Here’s another quote from Respectable Sins. The thing that continues to amaze me about this small book is the powerful messages that emerge out of such simplicity. It’s not just that it is an easy read, which it is. The marvel to me is that Bridges is writing about things we all know, yet sadly, we fail to apply.
Our speech, whether it is about others or to others, tends to tear down or build up. It either corrupts the minds of our hearers, or it gives grace to them. Such is the power of our words. If I gossip, I both tear down another person and corrupt the mind of my listener. If I complain about the difficult circumstances of my life, I impugn the sovereignty and goodness of God and tempt my listener to do the same. In this way, my sin “metastasizes” into the heart of another person.
Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2007), p. 24.
