Anger
March 6, 2019
Busyness: that frantic state of being when you realize that a number of chained-together, sequential events will not happen as you envision them… unless you intervene!
For many of us, our lives could be described by the word busy. Our culture esteems those who output great quantities of content. Our work is intrinsically related to the notions of productivity, output, and motivation. But have you ever noticed the difference between the two following things?
Being busy for a short season to achieve a time-sensitive end or goal
Finding yourself trapped in an economy of work, driven by a constant state of busyness
The first is purposeful and what many people today call “Hustle.” Hustle is a sprint-like approach to work that finds opportune time to rest as a reward for the hard work. The second is a state of being that you might call… “Horrible!” One is marked by self-control; the other, by slavish behavior.
The art of being busy and the uncontrolled behavior of busyness is a struggle for many of us. And the art of managing anger versus being given over to anger is fairly akin to this.
Paul, in Ephesians 4:26, said the following: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” He said this in the context of community—a community that speaks truthfully in love toward one another for the upbuilding of other and the propagation of Christ-centered love (Eph 4:25–32).
It is common among Christians to think in antithetical terms regarding human emotions. Love is good. Anger is bad. Happiness is good. Sadness is bad. However, what we learn in the wisdom literature of Scripture—especially in Proverbs—is that the human psyche is complex and holistically in need of Spirit-controlled, God-focused attention.
Consider these following words of wisdom:
“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” Proverbs 14:29
“A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” Proverbs 15:18
“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” Proverbs 16:32
“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11
“A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.” Proverbs 29:22
Did you notice how anger in and of itself is never condemned as sin? Rather, sin results from someone who is given over to anger, uncontrolled. In fact, Scripture tells us plainly that we will inevitably be made angry by things in and around us, because we live in a fallen world. And our human experience certainly attests to this!
When Christ came to the temple in Jerusalem at the start of his earthly ministry in John 2, he was angered by the sacrilege of man-centered, godless religion taking place in God’s temple, and he did something about it. He cleansed the temple of its irreligion and then instructed the remaining people in right worship of God. But both of his actions were done with soundness of mind.
Similarly, when circumstances, people, and events cause us to be angry, the wise thing to do is to calmly guard ourselves from sinning, while processing the anger internally and externally. According to Ephesians 4:26, we will be made angry, passively speaking. But the measure of a man’s wisdom, understanding, and reputation is how he can do good, not evil, when provoked.
When Christ was provoked in John 2:13–22, consider how he was driven by zeal for God and right worship of God, not injurious, uncontrolled rage. But man—according to the definitive plan and foreknowledge of God—led along by his uncontrolled anger against God, crucified the Son of God when given the chance (Acts 2:22–24). This was the single greatest act of uncontrolled anger, and it was directly targeted against God himself. But praise God for his sovereign mercy and forgiveness toward sinners like us, through Christ!
Like uncontrolled busyness, uncontrolled anger is a dangerous flame to blow upon. So let us be quick to repent and seek to process that which angers us with the pure wisdom from above. And as followers of Christ, who are in union with him by faith, let us rest in the fact that we are clothed in his righteousness and are invited to learn from him, our risen and reigning Lord.
