THE CHRISTIAN AND

ANGER

Rev Rodney A. Gray

 It has been said by many people that most of our problems stem from being bad, sad or mad, or
some combination of these. People who do a lot of counseling soon discover that there is much
truth in this. They find that, most of the time, they are dealing with the bad, the sad, and the mad,
and that almost always these three factors are involved in peoples' problems. We want to focus in
this study on those who are "mad." No one needs to tell us that there are a lot of angry people in the
world. Angry people live on the streets of our cities. They are angry at the circumstances in which
they live, and yet in their anger they are making those conditions worse. They often commit crimes
against one another and against other people (we call them "crimes of passion"), and their victims
become angry people, too. Angry people also live in small towns and do all kinds of things to earn
a living. They are husbands, wives, children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers and
sisters. There are people who are angry in their homes, angry in their workplaces, angry with their
neighbors or just angry with themselves. There are races and nations of people on our planet who
are angry. They are angry because they believe they have been deprived of their land, their
nationhood, their civil rights, their property, or their freedom. Nations and governments are in
endless turmoil because of angry people, and the prospects of turning them into happy people seem
to be slim indeed.

Anger and rage are glorified in all kinds of ways in television, the movies, and music. The major
theme often seems to be that if it makes you a winner, gets you your own way, gets your message
across or helps you to do greater violence to your opponent than he can do to you, anger is a good
and commendable quality. Everyone in the theater cheers wildly when the hero of the story finally
vents his wrath in the destruction and slaughter of his enemies. We often witness the same thing in
the world of sports, when the whole ballpark explodes with enthusiasm when players, managers,
and umpires lose their tempers and resort to verbal and physical abuse. In the life of the Christian,
though, we have every right to expect better things. Life in the church of Jesus Christ is
distinguished by its rejection of the nature and principles of the world. The kingdom of God calls
people to lay aside all anger, malice, and strife. The gospel is a gospel of peace, and it proclaims
that vengeance belongs to God alone. Entrance into God’s kingdom is through a new birth, one
that gives us a new heart and makes us new creatures altogether. Life in the kingdom of God
means that the guidelines for dealing with others are vastly different. Ideals like loving, blessing,
praying for and doing good even to the enemy, or doing unto others as you would want them to do
unto you, are more and more becoming the real life experience of people who live under the
Lordship of Jesus Christ. That is precisely why, if you claim that Jesus Christ is your Lord and
King, and yet you are an angry person, you have a problem. Anger is just one of many possible
life-dominating problems which compete with Jesus Christ for lordship over your life. You need to
recognize it for what it is and know what to do about it. What can we learn from the Scriptures
about what God thinks of the problem of anger?
 What is anger?

Anger is emotion. Among the many possible emotions or feelings of which we human beings are
capable, anger is one of them. Anger is, at least in part, an emotion. We need to remember that
emotions are simply indicators of how we are responding to the circumstances of our lives at any
given time. Not everything makes us angry, but some things do. Different things anger you than
the things that would anger me. It may be that exactly the same situation would make us angry at
one time, but not at another time. Usually, anger is not caused by just one factor, circumstance,
person, or condition. It is usually complicated by a lot of things that are going on in our lives,
internally and externally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. But this much we can say: it is an
emotional response to whatever is going on.

Anger is not necessarily sinful. It also needs to be said here that anger, in and of itself, is not
always or necessarily a bad thing. In fact, sometimes it may be a bad thing not to get angry.
Because it is a part of our emotional makeup, by itself it is no more sinful than any other emotion.
God made us as emotional beings, and we want our emotions to be in proper working order as
much as any other aspect of our personality. The apostle Paul could challenge the believers in
Ephesus with a quotation from Psalm 4:4 - "In your anger, do not sin." In other words, he
recognized that it is possible to be angry but not sin. For example, the Lord Jesus manifested
righteous anger upon occasion. When He saw the temple of God reduced to a den of thieves (John
2:13-17), or when on a Sabbath day He healed a man with a deformed hand under the judgmental
scrutiny of the Pharisees (Mark 3:1-5), Jesus let it be known that he was angry. Revelation tells us
that the "great day" of the wrath of God and of the Lamb will come (Revelation 6:15-17). Many
references to God's anger fill the pages of Old and New Testament Scripture. It seems appropriate
to conclude that we ought to be angry about the things that anger God. Surely, if we approve of
those things with which He is angry, His anger will be aroused against us. In any case, anger by
itself is not necessarily and always bad.

