Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Anger (01/24/05)
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TITLE: Righteous Anger and Sin | Previous Challenge Entry
By Kevin Stephen
01/28/05 -
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Though many passages of scripture admonish us to refrain from unrighteous expressions of anger, it is not anger itself that is sin. We have inherited the spectrum of our emotions from God Himself, who lovingly created us in His likeness. We can see that God becomes angry at times as we examine both testaments of the Bible. Understanding the things that make God mad, while examining what we become angry over, can help us discern what is appropriate cause for anger.
In Matthew 5:21,22 Jesus teaches that being angry with a brother is like the sin of murder. We know that He taught to forgive one’s enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and to love one another, just as the Father does these things. When He was insulted, falsely accused, betrayed, slandered, and even tortured and killed He did not respond to these offenses. Not only did He completely entrust Himself to the Father, but He prayed for His enemies and asked God to forgive them, in keeping with His own teaching. Yet in Matthew 3:3 we see that Jesus looked at the Pharisees in anger. John 2:15 says that Jesus drove the merchants and money-changers out of the temple with a whip, and overturned their tables. How then are these apparent contradictions reconciled?
Seven hundred and fifty words won’t afford an exhaustive study of all that stirs up the anger of the Lord. But God reveals that “Jealous” is one of His names in Exodus 34:14. Whatever would steal the affections of His beloved or whatever would try to keep one who is earnestly seeking Him, in humility, from entering into a deeper intimate experience with Him will certainly arouse His jealous nature. This accounts for the anger Christ expressed towards the Pharisees, and other religious leaders, who tried to make the way hard for others to encounter God apart from their control. We also know that anything that would treat the glory or house of God with disrespect or contempt, anything that would seek profit above the good pleasure of God, and that unfair trade, all anger the Almighty. Since all of these were in full manifestation on the day that Jesus dealt with the merchants in the temple, I think we can deduce that His actions were justified before the Father. Keep in mind that Jesus ever only took up the concerns of His Father, rather than His own.
Jesus did not teach that we should never become angry, only that we should not let anger abide or persist within us. In Matthew chapter 5 He said that if we are angry with a brother there is danger of being taken before the council. This would only make sense if the anger were held for more than a brief period. Several other scriptures support this. Ephesians 4:26 says “Be angry and do not sin ; do not let the sun go down on your anger” ESV. James tells us in James 1:19-20 “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger ; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.” ESV
Ignoring an offense is not the same as choosing to overlook it. Repressing anger or letting bitterness take root can be just as destructive as outbursts of rage or violent behavior. There are a number of principles delineated in scripture that show the proper means of confronting someone who has offended us in order to diffuse the situation and restore enduring love and peace. See Mt 18:15-17, Eph 4:30-32, Heb 13:14,15, 2Cor 13:11, Col 3:8, and Gal 5:19-26.
So we see that anger is a natural response at times, but how we deal with it is a choice. The key principle is that with disciplined practice, and the enabling work of the Holy Spirit within us, we can control the level of our anger and choose the appropriate expression for it. Certainly retribution is not an option as Paul teaches in Romans 12:17-21.
Anger will find a place somewhere along a continuum between violent expression and complete repression. As with most things, it is desirable to avoid either extreme. Finding balance in the way we learn and choose to deal with anger is especially crucial to the preservation of our physical, emotional and spiritual health, and certainly to maintaining healthy relationships.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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