The other day I heard a lesson on anger that was just too good not to share. Except that I couldn’t share it, because it was one of those stories that disappears in 24 hours. So I’m going to do my best to share it here in my own words.

There are two different Greek & Hebrew words that are translated in the English Bible as anger. The first is used in the context of God’s anger, which is described as a righteous anger toward sin. The second is a misdirected anger that lashes out in sinful ways and disrupts the peace in our hearts. This second anger is discouraged in the Proverbs and verses like Ephesians 4:26b-27, ”do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

However, like God, we should be angry at sin. We need to recognize it for what it is. Sin has no positive intentions or outcomes; Instead sin wedges in and hurts our relationships.

There is no sin that doesn’t directly harm:
–      Our perspective of self,
–      Our relationship with others,
–      Our care for the earth,
–      And/or our relationship with God.

Like God, we want the best for ourselves, our friends, God’s creation, and our personal relationship with Him. We need to be ambassadors of peace in a world of chaos. We need to end injustice and encourage peace, love, and kindness. We need to model God’s grace and forgiveness, as well as usher in his justice.

Be wary as there is a bold line between righteous anger and discouraged anger that is easy to cross as fallible human beings… Our anger should only ever be directed at sin alone. When our anger is directed at anything else, we are in the wrong. When our anger causes us to sin, we are in the wrong. That’s why we are instructed to “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).

However, anger is a natural emotion that motivates us to move towards change. When we allow ourselves to be angry towards sin, it motivates us towards repentance, justice, and peace.  When we hold on to anger towards anything, like a person or a transgression, it does the opposite and leads us towards hatred, sin, and discord.

– Emilie

In what ways do you need to get angry with sin instead of overlooking it?

In what ways do you need to put down your anger, because it’s the wrong kind?