Anger is not the same as rage, wrath, revenge or retaliation. When we get into these areas,
anger does become sinful, so we should be careful not to treat these terms as equals. Anger, if not
properly controlled and directed, can become exceedingly sinful and damaging. When someone
has lost control and is throwing things around the house, we cannot call that "righteous
indignation." When someone is venting his pent-up rage for the sense of self-satisfaction and
getting it off his chest, he is not acting like Jesus Christ. When such selfish motives are involved as
a desire to tell someone off or tear someone down, or a desire to retaliate, or to intimidate and
manipulate people, we are dealing with something sinful.
The Bible always comes down on the side of controlling and restraining anger, as the wisdom of
the Proverbs teaches us (14:17,29; 15:18; 19:11,19; 22:24,25; 25:28; 29:11,20,22). The Old
Testament has many interesting words to describe anger. One means "to snort," like an angry bull
pawing the ground. Another, "to burn or become hot." Still another means "to smoke." All of these
ideas help us to understand anger as being that sense of indignation which arises within us in
response to wrongs done, whether the wrong is only in our own mind or in actual fact.

When is anger sinful?

Probably in the majority of cases, the anger that we express is sinful, and that is why anger is a
problem in the Christian life. There are countless applications that we could list of how evil,
ungodly behavior is expressed in anger. But we will try to organize these into just three categories.

Anger is sinful when it demonstrates resentment instead of reconciliation. What is the message
that your anger wants to get across? Does it want to let the other person know that you are mad,
that you are going to stay mad, and that you don't care if the situation ever gets straightened out?
Does it want to send up smoke signals that call for all-out war? Or does it signal your
dissatisfaction with the situation as it now stands, and your determination to work with the other
party to make it right?

Consider our Lord's teaching in Matthew 5:21-26. There are several things to consider here and
many possible applications that can be made from this text. But one of the most important
principles contained here is this: Anger is sinful when it demonstrates resentment rather than
reconciliation. Sometimes we come away from this part of our Lord's instruction with the
understanding that, in God's eyes, anger is just as horrible a sin as murder, and that's about all there
is to it. The act of taking a person's life is only the result of anger in the heart toward that person.
Therefore, to be angry is just as bad as to be a murderer. There is some truth in this, but it is not all
the truth there is. Surely, all sin is sin, but not all sin is the same. It is difficult to imagine that God
regards the brutality and horror of a Joseph Stalin, who deliberately starved 5 million of his people
and exterminated another 10 million by a purge of terror in the early 1930's, in the same light that
He regards a husband or wife who gets angry in a domestic argument. What the Lord Jesus is
driving at here is that anger is sin, that it is serious, and that angry people are subject to judgment.
Furthermore, it is silly to think that we have satisfied the perfect demands of God's holy law simply
because we refrained from taking someone's life. The law of God aims at heart obedience, because
it recognizes that sinful actions arise from sinful attitudes.
There is also in this passage the focus on how anger expresses itself in resentment. Jesus talks
about name-calling, or verbal abuse, or using terms of reproach against other people. This is a
clear indication that we are not only "mad," but we are downright "bad," too. Whenever anger is
expressed in this way, it shows that we are not really interested in becoming reconciled to the
brother. We just want to let him know that we resent what he has said or done, or not said or not
done. That is why Jesus moves on to talk about some of the other dynamics of this problem in
verses 23-26. The scene is, first of all, you offering your gift at the altar. In other words, you are
going to do an act of worship unto God. But suddenly you remember that your brother has
something against you. It is not even that you have something against the brother; he has
something against you. What does he have against you? Maybe you were angry with him. Maybe
you called him names, humiliated him or showed that you were not willing to make things right. In
any case, Jesus says that, as long as this controversy still stands unresolved, you cannot worship.
Getting the matter straightened out takes precedence over worshipping God. It is a way of letting
us know that God does not always agree with our anger. He will not treat us as acceptable
worshippers until we become reconciled to the brother.

The second scene is you on your way to court because you have an adversary who has accused you.
You are both on your way to stand before the judge who will hear the case, and whose decision will
be final. Jesus urges you to settle out of court. You must by all means be willing to seek peace and
make restitution if necessary while you are still with this person "on the way." Do not foolishly
hold out and demand a court hearing, because you may not be in the right after all. When the judge
gets done with you, he will hand you over to the officer who will conduct you to prison, and you
will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny that you owe. The teaching is that
these matters are to be settled now, right away, today, while we are still on the way. We will all
appear before the Judge of all the earth soon enough. You know that anger is sinful when it would
rather demonstrate resentment than reconciliation.

