There is a difference between righteous anger against a wrong committed, and unrighteous anger that harms and destroys. How can we live one while avoiding the other?
“Because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:20)
Anger is an uncomfortable emotion. For years, I told myself that I didn’t feel anger. I wasn’t an angry person. Annoyed, frustrated, tired, cranky. I would cop to all of those. But almost never would I say, “I’m mad.”
That’s because anger is seen as unrighteous, sinful, and generally unattractive. It’s also scary.
Growing up reading the Bible didn’t change the scariness of it either. The stories of God’s anger toward humans is threaded throughout the Old Testament.
From the great flood to the Tower of Babel, to the decades of wandering before reaching the Promised Land, God has expressed His anger at humans through actions as well as the words of prophets.
Even the New Testament has the story of Jesus throwing tables and kicking merchants out of the temple.
But these examples are not just anger. They are not anger as we humans feel it when someone cuts us off on the freeway, backstabs us, or takes us for granted. These are examples of righteous anger. And it’s the only type of anger that brings us closer to God.
Righteous vs. Unrighteous
There’s a line from a song that goes: “It all means nothing if you don’t stand up for something.” And that’s the difference between anger that is righteous and anger that is not.
If you are standing up for something of value, something that is right and good, then your anger is righteous. When you stand up to a bully, when you stand firm in your faith in the face of blasphemy, when you get angry at the human depravity that harms the innocent, that is righteous anger.
The problem is that most of us only show our anger in selfish ways. We shrug and shake our heads at mass shootings, but rail against inconsiderate spouses, inflation, and anyone who doesn’t agree with our worldview.
We get angry about personal affronts, rather than affronts to God.
All the stories in the Bible that describe moments of Godly angry are in response to human affronts to God. Times when they lost faith, turned their backs, and defiled His holy places.
Maybe instead of getting angry over petty gossip whispered at work, we should save our anger for our own part in that slanderous process. Perhaps instead of decrying high taxes, we should pray for generosity from all God’s people (us included) so even the least of us gets the care they deserve.
Instead of unrighteous anger against those who hurt us, we should turn it into an opportunity to pray for them. When our thoughts, actions, and hearts are in line with God, our anger – when it rises – is righteous.
When we stand up for something, our anger is not for nothing.
Have a blessed Monday!
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