With chapters on small sins such as Ungodliness; Anxiety and Frustration; Discontentment; Unthankfulness; Pride; Selfishness; Lack of Self-control; Impatience and Irritablity; Anger; Judgmentalism; Envy, Jealousy and Related Sins; Sins of the Tongue; and Worldliness--there is much here to make us come to grips with the log in our own eyes before dealing with the speck in our neighbors' eyes. Thankfully the last chapter is entitled Where Do We Go from Here?

http://jvpearce.blogspot.com/2008/06/...

Being that it's Friday, and I haven't posted in a couple weeks on Respectable Sins, I figured I would update y'all. Ken and I have had a busy couple weeks - Ken especially with traveling to the Big D for the PCA General Assembly. Today he posted on the final chapter in the book, called 'Where Do We Go From Here?' You can find it over yonder at the New Covenant PCA blog. You can read the post by clicking here. If you didn't get a chance to read the book or follow along with us, I still highly recommend reading it. You can buy it for a good price at Westminster Bookstore here.

The last chapter was a good wrap-up of the book, though I agree with Ken in saying that the issues brought up in the book (namely rooting out our subtle or respectable sins and realizing just how big a deal sin is in our lives) should not be forgotten with the closing of the book. For me, the book was very good at showing me how 'good' of a sinner I am, and how much I am in need of a Saviour. ( )

Isn't it strange how we fall into these little traps of sin? In the Fundamentalist Churches I grew up in, they claimed drinking and dancing were sins. When came to a different opinion, I thought very well of myself. And in so doing, committed the very same sin that they had committed -- pride.

I started this book in a small group atmosphere, and we, before starting it, thought he was going to talk about the Church's hatred of homosexuals or abortion doctors as our collective "acceptable sins." The Church tends to do that after all, to hate sinners as though we are any better because our sins are more traditional in nature. But then this group of mine started going down that pride path as well, that path that is unforgiving toward others. We were doing the same thing. We got tired of people condemning sinners rather than condemning sins, and so we started condemning those who condemn.

Thankfully, the book went in another direction. It hits home, and it hits close to the heart. It talks about pride and unforgiveness with conviction.

A lot of people in my group rejected it out of pride. Because of this book, I have tried to react to that reaction in faith and hope rather than pride upon pride. It takes a willing heart to hear this message, and so do not come to this book hoping that it will expose all the sins others commit. The book is written to expose that very attitude. ( )