Anger

God created emotions; a life without them would be rather dull. Often times we abuse these emotions though. One of the most  misunderstood and abused  emotions is anger. I have heard some Christians claim that anger is a sin. I used to believe that to a degree, but I’ve come to understand that just can’t be the case, for Jesus himself was angered, yet we know that He was perfect and without sin. Plus, I have witnessed firsthand, both in my own life and through observing others, the consequences of holding emotions inside. Most often the result is much more severe than if the problem and the emotions (especially anger) attached to it were realistically assessed and dealt with.

It almost seems like I’ve found one of those contradictions in the Bible that my atheist friends love to tell me about, but can never quite pinpoint. Upon reading many verses on anger (lately I’ve been convicted about certain areas in my life that I have intentionally been ignoring/avoiding. I’ve been pushing them to the back of my mind due to the hurt associated with them causing  my flesh to be roused and generally ending with an anger filled spirit)  I discovered two verses that on the surface seem to be inconsistent with one another.

Ephesians 4:26 tells us, In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”

In reading this, is seems like a valid conclusion that one is able to be angry and not sin.  This passage doesn’t forbid anger, it just instructs to not allow that anger to lead to sin, and to deal with the root of the issue in order to reach closure.

A few verses later in Ephesians 4:31 we are given what appears to be completely opposite instructions to heed: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”

Okay, so which is it? It must be one or the other, or does it? Knowing that the Bible is the infallible Word of God, I started rampant research, just like I did back in my freshman year of college when I waited until the last minute to write a 24 page paper. I had to act quickly. I needed the answer to this quandary, and I needed it soon.. I wasn’t having a crisis of faith in the slightest bit, but I did need some major clarification.

Here is what I discovered after plowing through a dozen or so concordances. I already knew that some things are simply lost in translation. I learned this fact years ago when I was given a lesson on the various types of love that the Bible describes. Bible manuscripts contain three main Greek words for love-  eros (romantic love), philia (brotherly love, the type expressed amongst Christian believers), and agape (easiest understood as Godly love). In English we don’t distinguish types of love. In this sense, the word has become watered down quite a bit. We don’t differentiate. We use love to describe how we feel about our spouse,  our job, television programs, favorite sports team, and the new pair of trousers we got on sale at Kohl’s. Greeks have a much more beautiful and poetic way of describing love, and the same applies for how they describe anger.

John MacArthur’s study  Bible points out that in Scripture we find three main Greeks words  used to describe anger:

Thumos: Unrestrained, uncontrolled, furious anger. Used in the New Testament most frequently to describe unsaved persons.

Parorgismos: Resentment. Typically associated with and rooted in jealously.

Orge: Anger resulting from conviction.

Obviously,after learning of the different forms of the Greeks words for anger, we discover that there's no contradiction at all. The verses are simply describing two types of anger, with differing connotations. In English, we tend to use the word angry just as we use the word love. We're angry the dog went pee on the carpet, we're angry we hit every single stop light on Peach Street, we're angry with decision the government is making, we're angry at the spouse who cheated on us. You get the point- one word used to describe the same emotion, but in drastically varying forms.

MacArthur warns “Don't get angry when people offend you. Don't let your anger degenerate into personal resentment, bitterness, sullenness, or moodiness. That is forbidden. The only justifiable anger defends the great, glorious, and holy nature of our God" 

Anger without action is senseless, but anger resulting in wrong behavior can be cataclysmic. We should be angry about the issues that go against God’s perfect Word and we should most definitely do something about it. The rising divorce rate, domestic violence, sex trafficking,  racism, drugs (did you see the zombie guy in Miami who, thanks in part to doing that crazy bath salts stuff, ate some  guys face off? Drugs are bad news, man!), pornography, and so on and so forth. When it comes to social issues, I think we have every right to become angry, but we must ask ourselves one very important questions- are we angry because we demand to be right on the issue or are we angry because the issue grieves a perfect and  Holy God?  When pride sneaks into the equation, the formula becomes extremely  toxic. Case in point are the Christians who, in order to defend the sanctity of unborn lives, shoot abortion doctors. Such actions don’t make rational sense, but that is why anger and pride mixed together are so potent- combined, they can blind us just as much as the sinner is blinded by the sin we are choosing to confront.

So the next time you get angry, take the time to pray about and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your next step. Make sure you understand where your anger is coming from. Is it rooted in selfishness or pride?  If so, you don’t pass the righteous anger test.  You may find that you anger was unjustified and sinful, On the other hand, you may find that, like Jesus turning over the tables (John 2:13-17) you are called to take a bold, Biblical stand for holiness,