It seems that everywhere you look people are angry at the state of the world. Those who stand for Christian principles are angry at those who place the comfort of self above the Biblical principles God has given us in the Bible. Those who call themselves Christians, but want to decide for themselves what is right and wrong are angry at the first group I mentioned. On and on goes the battle in the world we live in. So, how do we as Christians deal with this anger on both sides? Is it right to be angry at others because they don’t see things the way we do, or because we know according to God’s word they are wrong?
I believe most of the time we handle anger just like the world does. We take it as a personal offense, blow up, and hold it against the other person. We sever the relationship, and never resolve the issue. Many will not blow up, they will hold it in until bitterness sets in. Neither of these is God’s way to handle anger.
God gave us the emotion of anger. It is not a sin to get angry at things that are against God. However, Paul instructs us in Ephesians 4:26 “to be angry and sin not.” God himself is angry at sin over and over in the Bible. In Genesis 19, God’s wrath was poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah because of the wickedness in the city. In Genesis 7:23, God’s wrath was poured out on the whole earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark were spared from God’s wrath. God’s wrath will also be poured out on those who die without Him. In Revelation 20, we again see God pouring out His wrath on all who have rejected Him. This will be the final pouring out of His wrath against sin. God’s anger to those who reject the gift of His Son is a righteous anger. He is not sinning when He pours out His wrath. He is executing justice. God does not delight in pouring out His wrath, instead, it grieves His heart. So much of the time we are unlike God in handling our anger. We spew and stew about a situation until it destroys relationships and people. We, unlike God, refuse to extend forgiveness and restoration to a relationship. Our anger consumes us until it becomes all about us and our rights.
In Ephesians 4:26, another aspect of dealing with anger is to deal with it promptly. Paul tells us “do not let the sun go down on your anger.” We are to quickly deal with a situation in love. Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak in love. The rest of the chapter in Ephesians tells us how to react to others. Ephesians 4:21–22 teaches us, if we have learned the true nature of Christ, then we will not react the way we did before salvation. If we are saved, the Holy Spirit will convict us, but it is still our choice to allow the new man to rule in our actions. Ephesians 4:27 says when we hold on to anger, we are giving the devil a foothold in our lives.
Ephesians 4:26-27 “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”
Genesis 7:23 “He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.”
For those who name the name of Jesus as their Lord, they must handle anger as a situation that arises and then seek to forgive. This blowing up and hanging to an injustice someone has done to us, or rehashing words over and over in our minds, causes us to desire revenge, not extend forgiveness. In Romans 12:17-19, Paul makes it very clear revenge is God’s business, not ours. When we take it upon ourselves to seek vengeance we are in the arena of sin.
Romans 12:17-19 “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
So, the next time you get angry at a situation or a person, stop, think, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you react the right way. If it’s toward an unbeliever, act like Jesus when he was on the cross and said in Luke 23:34 “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” If your anger is toward another Christian, follow the pattern given by Paul in Romans 12:9-10.
Romans 12:9-10 “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;”
Just because we live in a fallen world doesn’t mean we are to act like them. When we do, we are damaging our own soul and diminishing our testimony. The eternal souls of others are at risk. The price of eternity is too high to pay just because we feel we have a right to be angry.
