Have you ever met a Christian whiner? Chances are only too good that you have.

They often have a long and less-than-interesting story to tell. The story often centers on them and how they were betrayed by “the others” in the Body of Christ. Sometimes they were run out of a church fellowship. Sometimes they were denounced as false teachers. Sometimes they were shunned and accused of splitting the fellowship of believers.

While the story will vary in some details, one thing seems to remain constant: the whiner is innocent of all charges. He or she is only doing as God directs and leads. They have been misunderstood, not given a fair hearing, and rejected without good cause. Or at least, that’s how they see it.

Many of us have been involved in Christian whining at some time or another. Our feelings have been hurt. Our friends and Christian brothers and sisters have turn against us, accusing us of saying or doing the wrong things. And quite often, we were not as innocent of all charges as we really wanted to think.

A Christian will not walk very long with the Lord before some kind of trouble arises within the flock. Sheep may appear very peaceful from a distance or in one of those pasture images, quietly grazing in a wide valley or on the side of a green hill. But they are not always free of strife.

Why would Christians engage in accusing, fighting, striking each other, or trying to take advantage of others? Is it because Christ failed us? Is it because we all lack the Presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives? Hardly. God has never failed anyone. And even where God’s Holy Spirit is working powerfully, such as in the early church (see the Book of Acts) Christians sometimes resort to strictly human behavior.

The Apostle Paul says, for example:

“You, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

“But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!  I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”  (Galatians 5:13-17,  NKJV)

When the church is not healthy, the members all suffer.  The church in America is not all that healthy.  There are some wonderful congregations, here and there.  I hope you are part of one.  But a great many congregations of believers suffer from many spiritual ailments.

When sin is condoned in the congregation, or when it is secretly condoned in a believer’s life, there will be trouble.  All sin has consequences.  Why do you suppose God is so against sin?  The Lord knows that sin works like cancer in anyone’s life.  The longer it remains unexposed and unchecked, the more damage it does.

The Bible makes it clear that no one lives completely free of sin.  But it also teaches us how to deal with the sins that so easily trip us up, and it warns us against allowing the seeds and root of bitterness to spring up among us.  The poisonous root of bitterness (see Hebrews 12:14 and 15) is a warning that points all the way back to the days of Moses, when he addressed Israel again before they entered the land of promise (see Deuteronomy 29:10 thru 29, esp. verses 18-20).

When we try to mix our faith with the attitudes and behavior of the world, allowing sin to remain and work in our lives, we participate in the ruin of our own life and in the lives of others around us.   Can a person juggle live flames or flaming oil?  Can a person dance with sharks and not be bitten or even eaten alive?  Can a person leap from a high cliff and not expect to be crushed at the bottom?  The consequences of sin are real and lasting.

So it is that the church produces whiners, now and then.  When sin overcomes one or more members and they begin to see their own feelings and ideas as far more important than the good and simple faith of others, then trouble will follow.

The fix for such problems is confession and repentance all around.  We are not gods or even holy angels.  We are flesh and blood.  We are sinners saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  By God’s grace we stand.  When we remember that we are not perfect, and that God loves us because of His own goodness of heart (and not because we are somehow worthy) then we can walk as we should.  otherwise we will fall, since pride and arrogance always lead to a fall.

Peter writes, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”  (1 Peter 5:6,7  NKJV)

That is good counsel for us all.