Anger is sinful when it destroys people instead of problems. Consider Ephesians 4:25-32. One
of the tragic mistakes we make, and perhaps it is the most tragic in connection with anger, is to
direct our energies against the other person instead of against the problem that is the enemy of us
both. In this passage of Scripture, the apostle Paul admonishes us to stop attacking people and start
attacking problems. Anger must be directed toward finding solutions so that relationships can be
restored. It is sinful when it destroys people instead of problems.

Several principles come to our attention in this text. In the first place, it is wrong to store up anger.
Paul makes this point when he warns against letting the sun go down while you are still angry. It is
characteristic of many people to keep their anger inside and let it build up. It comes out now and
then in the way they look or in a bitter remark or gesture, but for the most part they internalize it.
What they are doing is directing it inwardly against themselves. Probably no one else is especially
bothered about it, because most of the time they are not aware of it. This is the problem of
resentment. Some people store up large reserves of resentment that influence all areas of life and
all their relationships with others. They carry things along through life that should have been dealt
with long ago. They have allowed many suns and many moons to go down on their anger. People
like this reason that saying nothing is better than settling the problem. But they can be just as angry
as the person who loses his temper.

We also note here that it is wrong to "storm up" anger. This is the opposite of the person who keeps
it inside. Many of us are characteristically short-tempered and impatient, and we too easily and
quickly blow up in our anger. Creating a storm of anger is no worse than storing it up, but it is no
better, either. While some keep their anger internalized and direct it toward themselves, others let it
all out and direct it toward other people. In neither case does the problem get solved. The apostle
has this problem of "storming up" in mind particularly in verse 29. Notice that "unwholesome talk"
is put in contrast to "what is helpful for building others up according to their needs." The opposite
of building up is tearing down. The opposite of construction is destruction. Angry words are
words that tear down. The literal meaning of the word "unwholesome" here is "rotten." It refers to
something that is so decayed and corrupted that it cannot serve any good or useful purpose.
Unwholesome words are like rotten boards in a house. You do not build with them, and if you
leave them there the house will collapse. Rotten wood must be exposed and torn out. These are
rotten words, words spoken in haste, thoughtlessly and even violently. They are spoken by a
person who has lost his temper and is giving full vent to his anger without any thought of making
his words effective and productive in solving the problem. Remember that the counsel of the
Proverbs points us in the direction of controlling or restraining anger. The principle of counting to
ten is perfectly in line with its teaching. Exploding in a storm of rage only destroys people and
makes the problem worse.

Then we also learn from this passage that sanctification is the key. The process of sanctification
involves getting rid of sinful habits of behavior and replacing them with godly habits of behavior.
This is the pattern that Paul sets forth here. We must put off the old ways and put on new ways that
demonstrate that we have come to know Christ in a saving relationship. In other words, Jesus is
saving us from our sins (cf. verses 17-24). Specifically, our relationships with others will more and
more tend to build them up, and less and less tend to tear them down. Keep in mind that this
Scripture is not speaking to an individual in the singular, but to a body of people who must live and
walk together in the Christian life. The teaching is calculated to get them to bring their energies
together and focus them on problems. We need to learn to redirect anger in productive ways that
solve problems rather than attack and destroy people.

Anger is sinful when it demands rights instead of righteousness. Consider James 1:19 and 20.
In much the same spirit as the Proverbs, James urges great caution and restraint when it comes to
anger. The context has to do with the humble acceptance of the word of God, and how that word
will be implemented in our lives. The principle is that we have to be more willing to hear than to
be heard. This is always the rule of thumb as far as our relationship to the word of God is
concerned. We should be ready to hear what God has to say. When there is much talk, there is
usually very little hearing. The frequent result of much talking is much anger. Anger expresses a
determination to be heard. Anger is a way of demanding our rights. It makes us deaf to what
others are saying, and especially to what God is saying. It is a way of lashing out against other
people, and ultimately against God. Angry people are people who do not want to hear. They are
frustrated and disgusted with everything and everyone, and they will never see their conflicts
resolved as long as they stand simply on their rights.
It may be their right to be heard; to be respected; to be loved or accepted; to be understood; to make
decisions; to have good health; to be considered important; to be appreciated; to be beautiful; to be
successful; to be treated fairly; etc. Whatever it is, much anger results when we believe we have
been denied our rights. But it is always our duty to hear what God has to say about the situation
and our perceived "rights," in all circumstances of life. We must be slow to speak, that is,
extremely cautious about forming opinions or conclusions independently of God's word. Often we
get so angry about things that we think we speak for God, when we have not even bothered to listen
to God. James' teaching is that man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
The righteousness that God desires is expressed in humble obedience to His word and a recognition
of His hand in all that comes to pass. When we find ourselves in a disagreement with someone, are
we more concerned to state our case or to hear God's case? Are we really interested in promoting
God's righteousness, or are we more interested in asserting our rights?

