Unrighteous Anger

UNRIGHTEOUS ANGER

Dear children,

There are 2 kinds of anger, righteous and unrighteous anger.

When God is angry, it is righteous anger because He is angry with sin. Jesus was angry at the temple in Jerusalem because the people have misused God’s place of worship to become a place to gain more personal wealth (Mark 11:15-17). But God’s anger is not like man’s anger. God is slow to anger and it is always balanced with love (Numbers 14:18). When we are angry with sin then we are righteously angry, for example, when we are angry with those who use God’s name in vain or those who promote evil in the world.

How about unrighteous anger?

I have witnessed children who are angry with their parents. At a church camp, I have seen a boy telling his father to “get lost!” and in church, I happen to witness a 6-year old boy calling his mother “stupid!”.

These two children were certainly disobedient to their parents and to God. God’s command is to honour our father and mother (Exodus 20:12). This anger is unrighteous and sinful. As children of God, bought with Christ’s precious blood, we are to live holy to God. Our desire is to be like Christ: “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

God has given us warnings against unrighteous anger. In Eph 4:26-27: Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. God warns that anger will become sin if we a)held it overnight; b)react with ungodliness such as physical violence or angry words; and 3) let the Devil to use us by having grudges and plotting future revenge.

God in Colossians 3:8 admonishes us to put away anger, “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.” Likewise in James 1:19-20, anger does not produce a righteous life, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

One minute of anger will cost us to lose one minute of joy and happiness. Unrighteous anger will grieve the Holy Spirit and tarnish the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Besides, it causes others to be angry, upset, hurt, stumbled, physically injured (if there is physical abuse). God rightly said in Proverbs 29:22 “An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.”

There are two kinds of unrighteous anger. One is unfocused anger that is, you are angry at the slightest irritation which caused you to sulk, pout, throw tantrums, swear or smite others. The other is focused anger that results from you feeling that you feel humiliated or someone bullied you that you plan how to take revenge.
We must realize that unrighteous anger is not justifiable by these reasons:

· I retaliated because he started it first.
· I felt controlled by others.
· My pride is wounded.
· I feel that no one understands me.
· I feel that all is without hope and I just want to wallow in my misery.

Therefore we act out our anger by withdrawing ourselves from others, criticize or gossip about others, shouting and doing violence to others.
God describes someone who is unrighteously angry as a fool. He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (quick tempered) exalteth folly. Proverbs 14:29

Overcoming unrighteous anger is not easy and there are no instant fixes. However we could:

· Be willing to pray and surrender to the Holy Spirit’s control over our life.
· Be willing to confess our anger to God and seek forgiveness from Him and from those whom we are angry at.
· Be willing to see that unrighteous anger can lead to much pain and damage to ourselves and to others.
· Be accountable to God and to others.
· Be sorrowful over this sin that will lead us to repentance.
· Be focused on my part i.e. what I have done and not on others when there is a conflict.
· Be willing to take heed to Jesus’ ways of resolving anger in Luke 6:27-28,31:
o Love my enemies (be willing to forgive unconditionally).
o Do good to them which hate me.
o Bless them that curse me.
o Pray for them which despitefully use me.
o As I would that men would do to me, do I also to them likewise.

We need to start right with God in this new year 2009. Let us ask the Lord to shape us into Christ’s likeness and to make us a blessing to others always.