More on Anger and The Bible- WWJD

 Because anger and jealousy are frequently attributed to God in the Bible, we must agree that not all anger and jealousy are evil. Pressing the matter further, if we are to imitate God, then there must be times when we should be angry. Our text in Ephesians 4:27-28 is about righteous anger. In this lesson, we will seek to learn the difference between righteous and unrighteous anger, and how it is that we can express righteous anger in a way that brings glory to God.

In Proverbs, we are first instructed not to answer a fool according to his folly. In the very next verse, we are instructed to answer a fool according to his folly. Both statements are true, and are to be taken seriously. In the first proverb, we are taught that we ought not respond to a fool on his level, we ought not to allow ourselves to be brought down to the level of a fool by answering him as foolishly as he has spoken. On the other hand, we are to answer the fool in a way that gives him no dignity, no satisfaction, lest he take himself too seriously. A fool is to be deal with as a fool, but we should not be made fools also in the process.

So, too, in Ephesians chapter 4 we have two seemingly conflicting statements. In verse 26, we seem to be commanded to be angry; in verse 31 we seem to be commanded not to be angry. The solution is to be found in the fact that there are two kinds of anger. The anger which is a manifestation of our old self (the flesh) is to be put off. The anger which is a manifestation of God’s righteousness is to be put on.

In this lesson our study will focus on the righteous expression of anger. When we come to verses 31 and 32, we will turn our attention to Paul’s command to put off unrighteous anger. We will begin our present study by considering why Paul would appear to be commanding us to be angry. Then we will consider some examples of righteous anger, as seen in God the Father, in God the Son, and in the lives of some of the saints. We will then give attention to the ways in which anger can lead to sin, turning once again to the examples provided us in the Bible. We will also consider the consequences of unholy anger. We will conclude by identifying some principles which should guide us in distinguishing between holy and unholy anger.

“Be Angry!”
(4:26a)

The command, “Be angry!” just doesn’t sound right, does it? We are uncomfortable with a command like this. We find ourselves trying to avoid or explain this command away, because anger does not sound godly. But we must remember that there are two kinds of anger. There is the “anger of man” which “does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20), and the anger which is an expression of God’s righteousness. We are commanded in our text to be angry in a way that is righteous, that is a reflection of God.

Let us begin our study by considering examples of righteous wrath in the Bible. We will begin by looking at some instances in which God was angry. Then we will consider the anger of our Lord Jesus Christ. Next, we will consider the righteous wrath of godly men in the Bible. Finally, we will seek to identify some of the characteristics of righteous wrath, which distinguishes it from the wrath of man.

God was angry at the unbelief of Moses, which caused him to resist obeying the command of God to go to Egypt and confront Pharaoh, insisting that he let God’s people go (Exodus 4:14). God is angered by the mistreatment of those who are helpless, the strangers, the widows, and the orphans (Exodus 22:21-24).73 God was also angered by men turning from trusting and worshipping Him, to the worship of idols (Exodus 32:10; Deuteronomy 6:14-15; Judges 2:13-14; Ezra 8:22). God is angered by the grumbling and complaining of His people (Numbers 11:1, 10), which is often expressed by resistance to His appointed leadership (Numbers 12:9).

All of these offenses which arouse God to anger seem reasonable enough, but there are times when men may commit offenses which seem minor to us, and yet which provoke God to anger. One such case is described in 2 Samuel chapter 6. The ark of the covenant had been captured by the Philistines, and was kept for a short time as a trophy in the house of their god, Dagon. The problem with this was that God shamed their “god” and caused a plague to fall on those in whose city the ark was being kept. Eventually, the ark was returned by the Philistines, transported on an ox cart.

One could expect the Philistines to transport the ark this way. They did not know any better. But God had stipulated in the Law that the ark must be carried by the Levites, by means of poles that were place through rings in the ark. The Israelites forgot this and began to transport the ark on an ox cart, like the Philistines. When the ox stumbled and the ark seemed in danger of falling off the cart, Uzzah reached out to stabilize the ark and was struck dead by God. This angered David, who could not understand this outburst of anger at first. Only later, upon reflection, did he realize how important obedience to God’s instructions was. And then, when the ark was transported, it was done as God had instructed (see 2 Samuel 6:1-19).

