Tolerated Sins

Jerry Bridges has a book out that I am very interested in using for a study, perhaps on Wednesday night. It is titled Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate.

Here are some of the chapter headings which give us an idea of the sorts of things that Bridges believes are often tolerated instead of being viewed as sinful:

• Ungodliness
• Anxiety and Frustration
• Discontentment
• Unthankfulness
• Pride
• Selfishness
• Lack of Self-Control
• Impatience and Irritability
• Anger
• Judgmentalism
• Envy
• Sins of the Tongue
• Wordliness

These headings should lead to very fruitful, important, and convicting discussions. I am especially glad to see the chapter dedicated to "ungodliness". I think that this is a very important concept to understand and that it gets to the heart of what sin is. Romans 1 makes it clear that God's wrath is being poured out because of the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

My question to you (I'm curious to hear your thoughts) is...what else do you think we can add to this list? Obviously, any sort of sin could be described as "ungodly", so let's try to be more specific. What are things that you see emphasized over and over throughout the Scriptures that tend to be ignored by churches today as if they are not really a big deal?

I'll throw a couple out for starters.

First, I think that one such "respectable sin" is a lack of intense love for our brethren. Second, I think that another is a lack of zeal for the proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus through the Gospel.

O.K., let me add one more. I think perhaps another of the most dangerous respectable sins is to assert that the Gospel is something that it is not. In other words, it is often heard throughout churches today to "Invite Jesus into your heart" but the actual Gospel is not proclaimed. Therefore, a person may believe that they have been saved by praying that Jesus will enter his or her heart but yet that person has not been instructed in essential matters of the Gospel such as the Resurrection, the sacrificial atonement, and justification by faith. Is this not a horrible sin that is tolerated throughout churches?