Jude 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
This verse gives more problems of the false teachers about whom Jude is writing. They are grumblers. Grumbling is spurred on when things don’t go our way. Another word for this is pouting. Pouting is used more for children and grumbling for adults, but they are basically the same thing. When people grumble, they are acting like children. Why do people grumble? It sometimes is a way of expressing frustration that a situation has not gone well or gone the way one wishes. When faced with a situation that tempts us to grumble, we can try to find God at work and ask for God’s peace to flood our hearts. Grumbling can lead to faultfinding. This is where we see people’s humanness, their short comings, and even their mistakes, and use these as ammunition to blame or shame someone. We all have faults and weaknesses. Sometimes they stand out and other times they are small and hidden. Some people just seem to find fault in any situation or with any person. Faultfinding can be debilitating and demoralizing. It takes the strength and happiness away from a situation. What may stand behind grumbling and faultfinding is evil desires. Jude list evil as one of the problems of these people. If we have any of the attributes in these verse, we must look honestly at our hearts, minds, and motives and see if they are evil. Another result of sin in a person’s life is pride. Pride can lead to boasting, which elevates us and puts others down. People like to put others down because they think it makes them look better. It appears that the people against whom Jude is writing have a big ego problem. They have not crucified themselves but rather have elevated themselves in ways that show their sinful hearts. They may think they look spiritual, but Jude sees through the facade. The Christians who receive this letter must beware of people like this because they will destroy the church.
For older posts, click here.