Tag: Sin

Respectable Sins: 4 Manifestations of Selfishness | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins3 Comments

This week I am continuing to work my way through Jerry Bridges book Respectable Sins. I hope it is helping to bring to light those sins that are common and acceptable amongst Evangelical Christians – sins we commit on a regular basis with no thought that they are sin – so that you will then work on ridding them from your life by the power of the Holy Spirit. The sin we will explore this week is selfishness. Let me start with a definition.

Selfishness defined is as follows:

A person, action, or motive lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure.

In order to understand how we are often concerned with our own personal profit or pleasure I will explore four areas where selfishness manifestations itself, which are:

  1. Our interests
  2. Our time
  3. Our money
  4. Our consideration of others

Let’s start today by looking at the first way selfishness generally manifests itself.

Our Interests

In Philippians 2:4 Paul tells us to look out for the interests of others. Here he desires we be concerned with other’s interests. The problem is that we are often concerned with our own interests more than the interests of others. In other words, we consider our affairs to matter more than someone else’s.

How does this work itself out in everyday life?

One way we can know if we are concerned about our own interest is by observing our conversations. If we dominate the conversation, telling of our grandchildren’s latest feat, our latest work project, our kids sports achievements, etc, without caring about the interests of others, then we are being selfish in our interests.

Another way this works itself out is by showing no genuine interest in what others are telling us. Instead, we are bidding our time until we can speak, thinking more about what we are going to say than what the other person is currently telling us. When we do this, we show that we really don’t care about the other person’s interests, we just want someone to listen to what we have to say, which means we are being selfish in our interests.

How do we have a conversation with someone in an unselfish manner?

In order to have a conversation with someone in an unselfish manner, we need to be careful not to dominate the conversation with our interests, as well as we need to be genuinely interested in what the other person is telling us.

How do we correct our behavior?

Before you get to thinking I am telling you that you must just sit there and let the other person speak, let me say, “It is okay to talk about your interests.” If you did not, then you would be a boring person, who no one really knew. Our interests should be expressed, but our interests should not be the dominating factor in our conversations. We should not be talking at the person, but rather we should be talking with them.

The Reason this is a Sin

Selfishness with our interests is a sin because we show ourselves to be “Lovers of Self”, which Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is a sin. More pointedly, as Jerry Bridges says,

“A self-centered persons cares little for the interests, needs, or desires of others.”[1]

So then, those who are “Lovers of Self” are not operating from a Christian perspective. As Christians, we are called to care for the needs of others by not loving ourselves, but rather we are to be willing to lay down our lives for others, which is what Christ did for us (Phil. 2:5-11).

Looking Forward

In my next post in this series, I will look at how we are selfish with our time. Until then, use the questions below to help you reflect on this post.

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do we show that we do not care about others interests and consider ourselves to be more important than others?
  2. How might we have a conversation with someone without being selfish?
  3. Are there other verses besides Philippians 2:5-11 that you might point someone to in order to help them understand what Christ has done for them by being unselfish?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 103.

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Respectable Sins: Discontentment | Part 3

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins2 Comments

How do you deal with sinful discontentment? Are you ambivalent, not caring one way or the other? Do you even view it as a sin? Are you willing to seek ways to kill discontentment in your life?

In my last post in this series, we began to deal with sinful discontentment. Today, I will offer a few ways we can kill sinful discontentment in our lives. As well as I will provide you with some specific scriptures to memorize and questions to ask yourself. Let’s get started by asking the question:

How Do We Deal with Sinful Discontentment?

We can deal with sinful discontentment through:

  • Prayer – We have to ask God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to reveal to us areas in which we are discontent. As well as we have to ask Him, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to cause us to trust in His wisdom and sovereign plan.
  • Scripture Meditation and Memory – We need to meditate on and memorize specific scriptures, so that we can educate and remind ourselves that we should not be dissatisfied with our circumstances, finances, and possessions.
  • Acceptance and Trust – We must accept our circumstances, our finances and possessions, trusting that God, in His unerring plan and love, knows what is best for us and has purposed what is best for us. When we trust and accept our position in life, we can then ask God to let us use whatever has happened to us for His glory.
  • Purpose – We have to remember that our purpose in life is not for our glory. Our purpose in life is to bring God glory. Reminding ourselves our life is for God’s glory will help us to view and face even the most adverse circumstances with joy. The apostle Paul had this singular focus in life. It allowed him to rejoice while imprisoned and facing a trial that could lead to his execution (Phil. 1:12-26).

