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

Hi there, many others like you have asked, what does the Bible say about complaining? Let's find out, shall we? You can discover even more on GotQuestions .org. Complaining can mean different things in different contexts.

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

Lamentations and the Psalms as Godly Complaint

After all, the Bible contains a book called Lamentations, and many of the 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.

A complainer who is sinfully grumbling is showing discontentment with his lot in life. Complaining is certainly not a fruit of the Spirit. A complaining spirit is in fact detrimental to the peace, joy, and patience that come from the Spirit.

Why Complaining Harms Christian Witness

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

Here, Adam blamed Eve, and indirectly, God, for his sin. Less than three months after leaving 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 Lord's hand in Egypt.

Although their complaint was leveled at their human leaders, Moses informed them that they were actually murmuring against God. You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord. Their complaining showed disobedience and a lack of faith.

They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the Lord. The psalmists wrote out their complaints to God. No one is faithful anymore. Those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to their neighbor.

They flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts. The prophets also expressed personal pains. These complaints were not sinful because they were to God as a prayer for help. Those who heard 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.

Jesus on Grumbling and the Christian Response

Jesus told them, stop grumbling among yourselves. The Greek word translated grumbling indicates that they were murmuring and muttering. Strong's Concordance states that it was used generally of smoldering discontent.

Believers are not to smolder, grumble, or complain. A person who refuses to complain will stand out in the world. Do everything without grumbling so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.

Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. Our acts of kindness to others should always be done without complaining. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. A complaining spirit reveals a lack of trust in God.

Has not God provided in the past? Can we not trust him to know what we need and to provide it in his time? Our circumstances, however bad they may be, are known to God and he is in control of them. 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.

How to Overcome the Habit of Complaining

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. It is impossible to complain while rejoicing. In conclusion, as we keep studying the word of God, praying, and enjoying fellowship with other believers, our complaining and grumbling will grow less and less.

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

All right, that answers your question. What does the Bible say about complaining?