Our Lord Jesus was also angry. We are told of His anger at the Pharisees for their hardness of heart (Mark 3:5). That same anger seems to be expressed in the cleansing of the temple (John 2:13-22), and in our Lord’s woe’s to the Pharisees in Matthew 23. I believe it is also implied in our Lord’s rebuke of Peter, when he chided Him for speaking of His sacrificial death (Matthew 16:23).

Godly men were also angered by unrighteousness. Moses, who was initially unshaken by Israel’s worship of the golden calf, became angry when he finally came down from the mountain and saw the extent of Israel’s sin (see Exodus 32:1-20). Earlier, Moses was angered by Pharaoh’s hardened heart, and his refusal to listen to God and to let the Israelites go (Exodus 11:8). While the text does not say so, it would appear that David was angered by Goliath’s blasphemy (1 Samuel 17). David was later angry when Nathan told him the story of the rich man who stole a poor man’s little lamb, not knowing that he was the villain (2 Samuel 13:21).

Paul was angered when he learned that false teaching had reached the saints in Galatia, and that some were embracing it. The whole epistle of Paul to the Galatians is white hot with Paul’s expressed anger and outrage. One example of Paul’s anger in Galatians can be seen when he rebuked Peter and others for their hypocrisy in dealing with their Gentile brethren (see Galatians 2). When Paul was illegally beaten and detained at Philippi, he refused to allow his persecutors to simply release him. He demanded and received a public act of apology, which must have gone a long way in securing the protection of the church at Philippi from such injustice in the future (Acts 16:35-39).

Characteristics of Righteous Indignation

Anger is not always wrong. Anger that is righteous has certain earmarks, by which it can be distinguished from unholy wrath. Consider the following characteristics, which are evident from the examples cited above.

(1) Godly anger is God-like anger, it is an expression of the anger which has toward the actions of men. Godly people are angry when God is angry. It is anger which is consistent with the holy and righteous character of God.

(2) Godly anger is legal anger. It is wrath based upon men’s violation of God’s law, and it is anger which is lawfully expressed. The Old Testament Law not only revealed that conduct which was unacceptable to God, making Him angry, but what the consequences of God’s anger would be. Godly anger is not vigilante justice, it is legal justice. Those who hate abortion but express their anger in the burning of abortion clinics (and thereby endangering other lives) are not expressing their anger legally.

(3) Godly anger is not explosive, but is only slowly provoked.

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth (Exodus 34:6). Repeatedly, God warned sinful Israel through the prophets before pouring out His wrath on them. God’s anger does not have a hair trigger.

(4) God does not take pleasure in expressing His anger in the judgment of men.

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazin, He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gebeon; To do His task, His unusual task, And to word His work, His extraordinary work (Isaiah 28:21).

(5) Godly anger is always under control. Godly anger does not lose its temper. Ungodly anger is excessive and abusive; godly anger never is. Godly anger is always under the control of the one expressing it, rather than anger taking control of them.

But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger, And did not arouse all His wrath (Psalm 78:38).74

“Be Angry, But Do Not Sin”
(4:26)

If anger is not always evil, it can easily turn one to evil. Anger, like greed, is often the root of various evils. Ungodly anger may become the root of some of the evils addressed in Ephesians 4 and 5. Anger may prompt one to speak to a brother in a way that is destructive. Just as speak may edify or build up others, it can also tear down and destroy. Anger which is not properly resolved may lead to slander or false testimony. Anger has prompted people to steal. Anger has caused some to be unfaithful to their mate.

Even anger that begins as righteous indignation can turn sour, becoming ungodly wrath. This is why immediately after Paul commands us to be angry, he warns us to be angry, but not to sin. In seeking to understand Paul’s instructions regarding anger and its relationship to sin, we will begin by considering the Psalm from which Paul’s quotation has been taken. After this, we will consider the righteous expression of anger in the context of the Bible as a whole.