Scripture to Memorize

Hebrews 13:5-6; Luke 3:14; 12:15; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Philippians 4:10-13; Psalm 139:16

Questions for Reflection

  1. In the past what have you done when you found yourself discontent? In other words, how did you work through the situation?
  2. How might you handle the situation now?
  3. Do you believe your purpose in life is to bring glory to God? How might viewing this as your purpose in life change how you look at your circumstances?
  4. Can you think of any biblical examples of those whose sole purpose in life was to bring glory to God?

Resources

Post adapted from: Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 71-77.

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Respectable Sins: Discontentment | Part 2

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins3 Comments

Are you discontent with your possessions and money? Does your current circumstances cause you to be unhappy and unsatisfied? If so, you may be sinning.

In my last post in this series, I defined discontentment and gave a few areas where it is healthy to be discontent. Today, we turn our attention to sinful discontentment.

Why We Need to Deal with Sinful Discontentment

When we are sinfully discontent, we show that we do not believe God to be all wise, nor do we accept God’s sovereign control over our lives.

We also show that our thinking about our purpose in life is flawed. Instead of viewing our purpose in life as to bring glory to God, we believe life is about our glory. When a lack of finances, possessions, or difficult life circumstances do not work to bring us glory, then we become discontent.

These things are major issues. Issues that must be dealt with. For if they are not, they not only result in a rejection of God’s wisdom and sovereignty, along with a continued flawed view of our purpose in life, they also can lead to other sins such as resentment or bitterness.

Areas of Sinful Discontentment

(1) Money and Possessions – When we are unsatisfied or unhappy with our money or possessions, we are sinfully discontent.

The reason we are discontent in this area is because we have a desire for more. A constant desire for more reveals that our money or possessions have taken the place of God in our lives. When this happens, we no longer find our acceptance, comfort, joy, protection, and peace in God. Rather, we find it in our possessions and money, which is a problem and something we need to take action against.

Scripture

When discontentment in our finances and possessions surface, we need to remind ourselves of the truths of Scripture. Here are just a few passages to meditate on:

Hebrews 13:5-6

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

We Learn

We are not to trust in our money or possessions. Rather, we are to trust in the Lord for He alone is our helper.

Luke 3:14

Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

We Learn 

We are to be content with our wages, and we are not to extort others by threats or false accusations if we believe our wages are not enough.

Luke 12:15

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

We Learn

There is more to life than the possessions we own. The parable that follows in vs 16-21 teaches us that it is ultimately our soul that we should be concerned about.

1 Timothy 6:6-10

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

We Learn

Contentment is great gain. Knowing that we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing with us, should cause us to look at our possessions and money differently. Paul tells us that food and clothing is all we need, and we should be content with those things. As well as we learn that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils.

(2) Circumstances – When our circumstances are not what we expect, we can become discontent.

In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges provides a list of possible circumstances that might cause us discontentment. Here is what he says:

  • An unfulfilling or low-paying job
  • Singleness well into midlife or beyond
  • Inability to bear children
  • An unhappy marriage
  • Physical disabilities
  • Continual poor health [1]

While this list is not exhaustive, it should be enough to get you thinking about the circumstances in your life that could lead to discontent.

When we are not content in our life circumstances, we show that we do not trust in God’s unerring sovereignty. And that is not ok, because we are rejecting God’s rule over our lives.

Scripture

The best way to deal with circumstantial discontentment is to remind ourselves of the truths of Scripture. Here are just a few passages to meditate on:

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

We Learn

Our current circumstances do not occur outside of God’s will and control, which should cause us to give thanks, knowing that somehow He will use even the most difficult circumstances to sanctify us, build our trust in Him, and to bring glory to His name.

Philippians 4:10-13

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

We Learn

The secret to contentment lies in trusting God, knowing He will provide for us and strengthen us to face every situation.

Psalm 139:16

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

We Learn

God has ordained all our days for us, and nothing happens outside of His will, knowing that should provide us with comfort. Even though we may not understand how God is using our current circumstances, we can rest assured that they are apart of His overall plan for our lives.

