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The Angry Christian
Because we are taught to control our temper, often we think that all anger is wrong. I chose this title, clearly, to get your attention. Christians should be angry at what is happening in the world around them. Our righteous anger should help us stand up for God’s Truths.
Christ’s Apostle, Paul, warns the early Christians in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NKJV about some of the sins they should avoid. It says, 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
This list of sins from about 2000 years ago is the same as plagues our society today. Knowing that these sins will keep souls out of heaven, we should be angry when we see them promoted in society and even in some “churches.”
When we don’t love sin, we make waves.
However, it seems “don’t make waves” is today’s Christian motto. Instead of standing up for the truth, Christians try not to offend. Some churches even stand with those who proclaim ideas that are clearly against God’s Word.
Christians should be angry when those who have a 1400-year record of murdering followers of Jesus are encouraged to invade our country. Yet our government has welcomed millions of Muslims in, both legally and illegally.
We should be angry at the promotion of sinful living even if it brings attacks upon us. The early Christians did not face Islam for about 600 years, but they did face attacks from the Jews and even the Roman Empire. Early Christians paid a price for their faith, and so will we if we stand up against Satan’s worldly deceptions.
Yes, I believe that Christians should get angry, but not anger with malice. Righteous anger should motivate us to act to overcome evil where we find it. One of our tools is to love people regardless of their sin, just like God loves us.
We are to love everyone, but we are not to accept their false and evil ways. God has not changed, and He still hates sin regardless of His love for His creation.
There is righteous anger and sinful anger.
We see examples of righteous anger in Jesus.
He is our example and the one we should focus on, and not what the world says is right and wrong. The world has rejected most of God’s Truths. When we look around, we see that most people consider their wants to be more important than what is righteous.
So did Jesus get angry?
Yes, He did. However, His anger was always directed toward wrong attitudes and actions, in other words, sin. He did not allow His anger to cause Him to attack those He came to save, only their wrong conduct or beliefs.
It is not our job to judge individuals for their unrighteous acts. We can judge sin, but the only one qualified to judge an individual’s heart is Jesus.
We find one example of Jesus’ anger at the hardened hearts of the religious leaders when He was teaching in the synagogue. There was a man among them in the service who had a withered hand. They did not believe it was good to heal on the Sabbath, because they saw it as work, and work on the Sabbath was sin.
Jesus was angry at their attitude.
Mark tells us in Mark 3:5 NKJV: 5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
Jesus may have been angry at the hardness of their hearts, but He would not let that stop Him from doing good. Likewise, others’ sins should not stop our good works.
Another time
Mark mentions that He was “greatly displeased” or angry at His disciples when they were trying to stop children from coming to Him. They thought that He should not be bothered by children. However, Jesus loved the children too.
We find this in Mark 10:14-16 NKJV: 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.
Most of you may remember Jesus’ actions in the Temple.
Even as a child, I loved picturing Jesus in the Temple with his whip. John tells it well in John 2:13-16 NKJV: Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”
Yes, Jesus showed His righteous anger, and we as Christians should show our anger when we confront evil. Sin destroys lives, breaks up families, and takes parents from their children. We should hate sin.
However, we need to always remember that our task is to spread the Gospel Message of Salvation through Jesus. If our approach is not in love, we will never accomplish the task God has called us to.
Paul gives us a key in Ephesians 4:26-27 NKJV: 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.
Our anger should be under control and our hearts committed to good works. You know the devil is working through you when your anger is toward a person, and you will not let it go.
Remember, do not let the sun go down on your wrath.
Do you hold onto your anger?
Sinful anger is when we allow ourselves to become angry with individuals instead of their sins or use our anger to justify evil acts. Paul says, Do not let the sun go down on your wrath. If you hold on to anger, you open the door to Satan to use you for his purpose.
Christians need to use our lives for good. As Paul says, Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Our energy and resources should be used to help people and build them up. We want to be known for our grace to be good witnesses to God’s love.
Paul expands on his message in Ephesians 4:30-32 NKJV: 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
If we are to be an angry Christian, let it be righteous anger.
Sinful anger or anger with malice not only affects our lives, but more importantly, our ministry to the weak and lost.
Anger causes us to make poor judgment. It creates bitterness and resentment among those we are trying to reach for Christ. Telling a person God loves them and wants to save them is hard when you have focused your anger on them.
It damages your relationship with the person you are trying to reach for Christ. There is a loss of peace and a feeling of broken trust between you and the person you have allowed yourself to become angry with.
Anger can isolate you from your friends and family if uncontrolled. What started as anger over something someone did can escalate into harsh feelings and even physical conflict. Holding on to anger can destroy relationships; even Christian marriages can be in danger.
If we are to be an angry Christian, let it be righteous anger.
You may notice that the examples of Jesus’ anger are an unselfish effort to defend God’s Truth and the helpless against actual evil.
On the other hand, sinful anger is usually a reaction to what we consider a personal attack. It is a reaction based on pride, and maybe, a desire for revenge. This is sin.
We need to keep in mind some examples of sinful anger and make sure that we are not guilty of the sinful actions.
Remember Cain. God rejected his offering because it was not what God required of him. Before he killed his brother, God spoke to him about his offering in Genesis 4:6-7 NKJV 6, So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
Even with God’s warning about sin, Cain killed his brother Abel.
Jesus tells the story of the older brother who was offended when his father threw a party for his returning brother. Jesus says in Luke 15:28 NKJV: 28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.
Pride and hurt feelings caused him to sin. Has this ever happened to you?
Even servants of God can have sinful anger.
Pride has caused many good ministers to fail in the task to which God called them.
Note that there is always a price for sin, whatever our reasons. Moses had served God and brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. He had done many things just the way God told him to, but then he failed.
He let his pride and frustration cause him to change what God had told him to do.
Pay attention to this Scripture as you read or listen to it. Moses was angry and, instead of showing God’s provision, he said, “Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Instead of doing what God said, he struck the rock twice.
However, look at what it cost him.
He was not allowed to enter the promised land.
Numbers 20:10-12 NKJV 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
What kind of anger will you have?
Will it be righteous as Jesus’ was?
Or will it be sinful anger?