Do not grumble against one another!

                                                                              
Question: 

“Do not grumble against one another…” (James 5:9). What does this mean? How are we to speak with our brothers and sisters in the Lord? How should we behave when we are worried about our fellow believer? Is “grumbling” about them wrong? 

Answer: 

The context of this warning from James is about having patience with the regard to Christ’s return. Twice, in verses 7 and 8, we ar

e called to be patient. In our life of faith we encounter diverse challenges: times of testing, temptation and suffering, and times of success and prosperity – particularly in the Western world. In all circumstances we need to learn how to live in anticipation of His return. This is a practice in patience as well.

In verse 9 it says, “Do not grumble against one another…” With this statement, James warns us not to lose our patience with our fellow man – especially with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We should not allow ourselves to become upset by our neighbor, so that we complain about him and become angry. Otherwise we are at greater risk to speak ill of him, condemn him and build up mutual resentment in our relationship. James wants to tell us: have patience with one another, and do not grumble about your brethren. We must not make ourselves judges over one another, because the Judge – Jesus Christ – is coming. Jesus Himself said: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). 

But what about talking about our brethren? Do we not frequently catch ourselves talking about others? Certainly, we will not be able to avoid this in the future either. We live together with people and situations will continue to arise where we speak of those who are absent in our circle of friends. This will occur in our families and in our churches. The crucial question is: what is our motivation in doing so? In what light do we represent those we speak of? How will the person I am speaking with think of my brother or sister after our conversation? Are we helping the absent person or are we using their behavior as a undesirable example and representing them in a negative light? Do we present the facts in a neutral way, or do we try to portray a certain image by omitting facts or exaggerating them? We have to be really careful with this! If our conscience is telling us to stay quiet then we should not speak. If we did say something and realize later it was harmful, we need to fix it! A good way to test our motives is to ask: how would I feel if someone were saying these things about me? Would I like it? Or we could ask: would I be willing to say those things in front of that person? If the answer is no, we should keep silent. Otherwise we enter dangerous waters. That is why James warns, “do not grumble against one another!” 

But what if we are truly worried about our brother? What does the Bible tell us about worrying? In Philippians 4:6 we read: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” It is clear: we ought to pray for our brother. It is also important to ask God to give us wisdom in dealing with this situation. We have an example in the Bible of how Paul dealt with his concern regarding Peter. He spoke directly with him about the issue (Galatians 2:11-21). In most cases, this is probably the best way – to seek a direct, loving, sincere and helpful conversation with our fellow believer. It may not always be harmonious or consensual – but it can be honest and sincere (Acts 15:39). Certainly, it can sometimes be helpful to ask someone else for advice. However, that does not mean we necessarily have to mention the name of the person concerned. Yet, there might be times where it is helpful to share the name. If my intention is to seek guidance so that I can be helpful – and my intentions and motivations are truly pure – then I am doing no wrong. 

May God give us love, wisdom and sincerity in dealing with our fellow believers, so that we do not grumble against one another. 

 Niko Ernst, 

Herford, Germany