My Journal

Here's an article from Redeemer's Westside's Weekly Newsletter:

A recent column by David Brooks asked the question of when we should care about other people’s opinions about us. One of the reasons cited for regulating one’s behavior is because of our responsibility to those around us. He writes, “The manners and mores of a community are a shared possession. When you violate social norms . . . you are tearing the social fabric.”

This is consistent with the Bible’s exhortation to constantly audit our words and actions in light of their impact on others (Rom. 14:13; Luke 17:1–4; 1 Cor. 8:9). This is one of the reasons we corporately confess sin during weekly worship. When I confess my sin in the hearing of my brothers and sisters, I am not only explicitly seeking the forgiveness of God (which is primary), but also the forgiveness of those around me. That is because my sin not only tears at the fabric of my relationship with God, but also of those around me. Corporate confession therefore is a communal habit that reminds us that to follow Jesus means bearing a shared responsibility for the community that bears his name. And it is a gift that constantly points us back to the source of healing and mercy that reweaves our torn and tattered lives: the cross.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb. 10:24–25)

In Christ,

Rev. David Bisgrove

There's a difference between violating social norms (not necessarily sinful) and sin.