by Roger Alcaraz
There’s a lot in the world we can complain about. From the tragic to the trivial. From a broken heart to a broken pencil. And the truth is, we will always have an excuse to complain, even if we have to make one up.
I think even if we were to go to heaven in our unglorified state, we would still complain, much like the fallen angels did before us. Adam and Eve lived in a world without sin, and yet Eve was tempted to believe God was holding out on her, and so she complained in her heart about God. It goes to show you that mankind’s attempt to better the world so that we have less to complain about is futile. We will never stop complaining as long as we are able, even in a perfect world.
Complaining is so easy to do, and many of us probably do it without even noticing. But complaining will only bring you more heartache, and it goes directly against God’s commands. Furthermore, it could be what prevents others from coming to know Christ. Philippians 2:14-15 commands us to “do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
The application from this passage is pretty obvious: to do all things without grumbling or disputing. And I doubt this command is new to you. Even if you grew up in a non-Christian home, you were probably told to stop complaining. Yet chances are, even as a Christian, you still complain. But Paul understood that we need proper motivation when trying to obey God’s commands, so he spends less time giving this command and more time explaining why it’s so important for us as believers.
Being Blameless Before God
It may not seem like much to grumble. Maybe it’s something you think you should stop doing, but it’s not hurting anyone, so why the rush? If so, you need to look at what God says about complaining.
Jude wrote to encourage Christians to contend for the faith, especially against false teachers because “certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Jude goes on to reveal that a severe judgement awaits these false teachers “It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him’” (Jude 14-15). And so who are these ungodly sinners whom God will execute judgement on? “These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires” (Jude 16).
And so the grumblers and malcontents mentioned in verse 16 are actually the false teachers mentioned in verse 4. Now that might not make sense to you because when you think of false teacher, you think someone who spreads lies and heresies. How is this the same as someone who complains? But think about it–if you complain, you are actually teaching. And when you complain, you’re teaching that Christ is not enough. You might even be teaching that God himself is not good. When you complain, you teach this to yourself, and if you complain to others, you spread your teaching to them, as well.
It’s tempting to want to complain about our situation, but if we trust that God is sovereign and has placed us where we are for our good, there will be no room for complaints. Instead of complaining, we are to be content whether we have much or whether we have little, and whether we like our circumstances or not. And as a result of our refusal to complain, we will not only be happier, but more than that, the world can see Christ through our trust in God.
Shining Brightly Before Men
Going back to Philippians 2, we live in a crooked and twisted generation, and you as believers shine as light in the world. But you will ruin it all by complaining and disputing. Earlier I said that we teach people about God in the way we complain and this is most true with unbelievers.
Imagine witnessing to a friend one moment and complaining the next, perhaps over dirty dishes that your roommate left. On the one hand, you’re telling them that Christ is of the utmost importance. But on the other hand, you’re telling him Christ is only enough so long as there are clean dishes. I think they’d have trouble reconciling the difference in their mind.
It would be more consistent with the gospel message to, instead, just take your roommate’s dishes and wash them joyfully. What kind of message would that communicate to your unbelieving friend? One that says: “All I need to be happy and fulfilled in life is Jesus.” And this is over insignificant dishes; imagine how much more that message would be communicated as they see this type of attitude during a real tragedy.
Friends, the world notices how you complain and argue. Sometimes it’s done on social media where the whole world can see. But we cannot afford to persist in this sin any longer. For the sake of those who do not know Christ, we must stop complaining.