LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
What does the Bible say about complaining?
Submitted to Dr. James Sulfridge
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500
Discipleship Ministries
By
Anthony Bean
What does the Bible say about complaining?
The Greek word translated “complainer” means literally “one who is discontented with
his lot in life.” It is akin to the word grumbler. Complaining is certainly not a fruit of the Spirit
(Galatians 5:22-23) and, in fact, is detrimental to the peace, joy, and patience that come from
the Spirit. For the Christian, complaining is destructive and debilitating personally and only
serves to make our witness to the world more difficult. Who, for instance, would be attracted to
a religion whose adherents are dissatisfied with life and who continually grumble and
complain?
The first complainer was Adam who, after he and Eve disobeyed, complained to God that
“the woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it”
(Genesis 3:12). The son of Adam, called Cain, also complained, although undoubtedly within
himself (Genesis 4:6). We also know of the complaints made by Moses, when he met God at the
burning bush (Exodus 3–4). Also, Moses cried to the Lord repeatedly for deliverance from the
Israelites’ grumbling and idolatry (Exodus 17:4; 32:31-32). We also know of the complaints that
David offered up to the Lord in the Psalms (Psalm 2:1; 12:1-2; 22:1) and the complaints made by
the prophets concerning the idolatry of the Jewish nation. However, the book of Job offers the
most in the way of complaints toward God, and yet Job did not sin (Job 1:22, 2:10). That is not
to say that the aforementioned people never sinned in voicing their complaints to God, but Job
was a man who was able to sanctify his complaints, and that took humility.
Clearly, as believers we are challenged not to grumble or complain (Philippians 2:14-15; 1
Peter 4:9); rather, we are to love one another deeply so that we may become “blameless and
pure” in God’s eyes. If we grumble and complain, it shows how worldly we still are (James 4:1-
3). A complaining spirit leads to fighting and quarrelling because complaints come from
unfulfilled desires, which lead to envy and strife. Was that not at the root of the problem with
the sons of Israel, when they chose to dispose of their brother Joseph, because of his dream
(Genesis 37:3)?
Finally, while it is not wrong to complain to God, it is wrong to complain about God. Those
that did so met the anger of the Lord, as was the case of Moses’ sister Miriam (Numbers 12)
and Korah and Dathan (Numbers 16). But note that they spoke against God’s servant and, in
doing so, spoke against God Himself. If we must complain, let it be to Him about our own
sinfulness so that He will forgive and cleanse us (1 John 1:9) and put within us a new heart, one
that rejoices rather than complains.
Although I admit the thought of a spinach sandwich is revolting, Todd, I'm afraid you
misunderstood my question. I didn't ask for your favorite complaint, but why complaining is a
sin. "If you complain, you might have to clean up more," says Lane, 7. I assume you mean your
room, which remains a challenge for many adults. "You will get into trouble because you will be
fighting with your mom and dad," says Brandon, 6. "Then they will punish you. They are in
charge of you, and they can do whatever they want."
Complaining is not the way to win friends and influence parents. Lauren, 7, thinks the root
of most complaining is jealousy: "Jealousy is a sin because you want something that someone
has." Erica Jong wrote, "Jealousy is all the fun you think they had." Contentment in the Lord is a
great gift, but the Bible goes further. Christians should rejoice with those who rejoice. Instead
of having sour grapes over someone else's success, we should be jumping for joy. Every
Christian is part of a spiritual body of believers that transcends economic, cultural, racial,
national and time barriers. In the Bible, this joining together is so tight it's called the body of
Christ, of which the Lord is the head (I Corinthians 12:27).
When you're tempted to complain, think of a cake, says Sarah, 10: "God put us in
particular circumstances for a reason. Everything God does is for a reason. A lot of bad things
can come together to make one big, good thing. Like when you make a cake, everything you put
in it is not always going to be good by itself." Unless you're a serious body builder, a raw egg is
not edible by itself. If you complain about your circumstances, you might miss out on that
delicious cake God is trying to make from the raw eggs of your life. "It's right there in one verse
of the Bible," says Austin, 10. "It's not right to complain about your condition because God is
the one who decided to put you in that condition, and he probably has a plan for it."
That certainly was the case with the Israelites whom God delivered from slavery in Egypt.
God planned to bring his people through the wilderness into a land flowing with milk and
honey. But they angered God by complaining. Even though they had seen God part the Red Sea
miraculously and destroy Egypt's elite troops, they quickly forgot God's just-in-time deliverance.
God has been in the just-in-time business long before corporate executives conceived of
minimizing their inventories with timely deliveries just before products are assembled.
Because of their complaining and disbelief, the Red Sea generation wandered in the
desert for 40 years until they all died. They missed out on the wonderful things God had in store
for them. The notable exceptions were Joshua and Caleb, who brought back a positive report of
the land God had promised. Think about this: There are giants to conquer in the land of God's
abundance. One of the biggest giants is complaining about circumstances. Memorize this truth:
"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and
harmless, children of God" (Philippians 2:14-15). Ask this question: Will you give God an
opportunity to work on your behalf by trusting him, or miss out on his provision by
complaining?