Commenting on this verse Jerry Bridges says,

“God does nothing, or allows nothing, without a purpose. And His purposes, however mysterious and inscrutable they may be to us, are always for His glory and our ultimate good” [2].

So no matter what we are facing, whether it be unhappiness about our looks, or our job, we should find rest in the fact that God is in control. He has knit us together in our mother’s womb, ordaining our days for us.

Looking Forward

In my next post in this series, I will offer a few ways we can deal with sinful discontentment. Until then, meditate on the Scripture above and ask yourselves the questions below.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are you currently discontent about your finances, possessions, or life circumstances?
  2. Do you believe the things you are discontent about have taken the place of God in your life?
  3. Do you believe God is all wise and loving?
  4. Do you believe God is completely and unerringly sovereign over your life?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 71-72.
[2] Ibid., 74

Post adapted from: Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 71-77.

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Respectable Sins: Discontentment | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins2 Comments

Are you content? Are you happy with your possessions and your circumstances? Admittedly, it is difficult for us to be completely content all the time, but that is no excuse because discontentment is a sin. A sin we often overlook, but one we need to deal with.

In my next few posts, I will deal with this sin. But before we deal with discontentment as a sin, we need to realize it is not always sinful to be discontent. There is a healthy form of discontentment, which we will look at today. Before we do, let’s get started by defining discontentment.

Discontentment Defined

Discontentment occurs when we are dissatisfied or unhappy with our life, whether that be our circumstances, money, or possessions.

Healthy Discontentment

There are areas in which we can be discontent and not sin. Here are a few:

(1) Spiritual Growth – Not being satisfied with our spiritual growth is a form of healthy discontentment. If we are to continue to grow in our Christian walk, then we cannot be completely satisfied with our current growth. For if we are, we will remain stagnant.

(2) Injustices and other evils – We should not be content with injustice, nor should we be content with the evil in the world. Rather, we should be discontent with the way the world is currently, which should cause us to long for the world to come. It should also motivate us to work to eradicate as much injustice and other evils as we have power.

Looking Forward

While there are certain areas in which we should be discontent, there are other areas we should not. When we exhibit discontentment in these areas, we are sinning. I will look at these areas in my next post.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Are you content with your spiritual growth?
  2. Are you content with your churches spiritual growth?
  3. What can we do to continue to grow spiritually?
  4. What can we do to eradicate injustices and other evils in the world?
  5. Can you think of other areas where it may be healthy for us to be discontent?

Resources

Post adapted from: Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 71-77.

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Respectable Sins: Anxiety, Worry, & Frustration

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, Respectable Sins2 Comments

Recently I began a series on Respectable Sins, you can read the introductory post here and week two here. This week, we will deal with the second of many sins we as Christians ignore, that being anxiety, frustration, and worry.

Definitions

Anxiety, worry, and frustration are common terms that we use everyday, but what do they mean?

  • Anxiety | It is the feeling of nervousness or unease, which generally occurs when an event is imminent or something is uncertain.
  • Worry | While a synonym for anxiety, it tends to be associated “with more long-term difficult or painful circumstances for which there appears to be no resolution” [1]. 
  • Frustration | It is the feeling of being upset or annoyed especially because you do not have the ability to change or achieve something you would like to change or achieve.

Why are these Labeled as Sins?

Anxiety and Worry

When we are anxious or worried, we show that we are fearful of the future, whether that be immediate or long-term. We do not trust that God’s sovereign plan is right.

Frustration

Frustration is similar, but it does not involve fear. Rather, it involves us being upset or even angry at someone or something for getting in the way of our plans. When we do this we forget that God is sovereignly in control of everything that happens in our lives. Instead of trusting in God, we trust in our own intellect or know how [2].

Summary

All three, anxiety, worry, and frustration, are sins because they show a “distrust in God” and “a lack of acceptance of God’s providence in [o]ur lives” [3]. They also are closely akin to ungodliness because during these times we are living as if God is not in control of our lives [4].

How Does Anxiety and Frustration Manifest Itself?

Anxiety and worry manifests itself in many different ways. Here are just a few examples:

  • Being uneasy and constantly thinking about making your connecting flight.
  • Being uneasy and constantly thinking about if you will have a job in order to provide for your family.
  • Being uneasy and constantly thinking about if you will be able to have kids when you and your significant other start trying.
  • Being uneasy and constantly thinking about a public speaking engagement, interview, date, conversation, etc.

