A Lack of Gratitude

“The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones to . . . convict all the ungodly concerning all the ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way.” —Jude 14–15

At first glance, the above verses sound like a battle between God and the culture. Maybe Hollywood, pop music, and tabloid magazines are about to get their due. After all, they must be who Jude is describing as committing so many ungodly acts, right?

But the sinners God is judging here are grumblers and malcontents (v. 16). In other words, they’re complainers. They’re being judged because of their lack of gratitude, not because of some sin we would perceive to be more grievous.

This shouldn’t surprise me. God commands gratitude often in His Word. I know I should be thankful, but if I’m not it seems like no harm, no foul.

Perhaps that’s why Jude takes such a dramatically different approach to the issue. Instead of simply reminding us to be thankful in warm and fuzzy terms, he describes the judgment due to those who do not thank God for all He has done.