As you can see from the text, Paul’s words, “Be angry, and do not sin,” are cited from a psalm of David, Psalm 4:4. The words which Paul has cited can only be understood in the light of the context of the entire psalm, which is cited below:

1 (For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.) Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! Thou hast relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. 2 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? {How long} will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.

3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him. 4 Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the Lord. 6 Many are saying, “Who will show us {any} good?” Lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us, O Lord! 7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For Thou alone, O Lord, dost make me to dwell in safety.

David composes this psalm out of his own distress. Unrighteous men have scoffed at David’s honor, making it a reproach. They have loved what is worthless and deceptive. In Paul’s words, they have not loved the truth (compare Ephesians 4:17-24). David agonizes over the wickedness of such men, and calls upon God to deal with them.

The structure of this psalm is significant, and critical to its interpretation. David’s words in the last half of verse 1 are addressed to God. He pleads with God to hear his prayer, and to respond.

If verse 1 contains David’s petition to God, verses 2 and 3 are David’s rebuke, addressed to those wicked men who have scorned his righteousness. Their sin is identified and rebuked in verse 2. Further, in verse 3 David teaches them the truth. The Lord sets the godly man apart. He loves and honors him. David may not react to their wickedness as they expect, but he does cry out to his God, and His God hears and answers him, because he is righteous. Let those who spurn the righteous take heed to this warning.

Verses 4 and 5 seem to me to be a kind of “self-talk.” Here, David addresses himself, urging himself to act as a righteous man should. He is being wrongfully treated by sinful men. He should not allow his anger to turn sour, and become sin. He gives the judgment of his enemies over to God, and in so doing leaves his own heart and soul at peace. No sleepless nights for David. He will rest in peace, leaving the judgment of men to God, and setting his heart and mind to the worship of his God in righteousness.

Twice in this very short psalm David refers to his bed. In verse 4, David speaks of being still, of not taking action himself. Apparently David has done all that he could, in the rebuke of his enemies as recorded in verses 2 and 3. Now, he remains still on his bed, not mulling over the sins of his enemies, or plotting their demise, but rather meditating on the virtues of his God. In verse 8 he speaks once again of lying down and sleeping in peace, knowing that his defender is God, which assures him that he will dwell in safety.

In my opinion, Paul’s words, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger,” recorded in Ephesians 4:26, are prompted by his grasp of David’s words in Psalm 4. While we most often think of this command as an instruction to make our peace with men (usually our mate) before we go to sleep for the night, I am inclined to think that David saw the only sure solution to his anger in obtaining peace from God. Unfortunately, confrontation and discussion may not resolve the problem which produces our anger. After having done what we can do, it is only as we give judgment over to God that we find the rest which David describes in his psalm.

And so David exhorts himself with the words of verses 4 and 5. His anger is wholly justified. He is right to be angry. He is duty-bound to be angry at the sins of men and of their injustice. But in being angry, David admonishes his own soul not to sin. The sins of his enemies against him should not provoke him to sin. He should, so far as vengeance is concerned, leave this to God. He should be still on his bed, devote himself to meditation, and concentrate on the worship of his God.

In verses 6-8, David’s words are again addressed to his God. He declares to God the despair of others, who wonder who will bring about good. And so David concludes his psalm by petitioning God on his behalf, and others like him, for divine intervention. He prays for the light of God’s countenance. He praises God for the gladness of his heart. And for the peace which enables him to lie down in peace, knowing that his life and safety is in the hands of His sovereign and trustworthy God.

David was right to be angry because his enemies were sinners who mocked at the righteousness which God reckoned to him. There are two kinds of anger, that which is righteous and that which is sinful. Both David and Paul speak of righteous anger. David recognized that anger has within it the seeds of its own destruction. It is possible for a good thing to lead to evil (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 6:12-13). And thus, the exhortation to be angry, but not to sin.

Paul adds a dimension which David does not mention in his psalm. It should provide the Christian with strong motivation for heeding Paul’s admonition to avoid sinful anger. He warns us that we are not to “give the devil an opportunity” with respect to anger. How can this be? Several opportunities are apparent. First, Satan may take advantage of unresolved anger to promote some other sin, such as slander, strife, or even physical violence. Satan would surely seek to use our anger to create divisions within the body of Christ. Many churches have been split over petty differences between two saints (see Philippians 4:2-3). Satan, as the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) will surely use our sin, spawned by anger, as an occasion to accuse us before God, and perhaps may use us to accuse our brethren. Satan recognizes anger as a fertile field, capable of producing all kinds of sin, and sin is his specialty.

Paul gives but one method here, by which we may avoid letting righteous anger turn to sin. He instructs us not to “let the sun go down on our anger.” While righteous anger is to be slow to originate, it is to be quickly dispelled. Anger has a kind of corrosive effect. Anger is designed to prompt us to act, to get us “off the dime” of passivity.

But what are we to do? How are we to act on our anger, so as to produce that which is righteous and profitable, rather than giving Satan an opportunity? Paul does not tell us what we should do here. I believe that other Scriptures do spell out what is usually required of us. In short, the process of “church discipline” is the course of action we should take. This process for dealing with our anger toward a brother is Christ is outlined in several texts, and is illustrated in others.75

The first step in the process is confrontation. The one who has offended us, or who has acted in a way that dishonors God is to be confronted with his sin. This is to be done as privately and on as small a scale as possible. If the wayward one repents, the matter is settled. If not, then the matter must become more and more public, until it is resolved. If the sinning saint persists in sin, he must finally be put out of the church, and deprived of the benefits of its fellowship. In the case of the brother who accepts correction, our anger should be converted to forgiveness. If the brother is disciplined, our anger should turn to grief. In any case, our anger should not be allowed to linger on, turning to bitterness.

In those cases in which our brother is angry with us, we also have a responsibility to bring matters to a conclusion that dispels anger and which reflects the righteousness of God. We are to go to that brother who has an offense against us, and seek to bring about a reconciliation as quickly as possible (see Matthew 5:23-26).

There will be those cases where confrontation is not possible, or advisable. Such seems to have been the case with David in Psalm 4. The Scriptures provide us with the “ultimate cure” for our anger, and that is to leave our wrath to Him who alone can judge men in truth and justice:

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS UPON HIS HEAD.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:17-21).

Conclusion

Most of our anger is the “wrath of man” and not the “holy anger” of God. And thus we should wish to see less and less of this self-centered anger in our lives. But if we are to take this text seriously, we must also say that we should see more righteous anger than we do. If God is angered by sin, then we should be angered by it as well. We, like the saints in Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 5), seem to be more willing to accommodate sin than we do to condemn it, and to remove it from our midst. All too often, I see parents—Christian parents—who think of the sinful actions and attitudes of their children as cute, rather than to be angered by it and to deal with it as God would have us do. We are not angered by rebellion, irate over injustice, distressed by abortions and immorality and sin. We think of a man like Lot as “soft of sin,” but this righteous man was “vexed” in his soul over the sin which was all about him (see 2 Peter 2:7-8). When we see sin as God does, it will make us angry.

And when we are angry, then we should deal with sin as God has directed us, so that our anger is dispelled, and it does not lead us to sin. We need to confront the sinner, and without minimizing the sin, to seek its solution in genuine repentance. In many marriages that end up on the rocks of divorce, the root problem is anger that has not been righteously expressed and dispelled. In many families, the division and discord stems from a failure to obey Paul’s instructions concerning anger. In many churches, the unity of the body of Christ has been hindered by the lack of righteous anger. Let us seek to be both good and mad to the glory of God and for the health and unity of His body, the church.

Righteous anger is that anger which is properly motivated and is, therefore, without sin. It is that anger that is against unrighteousness, the profane, that which is evil, etc.  However, on the one hand, we are told to put anger aside (Col. 3:8; Eph. 4:31). But on the other, we are told to be angry, yet without sin (Eph. 4:26).  In fact, when we look at Scripture we discover that God got angry.  This is not a contradiction because different contexts carry different meaning of what the anger is.

• Exodus 4:14, “Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.”
• Judges 3:8, “Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.”
• Jeremiah 51:45, “Come forth from her midst, My people, and each of you save yourselves from the fierce anger of the LORD.”

So, if God gets angry, then anger is not automatically a sin.  Of course, whenever God gets angry, it is righteous anger. He gets upset with people when they commit idolatry, are rebellious, lie, steal, etc. In fact, he hates those who do iniquity (Psalm 5:5; 11:5).  But, God is also loving (John 3:16; 1 John 4:8) and extremely patient with us (Romans 2:4).  We, on the other hand, often get angry unrighteously. Therefore, we have such verses as the following.

• Col. 3:8, “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.”
• Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”

Because we are sinners, our judgments are often motivated out of self-righteousness and not the glory of God. When we are wronged we get angry we want justice upon the offender. But, often we do not have all of the facts, and so we commit a kind of murder in our hearts when we get angry.  Jesus taught a harsh message about unrighteous anger.

• Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”  

Anger is a judgment, an accusation of unrighteousness, and even a desire for the injury of someone else. Such judgments are not our responsibility. Only God has all the information and knows the motives of the hearts of all people. Therefore, he is the only one who can judge righteously, be angry with people, and not sin.

• James 1:20, “for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

Jesus got angry

Many people see Jesus as the blond-haired, blue-eyed, Caucasian surfer dude, who’s dressed in a woman’s nightgown, standing at the door of our heart, asking for permission to come in and save us. This passive and feminized view of Christ is unbiblical. When we look at the Gospels, we find out that Jesus got angry.

• Mark 3:5, “After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He [Jesus] said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.”
• Matthew 21:12, “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.”

In fact, Jesus was often judgmental.

• Matthew 23:27, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”
• Mark 12:38-40, “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, 39 and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets, 40 who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”
• Luke 13:15, “But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?”
• John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father…”

Ephesians 4:26

Ephesians 4:26, “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”

 What do we do with Ephesians 4:26 were Paul quotes Psalm 4:4 and tells us to be angry?  Is it okay to be angry?  Yes, it is.  Let’s look at the context.

• Ephesians 4:24–27, “and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. 25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. 26 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.”

Paul the Apostle is contrasting the old sinful ways with the ways of righteousness which, of course, are exemplified in Christ. We are to speak the truth, and we are to be holy. In that context were told to “be angry” and it is anger towards evil, the opposite of holiness. Of course, our anger should emulate Christ’s anger. Two examples are recorded in Mark 3:5 and Matthew 21:12. In the former, Jesus was angry with the Pharisees who were plotting to kill him for healing someone on the Sabbath. In Matthew 21:12 Jesus is rightfully angry with those who are using the house of God per profiteering. Of course, we can find other examples, But it should be obvious that we are to follow righteousness and be angry at the promotion of evil. Therefore, righteous anger is that godly attitude of condemnation and judgment of that which contradicts the character and will of God.

Unrighteous anger typically occurs when our anger is caused by an attack to our own pride. If someone tries to hurt or insult us, then we respond by trying to hurt or insult them.

The truth of the Gospel, however, frees us from this nasty cycle. If your identity and purpose in life come from God, it won’t bother you nearly as much when others insult you. You don’t have to fight back because you know God loves you for who you are, and His opinion alone is the one that matters.

How do you act because of your anger?

Jesus’s response was surprising and aggressive, but necessary. If he did not kick these people out, they would continue to take advantage of the poor and the people coming to worship.

If Jesus allowed them to continue their robbery, it would not have been loving towards those who were being abused and it would have discouraged people from worship.

Righteous anger seeks restoration, but unrighteous anger seeks destruction. Jesus wanted to restore God’s temple to its original purpose – to be a house of prayer, not robbery. He may have been aggressive, but it was done to help others and protect His father’s house.

Unrighteous anger, however, seeks to destroy or hurt another person, just to make them suffer. Again, it’s the cyclical idea that “you hurt me, so now I’m going to hurt you.”

This type of anger, then, is what Jesus warned against in Matthew 5. While you may not want to kill someone, you might want and even try to hurt them, and that is still sin. This pattern can go on for years if left unchecked. In fact, it often goes for multiple generations, with multiple people groups constantly fighting to get the other person back.

This is unrighteous anger, and as followers of Christ we are called to something greater. The Kingdom of God is about making all things new, it is a work of restoration and reconciliation, and we are called to be part of that work. Here’s how:

6 Ways to Live as a Light

If you want to live as a light, then approaching anger differently from the world is a great place to start. When you respond with grace in situations where people expect rage, they take notice.

Not only that, but working towards peace, unity, and justice are major pieces of God’s work to redeem the world. Ephesians 2:13-15 explains how Jesus is working to break down the dividing wall of hostility:

God judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalms 7:11)

Here we have an example of how God approaches wickedness. Quite simply, He is angry with the wicked every day and He does not sin in His anger. The anger of the Lord burns against the wicked. The question, of course, is why. The reason is because as a perfect and holy God, He abhors wickedness. As the people of God, we should also abhor wickedness to include the wickedness we strive against each day in our own lives. This anger should result in action rooted in righteous actions that deal with wickedness appropriately.

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” (John 2:13-16)

This passage is perhaps the best example of righteous anger in action. Now I do not recommend grabbing a whip of cords and give a beating to the wicked. One must remember this was Jesus acting in righteous anger against those who were profaning His Father’s house. There are times, many times for that matter when the people of God should be angry at what they see happening around them in society. The challenge is always acting in righteousness.

I ran across a blog post by Paul Tautges on righteous anger. In this post, Paul shares three outstanding criteria:

For our anger to be righteous, all three of the following must be true.

Righteous Anger Reacts against Actual Sin. Righteous anger arises from an accurate perception of true evil, from sin as defined biblically, i.e., as a violation of God’s Word (Rom 3:23; 1 Jn 3:4). Righteous anger does not result from merely being inconvenienced or from violations of personal preference or human tradition.

Righteous Anger Focuses on God and His Kingdom, Rights, and Concerns, Not on Me and My Kingdom, Rights and Concerns. In Scripture, God-centered motives, not self-centered motives, drive righteous anger. Righteous anger focuses on how people offend God and his name, not me and my name. It terminates on God more than me. In other words, accurately viewing something as offensive is not enough. We must view it primarily as offending God.

Righteous Anger Is Accompanied by Other Godly Qualities and Expresses Itself in Godly Ways. Righteous anger remains self-controlled. It keeps its head without cursing, screaming, raging, or flying off the handle. Nor does it spiral downward in self-pity or despair. It does not ignore people, snub people, or withdraw from people.”[i]

If we look at the example of Jesus clearing out the Temple, we see clearly that all three of these criteria were met. Jesus was reacting against actual sin. His anger was focused on His Father’s house which reflects a concern for the Kingdom of God. Finally, His anger was expressed by being accompanied by godly qualities and it was expressed in godly ways.

Now that we have an idea of what righteous anger is all about, let’s look at what unrighteous anger is according to Scripture:

“for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).

Unrighteous anger is not rooted in the righteousness of God. If you are finding yourself consistently angry, you must examine why you are angry. Does your anger bring glory to God? Is your response to others founded in grace and peace with the express purpose of lifting one another up towards love and good deeds? If not, you are acting out in unrighteous anger. The fruit of your action determines whether it is producing the righteousness of God.

“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” (Romans 3:13-14)

The descriptions in this particular passage are outstanding. There is no doubt as to what unrighteous anger looks like and what it is focused on. Those who lash out in unrighteous anger are likened to one whose throat is an open grave, just waiting for someone to fall into. Their lips are as venomous as asps. If you are not familiar with the term asp that is because it is an antiquated word that refers to any number of horrifically venomous snakes such as the cobra for example. The word picture being presented is that of a deadly bite via the venue of unrighteous anger. Finally, the mouth is said to be full of curses and bitterness. Not good and certainly not righteous.

