In Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges argues that many Christians have focused on condemning the sins of the world, rather than the sins of the saints. As new creations in Christ, we should not/cannot tolerate the sin that remains within us, yet we often hold onto "respectable sins"- things that are so commonly done, even in Christian circles, that we tolerate (or even encourage) them. This should not be, and so this work is written with a focus on sins that Christians may not think of as sinful. He covers a variety of things, like anxiety, frustration, discontentment, pride, unthankfulness, selfishness, lack of self control, impatience, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, sins of the tongue, and worldliness, unpacking each to show how they're wrong and calling Christians to overcome them by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This work disappointed me. Bridges makes a lot of good points- don't get me wrong- but he makes a few assumptions (about most Christians thinking these things are okay), and his tone irked me. His examples weren't the best- he frequently used others' sins (not his own) and (as a result) came across wrong, even haughty in a way. He repeats himself a bit, and makes a few blanket statements that might not be totally true. There is value here, but I had higher hopes for this one.
Rating: B-
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