Anger
Everybody gets angry. (Well, I do,
anyhow, and I suppose other people do, too.)
We know that we all have sin natures that have areas of strength
and weakness. You may be strong where I am weak, and vice-versa.
So it may be that you would never think of committing a particular
sin that I might be having a great deal of trouble with.
But, in one way or another everyone has problems with anger. Sometimes
the anger is a quiet, seething resentment or indignation at some
large or small offense, real or imagined. Sometimes anger explodes
into a rage that can turn into retaliation, violence, or murder.
When we are angry we hurt people, usually those who are closest
to us. And we really hurt ourselves; an angry person is his own
worst enemy, as we shall see in this topical study.
But Christians can have victory over the sin of anger! This study
is written to lay out what the Bible says about anger and to answer
questions like the following:
* What's the difference between sinful anger and righteous indignation?
* Does God get angry?
* What causes me to get angry, and what can I do about it?
* How can I have victory over the sin of anger?
Definition
The Bible describes anger as a sin - a sin of mental attitude.
As a sin, anger expresses antagonism, exasperation, indignation,
resentment, outrage. Anger usually produces an emotional
feeling, but the feeling is not the anger. The thought
pattern which produced the feeling is the sinful anger.
In the Bible, the type of anger which is not sinful is
more properly called "righteous indignation". Righteous
indignation does not produce emotion. Thus, whenever emotion is
involved, sinful anger is the cause.
The Bible uses two Greek words for anger: orge, referring
to mental anger, and thumos, for mental anger. It's possible,
but not common, to have mental anger without an emotional response.
In Eph. 4:31, both types of anger are related to bitterness.
Anger is a sin which promotes sins against other people, such
as gossip, self-righteous judging, maligning, complaining.
Both anger and righteous indignation are mental reactions to events
or circumstances. If the mental reaction is unjustifiable, it
becomes a reaction such as irritation, exasperation, or irrationality.
But if a reaction is justifiable, it is never irrational. An example
would be righteous indignation regarding heresy.
Righteous Indignation
Righteous indignation is not anger and not emotion. It is a clear
understanding of a bad situation because you have divine viewpoint.
Therefore, there is no reaction which leads to anger and sin.
In Mark 10:14, Jesus became opposed to the disciples when they
forbade the children to be brought unto Him. This was not anger,
it was an understanding of a wrong. Jesus expressed righteous
indignation in Matt. 23:13-36 when he condemned the scribes and
Pharisees. And He wasn't angry when He told Peter "Get behind
me, Satan, you are a stumbling block to me. You have not concentrated
on the things of God, but on the tings of man."
Another example of righteous indignation is a Christian's mental
attitude toward criminal activity. You can pursue, prosecute,
and sentence a criminal without compromising such principles as
grace, forgiveness, or impersonal love. You are aware that the
criminal's act is wrong and that he must be stopped. That is righteous
indignation. But you don't hate the criminal or fall apart emotionally
because of sinful anger. Impersonal love is a result of Christian
growth and allows believers to have a regard for even the most
obnoxious people that does not depend on their character or behavior.
It is righteous indignation that allows God to be "angry"
about sin but to love us anyway. His love for us depends on His
character, not on ours.
Characteristics of Sinful Anger
1. Anger is sin from the sin nature. Gal. 5:19-21, "Now
the deeds of the flesh [sin nature] are evident, which are: immorality,
impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy,
outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying,
drunkenness, carousing, and things like these..."
2. Anger is related to foolishness. Eccl. 7:9, "Do
not be quick to be angry in your heart, for anger resides in the
bosom of fools."
The Bible defines a fool as a person without wisdom. He may be
a genius, but his thinking is from human viewpoint. He thinks
and acts apart from God's standards and controls. The paramount
fool (and the beginning of foolishness) is the person who has
"said in his heart, There is no God."
Look at Romans 1:18-31 for a detailed description of the results
of deliberately turning away from God. A fool is on a rapid downward
slide towards destruction, both in this life and the one to come.
In the list of terrible sins which characterize the ungodly are
several which are either causes or results of anger.
3. Anger is associated with grieving the Holy Spirit. Eph.
4:30-31, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom
you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness
and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted,
forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven
you." Notice the contrast here between conditions of anger
and the results of impersonal love.
