Are you kidding me? THAT's a sin too? Why even bother trying?" but just because something is hard to read doesn't mean it's not valid.

So I'll keep plugging along and try to take as many of these respectable sins out o...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was very convicting. I didn't agree with everything the author said, but those instances were all what I consider minor differences so I chose not to get worked up about that and I continued reading until the end of the book. He definitely seems to be genuine about his faith. The writing style was not my preference either, and it seemed he must have written it with a thesaurus by his side, but there were too many good tidbits inside to let that stop me. There is a lot of Scripture used...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Sheri Ingersoll rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In an age of extreme narcissism, professing Christians included, we might do well to take a reality check. If we are honest with ourselves, we will spend less time trying to find the faults in others and more time pondering our own - especially the "small" sins that we tend to justify day after day, yet which remain an affront to our Holy God. Lord, grant us the grace to see this in our lives and to be convicted and repentant. Thank you, Jerry Bridges, for writing on a topic that is not, by any...more

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Mar 25, 2013 benebean is currently reading it

Shelves: audible, christianaudio-com, accessible, philosophy-religion, nonfiction

*sighs* this is the second Jerry Bridges book that I've tried that has come highly recommended by teachers I greatly respect that just doesn't seem to resonate with me. I guess maybe I just come from a very different place?

Bridges talks at length about anxiety being a sin and ends with, "can you imagine Jesus being anxious?" as if it is totally out of the realm of possibility that Jesus was ever anxious. However, I would definitely think of Jesus as anxious in the garden before he was arrested a...more

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Mar 22, 2012 MightiMidget rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, theology

Respectable Sins covers a plethora of subtle, under-the-radar-squeaking vices prevalent in Christian culture. This, by nature, is going to be controversial and not an easy thing to read. Keeping that in mind, I read the first half of the book and got a great deal out of it. I struggle with many of the sins pointed out by Bridges, even if I didn't agree with him on every little point. Where he used Scripture to back things up, I was grateful and appreciated the insight. However, this may have bee...more

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Mar 04, 2011 Colin Miller rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, jesus-fu

Jerry Bridges’ Respectable Sins may be limited by its subject matter, making it more like a weekly devotional than a must-read, theology-bending Christian living book, but it still succeeds with what it’s trying to do.

In opening Respectable Sins, Bridges notes that certain words (sin, adultery, stealing) haven’t just been fallen out of the world at large, but also out of Christian churches as a whole. He’s not just fighting for terminology though, as he argues that churches are condemning the s...more Jerry Bridges’ Respectable Sins may be limited by its subject matter, making it more like a weekly devotional than a must-read, theology-bending Christian living book, but it still succeeds with what it’s trying to do.

In opening Respectable Sins, Bridges notes that certain words (sin, adultery, stealing) haven’t just been fallen out of the world at large, but also out of Christian churches as a whole. He’s not just fighting for terminology though, as he argues that churches are condemning the sins of the world around them, while giving themselves a free pass on more subtle types of sin. And so Respectable Sins exists to address the subtle nuances of distinctive sins (because no sin—no matter how small we think it is—should get a free pass). Before addressing one area of sin per chapter, however, Bridges begins with basic theology: the ubiquitous nature of sin, its atonement (Jesus) and the power of the Holy Spirit in dealing with it. I’m glad he started with this total approach. Otherwise, a book like Respectable Sins could’ve just been one more self-help book adorned with Christian terminology.

Some of the chapters are easily absorbed by Christian culture (the ones on worldliness, pride and anger), but I can see several that are likely to anger your average Joe Christian (discontentment, unthankfulness and judgmentalism). From what I’ve read of Bridges, he doesn’t mind being the messenger of hard-to-swallow theology, and while I can appreciate his edge, some things need to be explored more. For example, I agree that, based on what Christians believe, we’re not allowed to be angry at God, but guess what? It happens sometimes. Past the standard checklist (reading scripture, prayer, repentance and community—those things that people don’t like to hear about, but do actually help), how do you deal with these things? I know situations are subjective, but it seems like Bridges drops the message, then moves on to the next chapter, leaving the reader to wrestle with the ramifications. Some chapters are connected—anger (as a sin) is nuanced out into several chapters—but as a whole, Respectable Sins is an episodic read. Given that it’s dealing with sins that often fly under the radar, its impact is mitigated, too, but hey, someone should address the unacknowledged areas of sin. Three stars.
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About Jerry Bridges

JERRY BRIDGES is an author and conference speaker. His most popular book, The Pursuit of Holiness, has sold over one million copies. Jerry has been on the staff of The Navigators for over fifty years, and currently serves in the Collegiate Mission where he is involved primarily in staff development, but also serves as a speaker resource to the campus ministries.

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Books by Jerry Bridges

The Discipline of Grace: God's Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness

Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love

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“The sin of worldliness is a preoccupation with the things of this temporal life. It's accepting and going along with the views and practices of society around us without discerning if they are biblical. I believe that the key to our tendencies toward worldliness lies primarily in the two words "going along". We simply go along with the values and practices of society.” — 3 people liked it

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