I know there are some reading this who think it is a sin for a Christian to be angry. But I want to dispossess you of that thinking and instead suggest that your Christian character is, in fact, defined by what makes you angry!
There are those in the progressive, liberal school of thought who step forward to remind us that Paul said:
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31).
And that Jesus said:
“But I say to you, ‘Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39).
Given the words of Jesus and Paul, how can it be that it is permissible, even commanded, for Christians to be angry in certain situations?
There Are Two Kinds of Anger
The answer is deceptively simple. There are two kinds of anger. The first is self-righteous anger. The kind that flares up when someone insults or slights us. This anger is sinful, the kind Jesus and Paul warned us about.
However, there is another kind of anger directed toward evil and those who reject the things of God.
This is the kind of anger Paul referred to when he said:
“In your anger, do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26).
While being angry for the things of God is permissible, being angry for selfish purposes is a sin.
When Does God Get Angry?
Examining the scriptures, we find over 100 examples of God exhibiting anger against sin in the Old Testament alone.
Perhaps the most notable of which occurs when Solomon turns away from God by marrying foreign women and worshipping false gods. God’s anger toward Solomon is recorded in 1 Kings.
“And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice” (1 Kings 11:9).
Another prominent example occurs when God instructs Moses to speak to the rock and obtain water for the people. Instead, Moses struck the rock (Numbers 20:8-12). His punishment for disobeying God was exclusion from the Promised Land!
A familiar example in the New Testament occurs when Jesus charged into the Temple Courts with a whip and angrily drove out the money changers. As they scattered, Jesus said:
“It is written,” he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of robbers.’”(Matthew 21:13)
In all circumstances of God being angry, the cause is sinning against God, the things of God, or the people of God.
God Expects Us to Be Angry for What Angers Him!
The fact of the matter is that there are many things that anger God, and they all relate to the sin we commit against one another.
Dr. Augustus Strong said:
“To be incapable of moral indignation against wrong is to lack love for what is right.”
If you are incapable of feeling anger in the face of evil, you are weak and lack the courage to stand for the things of God. If we say we love the good, we must also hate the evil!
Leaders, our Christian character is defined by what makes us angry. We are either for the things of God or opposed to the things of God. As Jesus said, “Whoever is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:50). Said another way, “Whoever is not for you is against you!”
There is no middle ground for us believers. Our character is defined by whether we are for God or against him.
More Articles
I have written several articles on a leader’s character. You can find them by typing “Character” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.
- #444: Is It Important to Follow the Right Leaders?
- #443: The Folly of Wasting God’s Gift of Discernment
- #442: What We Do Matters. Who We Are Matters More!
- #440: If You Are Green with Envy, You Are Ripe for Trouble!
- #435: How Do Good Leaders Exercise Their Authority in The Service of Others?
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Do you agree that our character as Christians is defined by what makes us angry?
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Category: Personal Development | Character
There are times to turn the other cheek, and times to stand up to evil. The challenge sometimes is discerning the difference.
Funny you mentioned the importance of discernment! The article I finished yesterday (that will publish in February) is on discernment, or rather the lack of it among leaders today.