Grumbling and Judgement
Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The
Judge is standing at the door! (Jas 5:9 NIV)
Family Status
I’m struck time and time again by how often the daily practical outworking of Christian living is
informed by eschatological realities. James gives a strong prohibition – don’t grumble against
one another. He then reminds his audience of their family status together – brothers and sisters.
Like any good leader (or parent) he provides a motivating warning after the instruction – or you
will be judged.
What is yet to come (the day of judgment) ought to have an impact on how Christians behave
towards one another. This is somewhat frightening and humbling as a pastor, missionary, and
Christian who has grown up in the church. Often the “talk of the town” within the community of
faith is news regarding just how much grumbling exists between brothers and sisters!
One point of clarity must be made regarding the nature of the groaning. This is not the cry of the
righteous who are following the instructions of the Lord when one brother offends another
(Matthew 18:15-19). This is a groaning reminiscent of the ancient generation of exodus
Israelites who wrongly grumbled and groaned against Moses. Those who led grumbling
rebellions met judgment (see Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in Numbers 16). The principle which
saw those men judged stems from the same God whom James was a servant of. Grumbling
against one another merits judgment.
John Calvin
The French reformer John Calvin expounds on James 5:9 with these words:
“We may, indeed, groan, when any evil torments us; but he means an accusing groan,
when one expostulates with the Lord against another. And he declares that thus they
would all be condemned, because there is no one who does not offend his brethren, and
afford them an occasion of groaning. Now, if everyone complained, they would all have
accused one another; for no one was so innocent that he did not do some harm to
others.
God will be the common judge of all. What, then, will be the case, but that every one who
seeks to bring judgment on others, must allow the same against himself; and thus all will
be given up to the same ruin. Let no one, then, ask for vengeance on others, except he
wishes to bring it on his own head. And lest they should be hasty in making complaints
of this kind, he declares that the judge was at the door. For as our propensity is to
profane the name of God, in the slightest offenses we appeal to his judgment. Nothing is
a fitter bridle to check our rashness, than to consider that our imprecations vanish not
into air, because God’s judgment is at hand.
The Lord’s return is a reason and reminder for us to deny ourselves any grumbling against our
brothers and sisters in the Lord“