My pastor has been using Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges, as a guide to a series of Wednesday-evening devotional messages. I decided to pick up a copy of the book, and have found it very helpful. Here is an early example. More to follow at a later date.
“In Greek culture, sin originally meant to “miss the mark,” that is, to miss the center of the target. Therefore sin was considered a miscalculation or failure to achieve. . . . Usually, however, our sinful actions stem not from a failure to achieve but from an inner urge to fulfill our own desires. As James wrote, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (1:14). We gossip or lust because of the sinful pleasure we get out of it. At that time, the lure of that momentary pleasure is stronger than our desire to please God.”
Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2007), p. 21.
