What does the Bible say about complaining? | GotQuestions.org

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Hi there, many others like you have asked, what does the Bible say about complaining?

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Let's find out, shall we? You can discover even more on GotQuestions .org. Complaining can mean different things in different contexts.

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Those who complain could be expressing grief or sorrow, or they could be accusing someone of an offense.

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In those contexts, there is nothing overtly sinful about complaining, as long as the expression of grief or accusation of wrongdoing conforms to biblical guidelines.

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The complaint is appropriate. After all, the Bible contains a book called Lamentations, and many of the

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Psalms contain complaints or utterances of grief over a dire situation. However, complaining can also take the form of fault -finding, murmuring, griping, or grumbling, in which case it is wrong.

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A complainer who is sinfully grumbling is showing discontentment with his lot in life. Complaining is certainly not a fruit of the

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Spirit. A complaining spirit is in fact detrimental to the peace, joy, and patience that come from the

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Spirit. For the Christian, complaining is destructive and debilitating personally, and serves to make one's witness to the world even more difficult.

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The Bible gives several examples of those who complained. Adam complained to God that the woman you put here with me gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.

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Here, Adam blamed Eve, and indirectly, God, for his sin. Less than three months after leaving

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Egypt, the Israelites were complaining to Moses that they were starving to death in the desert, and foolishly wished, if only we had died by the

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Lord's hand in Egypt. Although their complaint was leveled at their human leaders, Moses informed them that they were actually murmuring against God.

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You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord. Their complaining showed disobedience and a lack of faith.

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They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord. The psalmists wrote out their complaints to God.

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No one is faithful anymore. Those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to their neighbor.

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They flatter with their lips, but harbor deception in their hearts. The prophets also expressed personal pains.

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These complaints were not sinful because they were to God as a prayer for help. Those who heard

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Jesus teaching that He was the bread of life come down from heaven, had a hard time reconciling that truth with their knowledge of His upbringing.

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Jesus told them, stop grumbling among yourselves. The Greek word translated grumbling indicates that they were murmuring and muttering.

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Strong's Concordance states that it was used generally of smoldering discontent.

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Believers are not to smolder, grumble, or complain. A person who refuses to complain will stand out in the world.

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Do everything without grumbling, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.

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Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. Our acts of kindness to others should always be done without complaining.

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Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. A complaining spirit reveals a lack of trust in God.

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Has not God provided in the past? Can we not trust Him to know what we need and to provide it in His time?

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Our circumstances, however bad they may be, are known to God and He is in control of them.

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Whenever we are tempted to complain, we should go to the Lord first, casting all our cares on Him, knowing that He cares for us.

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To overcome the habit of complaining, we should pray for God's help, remember the Lord's goodness, give thanks in all circumstances, and rejoice always.

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It is impossible to complain while rejoicing. In conclusion, as we keep studying the

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Word of God, praying, and enjoying fellowship with other believers, our complaining and grumbling will grow less and less.

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We will begin to allow our difficult circumstances to produce something other than grumbling within us.

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Whining itself will fade away. Count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds, for we know that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness.