The Justified Anger
The Bible teaches, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26). Some misunderstand this verse and take it as a permission to harbor negative feelings and anger. But Paul here is talking about the righteous indignation. A Christian who is not aroused to the point of indignation by manifest wrongs and injustices may be insensitive to some things that ought to concern him.
Righteous indignation has a most important function in stimulating men in the battle against evil. Jesus was not angered by any personal confrontation, but by hypocritical challenges to God and injustices done to others (Mark 3:5). Justifiable anger is directed against the wrong act without any hate towards the wrongdoer.
The Negative Feelings
The Bible warns against the other kind of anger that is associated with “… hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions…” (Galatians 5:20). To be able to separate the two kinds of anger is a great Christian achievement.
The right kind of anger will exhibit self control. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22,23).
God promises to forgive those who repent from the wrong kind of anger, confess their sins, turn from them and turn toward a life of obedience (1 John 1:9). The believer has to exercise his will to stop doing what’s wrong and put forth effort to do what is right by God’s grace (Romans 7:14-25).
Living the Christian way of life requires cooperation with the Holy Spirit against the weaknesses of the Human nature. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).
For the believer to have complete victory over anger, he needs to claim God’s promises by faith and keep his daily connection to God by prayer and study of the scriptures (John 15:4). And the Lord promised total victory over our sinful nature. Paul declared, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
