WHERE IS ANGER IN THE
LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN?
We can reach false conclusions if we do not have all the evidence. The Christian must spend much time in the study of God’s revealed will (II Timothy 2:15). The study causes us to be able to have the necessary evidence to form correct conclusions about life or individuals. When one studies the Word of God in a correct manner, he is better able to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14). This discernment is nothing more than compiling the necessary evidence to reach a right conclusion. So it is with the topic of anger.
If a person fails to properly study the Word of God, he may reach the false conclusion that the Christian is never to be angry. Very seldom is the truth on any spiritual matter ever found in just one verse. If we are to understand most Biblical topics it requires us to go to more than one scripture to be sure we have all the evidence. For example the Bible shows that baptism saves us as per the statement in I Peter 3:21. Correct understanding requires us to search more passages to know what Peter is showing us in this one verse. People are brought to proper faith in Jesus Christ through the teaching and acceptance of the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
Mark records for us an incident in the life of Jesus when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath day. Mark tells us that Jesus “…looked round about on them with anger…” (Mark 3:5). The audience would have had no problem understanding that Jesus was displeased with these men who were constantly watching Him to find fault (verse 2). John records for us an incident when Jesus made a small whip and drove men and animals out of the temple area. During this event Jesus turned over tables. The affect of this event caused the apostles to say that the zeal of the Lord’s house hath “…eaten him up.” (John 2:15-17). Based on this evidence, Jesus at time displayed anger toward individuals and circumstances around Him.
The prophet Nehemiah rehearsed the past of God’s people when they first came out of Egypt. Nehemiah spoke of the rebellion of God’s children when they desired to appoint them a captain to lead them back to Egypt. In this verse God is revealed to be One that is ready to pardon, gracious, merciful and slow to anger (Nehemiah 9:17). This does not say that God cannot come to anger but rather that He is slow to come to anger. The Psalmist declares that God’s anger endures but for a “moment” and joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). God therefore can come to anger.
In the Proverbs we learn to make no friendship with an “angry man” (Proverbs 22:24). There must then be two different things under consideration. One of the qualities of life which we must see in an individual who desires to be an elder is that he must not be one that is “…soon angry” (Titus 1:7). On one hand there are things which we must become upset or angry about. On the other hand, as revealed in the Proverb passage, we do not stay angry, seven days a week. The wisdom of God is revealed in as much as we are not to allow anger to remain with us on a constant basis (Ephesians 4:26).
Paul warns Christian husbands to not be bitter toward their wives (Colossians 3:19). Again is such a statement to mean that a husband is never displeased with the actions or words of his wife? This is a Biblical truth which speaks volumes about controlling anger. One does not allow a daily diet of anger to grow in the heart of a relationship between a husband and his wife. We can get angry but not at the expense of resentment or bitterness taking over. We need at this point to show as well that there is anger with a cause and anger without a cause (Matthew 5:22). It is the anger without a cause which leads to bitterness and the death of love.
The Christian then through study of God’s Word learns what and what not to be upset about. If he is living with anger in his heart every day, then he must learn to discipline himself through the Word of God and lay aside such anger in order to live for God as he should (Colossians 3:8).