This leads us finally to a discussion of how to deal with unrighteous anger in our lives. Ephesians 4:15 provides us with clear direction, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”

The verse prior speaks of the need towards growing in maturity in the faith. Thus, an essential element is learning to control our tongue and to exude grace and mercy towards one another. Speaking in grace and mercy does not negate the necessity for speaking the truth; however, when speaking truth, animosity, slander, gossip, biting tongue, and unrighteous anger should be completely absent.

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)

The Greek word translated as corrupting is sapros which means “rotten, putrefied; of poor quality, bad, unfit for use, worthless”. Perhaps this is why those who are so often angry and have nothing good to say are labeled as “rotten apples” given what comes out of their mouth is putrefied filth that is unfit for use. What is fit for use is a response and words that build up as fits the occasion.

“The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (I Corinthians 2:15-16)

This is yet another passage that drips with the call to maturity. To be spiritually minded is to have the mind of Christ. To have the mind of Christ requires us to be holy as He is holy, to approach situations with love and grace while at the same time standing firm in the truth. This is not an easy balance; however, it is the approach demanded of us in Scripture and a hallmark of a spiritually mature believer.

Furthermore, it is absolutely necessary to be people who spend time with God in the study of His Word and in prayer. If you struggle with unrighteous anger, ask God for wisdom and help. He has promised that if we ask, He will provide assistance through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Allowing our anger trigger to be pulled is far too easy. We all need to work on this issue in our lives.

“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.” -Proverbs 15:18

God’s anger, referred to as wrath, is His holy and perfect reaction to sin. God does not sin in His anger. His anger is always justified, and throughout the Old Testament, His wrath was meant to draw His people back to Himself. Human anger, the focus of this article, is widely staked in our prideful justification. Although it is possible for us to have a righteously angry reaction to sin, most human anger rises up and reacts as a result of it. Proverbs 16:32  reminds us, “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology defines anger as a “strong emotional reaction of displeasure, often leading to plans for revenge or punishment.” Ephesians 4:31 guides us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” While the NIV Study Bible notes confirm that those things will grieve the Holy Spirit. The original Greek text for the word anger is defined as “the natural disposition,” or a “movement or agitation of the soul.” Our default as humans on this earth, under the curse of sin, ushered in by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, is sinful. Our gut reaction is to get angry, amongst other things. Sin stirs in us under the surface, and it will inevitably bubble up, over, and out of us from time to time. Even more so, if we employ no effort to control it. Self-control is a gift the Holy Spirit gives us to fight sins like unrighteous anger. We’re to confess, mourn, and repent of our anger when it flares. 

The Sin of Anger

Human anger is usually portrayed as sinful in Scripture (Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology), and anger against God is always a sin. “Anger becomes sin when it is allowed to boil over unconstrained resulting in hurt being multiplied and leaving destruction in its wake,” Dave Jenkins wrote for Christianity.com.

Proverbs 19:11 says, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” This is the opposite of the way society is wired to react. Feeds full of status updates claim the right to be offended. The justification of offense is everywhere, permeating every topic of conversation. But the Bible is clear about which offenses rightly justify an angered response. Christians are to turn away vindictive anger and avoid revenge.

2 Corinthians 12:20 says, “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.” 

Galatians 5:19-21 states, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” 

And finally, Colossians 3:8 begs us to “rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” 

God takes the sin of anger seriously! It is lumped in with many other behaviors we would not question as sinful behavior. In Mathew 5:22, “Jesus warns that angry people will face God’s judgment,” and according to Paul in Ephesians 4:25-27, "people should speak truthfully, but their anger should be restrained, short-lived, and used for righteous ends.” 

What Is Righteous Anger?

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” - Romans 12:19-21

Being righteously angry means being angry at what makes God angry, explained John Bloom for desiringGod.com. Examples of this are perverting God's goodness and going against what God has said is right. Paul instructs us to guard our hearts against the consequences of unrighteous anger. Righteous anger, over the things God, Himself, is angered over, does not react in the same way unrighteous anger does. Godly anger comes from a place of love.