4. Anger is a violation of the Christian's code of conduct
as a member of the Body of Christ. Col. 3:8,9, "But now
you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, {and}
abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since
you laid aside the old self with its {evil} practices"
5. Anger hinders effective prayer. 1 Tim. 2:8, "Therefore
I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands,
without wrath and dissension."
6. Anger is always accompanied by other sins. Prov. 29:22,
"An angry person stirs up strife, and a hot tempered person
abounds in transgression."
Anger promotes the sins of gossip, self-righteous judging, maligning,
revenge, complaining, bitterness, and many others. Heb. 12:15,
"See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that
no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many
be defiled."
7. Anger makes a person his own worst enemy; he brings misery
upon himself. Prov. 22:8, "He who sows iniquity will
reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish." The uphappiness
comes from many sources: failure to be occupied with Christ, failure
to maintain a relaxed mental attitude, failure to be controlled
by the Holy Spirit, thus, failure to grow in Christ. Lack of growth
means lack of joy, lack of love, lack of divine viewpoint.
8. Anger promotes jealousy and cruelty. Prov. 27:4.
9. Anger causes misery for loved ones, friends, and community.
Anger destroys a nation. Prov. 21:19; 22:24; 24:25; 29:22.
Amos 1:11, "Thus says the Lord, "For three transgressions
of Edom and for four I will not revoke its {punishment}, Because
he pursued his brother with the sword, While he stifled his compassion;
His anger also tore continually, And he maintained his fury forever."
Other Bible Teaching on Anger
Eph. 4:26 says "Be ye angry, and sin not." or "Although
you may have become angry, stop sinning."
This verse is quoted from Psalm 4, which is about David's righteous
indignation at the revolt of his son Absalom. He is resisting
the temptation to become angry. "Tremble with anger, yet
do not sin." He was tempted to become angry at Absalom because
Abaslom had used his position to start a revolution against his
father. but he didn't become angry, he trusted the Lord (Occupation
with Christ), and he asked the army to spare Absalom. 2 Sam. 18:5.
It is possible to respond to unfairness or offense without sin.
A person may sin against you, yet you can remain without sin.
You can put the matter in the Lord's hands, stay in fellowship,
and maintain a relaxed mental attitude. Furthermore, because you
stay in fellowship, you are in the best position to be of service
in the situation. You can forgive the other person and be open
to any reconciliation he might offer. You will at least do your
part to keep lines of communication open.
The Bible continually emphasizes righteousness maintained in the
face of unfair treatment.
You cannot build your happiness on someone else's misery. This
is what retaliation tries to do. But you'll never obtain happiness
through revenge or by straightening out the other person. To punish
someone else using verbal sins or violence is a revenge operation;
worse yet, it obstructs divine judgment and discipline. "Judge
not, that you be not judged" is intended to warn us to let
The Lord handle matters of sins against Himself. The angry person
who arrogates to himself the position of judge is in a position
of compounded divine discipline himself, worse off than the one
who originally caused the trouble.
The Anger of the Lord
The Lord is said to have anger, or to be angry, in several places
in the Bible. The word "anger" is used as an anthropo-pathism,
a word or phrase that ascribes human characteristics or feelings
to God, who is not human. God never reacts emotionally. He is
never surprised, shocked, or outraged. But He does have an attitude
of wrath or anger against some things.
The phrase "the anger of the Lord" is used in the following
passages:
Num. 25:4; 32:14; Deut. 29:20; Judges 3:8; 10:7; 2:14, 20; 2 Kings
24:20; Lam. 4:16; Jer. 4:8,25,37; 30:24; 51:45; 52:3; Zeph. 2:2,3;
Psalm 2:5.
The phrase "the wrath of God" is used in the following:
2 Chron. 28:11; Ezra 10:14; Psalm 78:31; John 3:36; Rom. 1:18;
Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6; Rev. 14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1; 19:15.
Victory Over the Sin of Anger
1. Recognize the sin of anger and confess to the Lord when you
become angry. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
I John 1:9. This way you will maintain your walk with the
Lord and be controlled (filled) by the Holy Spirit.
2. Continue to "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Forgiveness is an important
part of grace being used by a believer. The more you are oriented
to God's plan of Grace, the more adept you will be at using the
assets He provides.
3. Practice trusting God (or, using Faith). God says, "Cast
your care on Me, because I care for you." When you are in
bad situations, tell the Lord about it and let Him handle it.