Frustration manifests itself in many different way, as well. Here are just a few examples:

  • Being angry and upset when your computer will not print so you can turn in your paper on time.
  • Being angry and upset when others do not see your point of view or agree with you.
  • Being angry and upset when you are sitting in five o’clock traffic and only moving one inch every few minutes.

Remedy

We can begin to rid these sins from our lives:

First, by realizing God will take care of us in times of need.

Matthew 6:25-34 is a perfect verse in which to turn, when we are anxious or worried. Six times we are told not to be worried or anxious. Instead, we are to trust in God, realizing He is the sovereign Lord, who will take care of us.

Second, by meditating on Scripture.

Take for instance, Psalm 139:16, it can help us remember God is in control when we get frustrated, anxious, or worried. The Psalm reads,

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

We learn from the Psalmist that God does have a plan for our lives. While His plan may not be our plan, we can trust Him in every situation, believing that His plan for our life is perfect and holy.

Psalm 139 is not the only Scripture we can look to when we are anxious, worried, or frustrated. Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7, Ephesians 4:31, and James 1:19-20 are a few others that would be helpful for us to meditate on during seasons of frustration, worry, or anxiety.

Third, by learning to rest in the fact that there is a reason for everything that happens.

Since no event is purposeless, we should take that opportunity to ask God what He would have us learn. It may be that God is using a situation to show us that we lack trust in Him, that we want to plan things on our own, or that we are living our life with no regard for His will.

“Sometimes God uses events that tempt us toward frustration [or anxiety] to get our attention, or even to push us further in an area we need to grow in. In any case, there are no events in our lives that do not ultimately come to us from the invisible hand of God, even though they come through some visible cause [5].”

Fourth, by praying.

We should pray that the Holy Spirit would work in our lives to remove our anxiety, worry, or frustration, allowing us to react to a situation in a godly manner. We should also pray that God would provide us with the practical wisdom we need in order to handle the situation. If our printer is broken, we need to know how to fix it or where we can go and print our document, so we can meet our deadline [6].

Scripture to Memorize

Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalms 139:16; Ephesians 4:31; James 1:19-20

Questions for Reflection:

  1. What causes you to worry, be anxious, or get frustrated? Is there anything you can learn from these situations?
  2. Do you write these sins off, thinking they are natural for everyone or are apart of my temperament, so they must be ok?
  3. Does knowing that God is sovereign help you when it comes to these sins?
  4. Do you believe frequent frustrations show you have a control issue?

Resources

[1] Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 67.
[2] Ibid., 69-70.
[3] Ibid., 64.
[4] Ibid., 69.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.

Structure of post taken from Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, 63-70.

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Reflections on Scripture

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals1 Comment

This morning in my reading, I came across Jeremiah 5:20-24. Here is what it says:

Declare this in the house of Jacob;
        proclaim it in Judah:
“Hear this, O foolish and senseless
people,
        who have eyes, but see not,
        who have ears, but hear not.
Do you not fear me? declares the
LORD.
        Do you not tremble before me?
I placed the sand as the boundary
for the sea,
        a perpetual barrier that it can-
not pass;
        though the waves toss, they can-
not prevail;
        though they roar, they cannot
pass over it.
But this people has a stubborn and
rebellious heart;
        they have turned aside and
gone away.
They do not say in their hearts,
   ‘Let us fear the LORD our God,
who gives the rain in its season,
    the autumn rain and the spring
rain,
and keeps for us
    the weeks appointed for the
harvest.’

My Reflection

As I reflected on this passage, I was reminded there are people around us everyday who know that the Lord is our Creator, who know He is the One true God. These same people look out like Judah and see His power. How He controls even the raging sea, so that it does not go pass the boundary He has set for it. How He is the One who gives us rain and causes our crops to grow.

Even so, they choose to ignore the Lord. They do not fear Him. Rather, they turn from Him to worship other gods and to do what seems good in their own eyes. But what happens when the end comes? What will those who do not fear the Lord do when they stand before Him in judgement?

Judah did not repent and worship the One true God, and His wrath was poured out on them. Let Judah’s example serve as a warning to all those who act in the same way, who ignore the Creator of this world, in order to serve other gods and themselves. A day of judgment is coming, and the Lord, who is mighty and powerful, will not be ignored then. To all who do not fear the Lord, repent and worship Him.

Resource

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