Some parting thoughts

Sinful anger detracts from the testimony of Christ. It is to be feared that many professing
Christians do not see the seriousness of anger in terms of its implications for the cause of Jesus
Christ. They have become confused about what constitutes a Christian lifestyle. American culture
has perhaps influenced us more than we care to admit. Americans are not used to being pushed
around. We protect and defend our "vital interests" everywhere in the world. We have been
conditioned to think of ourselves as the greatest nation on earth. We are first and best in
everything. We think in terms of rights and property as something you never give up, but always
defend even unto the death. And when all of this spills over into our efforts to follow Christ, we
create a horrible monstrosity if we try to live for Christ according to these guidelines. We do not
take kindly to anyone getting in our way or stepping on our toes, whether intentionally or not, and
we are quick to let them know about it. "Rambo Christians" are everywhere in our churches, both
in pulpits and in pews. Anger and violent behavior come easy for them, and seem to be the most
expeditious way of dealing with the business of the kingdom of God. No wonder the world sees so
little difference between itself and many churches. How we need to return to the meekness and
gentleness of Christ!

Sinful anger is detrimental to spiritual growth. Are you an angry person? Perhaps you are the
type who has been storing it up. Often, this problem of stored-up anger has been a practice of long
standing. If such is the case with you, very likely you are full of bitterness and resentment. It is no
consolation to you that no one knows about your anger. You have been keeping it bottled up and it
has been eating away at your soul. Sooner or later, you will have to recognize that it is ultimately
against God. But for now, you know right well that it has been keeping you from being effective
and productive as a Christian. It has had a crippling effect on your spiritual life. You have not been
able to confine it to one corner of your life; it has colored your outlook on everything and
everyone. You find little or no satisfaction in service, and you are skeptical of the service of others.
Your anger toward one person has spread to anger with everyone, most of all yourself. It is
dominating your life.

Perhaps you are the type who creates a storm in your anger. You get it out and get it over with,
blowing up at whoever happens to be there. Is this really helping your spiritual growth? Are you
really a person who is ready to hear? If you are ready to hear, you must be slow to anger. Rage,
wrath and vengeance belong to God alone, and you have no excuse for assuming you speak and act
for God in this way. It is likely that you are mostly concerned about your own rights, interests,
feelings, etc. Sinful anger, after all, is very self-centered, and it cannot be that you are doing the
things God wants you to do if you are constantly focused on selfish goals. Just how serious are you
about hearing the Word of God? To what extent do you really believe your behavior is prompted by
the Spirit of God? Are you living a life of faith, or a life of anger?

Sinful anger destroys relationships. It is doubtful that many of us comprehend anger's potential
for destroying relationships and damaging the fellowship that ought to characterize those who are
involved together in the work of the gospel. We need to be reminded that this is serious business
for the same reason that any ungodliness is serious business. It detracts from the testimony of
Christ. It is detrimental to our own and others' spiritual growth. And it destroys relationships
among people. Can you remember that you ever really enjoyed being around an angry person?
Was there ever a time when you were blessed by an angry church meeting? Do you find that it is a
happy experience to live in an angry household? Does anger at the workplace make the day go by
more smoothly for you? Do you feel motivated to develop relationships with people who are bitter
and resentful, suspicious and critical? Now consider yourself. Do you speak the truth in love? Do
you behave toward others as if Christ's new commandment for you is love, not anger? Now both
love and anger may speak truth, but only love will speak truth to build up a person and a
relationship. The most important relationship of all, needless to say, is our relationship with God.
Angry people know, and need not be told, that the worst consequence of their anger is that it
destroys their relationship with God. They know that they cannot be acceptable worshippers,
worshipping God in spirit and in truth, and remain angry at the same time. What greater motive do
we need to repent of this sin and take steps to overcome it?

October 14 and 21, 1990