Is God Angry?

"O LORD, do not rebuke me n Your anger, Nor chasten me in your wrath"  (Psalm 6:1, NASB).
"But now you also, put them all aside:  anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth"   (Col. 3:8, NASB).

Sometimes it seems that God is angry at us, but He is only angry because of our actions because He must discipline us and teach us right and wrong the hard way--the school of hard knocks.  God is slow to anger, unlike men, and "doesn't harbor his anger forever" according to Psalm 103:9 (NIV).  We, ourselves, have a temper to deal with, and even when we are temperamental, it's ninety percent temper and ten percent mental!

We must learn to control our anger because the anger of man doesn't achieve the righteousness of God.  We must learn to be slow to anger and watch our mood swings.  Remember, "God is angry at the wicked every day" (cf. Psalm 7:11). We cannot bear the anger of God's wrath and will be delivered on the last day.  God knows we are but dust!

We are not to let the sun go down on our anger and not to let it be easily kindled.  God's anger lasts but for a moment and God will love us freely, for His anger is turned away from us (cf. Hos. 14:4).  Jesus warned us not to be angry at our brother and not to stir up strife (cf. Matt. 5:22; Prov. 29:22).  Don't test the LORD's anger:  "Do homage to the Son, that He does not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled..."  (Psalm 2:12, NASB).  James 1:19 says to be slow to anger!  Paul says, "Be angry, but do not sin"  (Eph. 4:26, NASB).   Jeremiah wondered if God was angry in Lam. 5:22 (NASB):  "Unless You have utterly rejected us And are exceedingly angry with us."  God told Moses (Lev. 26:44) that, no matter what we've done, God will still receive us.  We can be thankful for God's patience, which means our salvation.

Words to the wise:  Do not befriend a man given to anger, lest you pick up his ways (cf. Prov. 22:24).  A man who is slow to anger and rules his spirit, is mightier than one who rules a city, according to Solomon.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Justified Anger

"God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day" (Psa

lm 7:11, ESV).

"The LORD is slow to anger..." (Num. 14:18, ESV).

"...Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger" (James 1:19, ESV).

"But now you must put them all away:  anger, malice, wrath, slander..." (Col. 3:8, ESV).

"Now the works of the flesh are evident:  ...fits of anger..." (Gal. 5:19-20, ESV)

Anger is an emotion that we all have and there is nothing wrong with it in its proper place.  What I'm primarily concerned with is anger among believers, not unbelievers.

We've all heard of "righteous indignation" (not a biblical term), and believe we have it when we get angry, no matter what, as a "defense mechanism."  God is angry with the wicked every day (cf. Psalm 7:11--through a better translation in the NIV says, "God is a God who expresses His anger every day"). "Like the rest, we were by nature the objects of wrath" (Eph. 2:3, NIV).  He never got angry at Adam when he sinned because Adam was His son.  God's wrath is averted by the blood of Christ--"...When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Ex. 12:13, KJV).  Jesus had something to say about what anger is equated with, in case we justify ourselves when angry at someone.

We never have the right to play God and express wrath directly at a brother:  Jesus said in Matthew 5:22 (NIV) "But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment..."--anger is on a level with murder and Jesus didn't justify, since He internalized sin .  He had displayed the right to get angry in the temple, for instance,  and this is "righteous indignation."  He urged us to pray for and love our enemies, lest they are judged for said behavior.  "Cease from anger, forsake wrath," says Psalms 37:8. Paul says in Galatians 5:19 that "fits of anger" are a work of the flesh.

What then is "righteous indignation?"  Well, what gets God angry? Getting angry at things and circumstances that are inherently unfair or unjustified, e.g., poverty, racism, terrorism, discrimination, etc.  Jonathan Edwards sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, shows that unbelievers are on dangerous territory.  God never gets angry at us, but about us, what we do, and prunes us in love, He doesn't punish us in anger.  Loving parents don't lose their cool and express outrage directly at a child, though he is in the wrong and needs the rod of correction--they shouldn't discipline till they have got control of themselves.

We are never justified in getting angry at a brother and must strive to always keep the peace and be peacemakers.  "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Rom. 12:18, NIV).  We must do everything in our power to restore fellowship when a chasm or cleavage occurs and to take the initiative even when it's not our fault.  "But I tell you that anyone [no exceptions] who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment..." (Matt. 5:22, NIV).  N.B. I checked out all the translations:  CEB, NASB, NIV, ESV,  and the NLT all agree that there is no excuse, though the KJV and NKJV say one can get angry if he has "cause."  Searching the Scriptures I cannot find one legitimate person having "righteous anger" except possibly Moses when he came down from Mt. Sinai--he was in authority as the priest over the people.

When we become believers we are "delivered from the wrath to come" (2 Thess. 1:10), and the sign of the unbeliever is that "the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36).  To conclude the matter: being angry at your brother only demonstrates that you are only a man, and one who has not learned to be controlled by the Spirit--possibly even a fool ("A fool gives full vent to his anger").   Soli Deo Gloria!

Deflected Anger

"God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day" (Psalm 7:11, ESV).
"The LORD is slow to anger..." (Num. 14:18, ESV).
"...Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger" (James 1:19, ESV).
"But now you must put them all away:  anger, malice, wrath, slander..." (Col. 3:8, ESV).
"Now the works of the flesh are evident:  ...fits of anger..." (Gal. 5:19-20, ESV).  ITALICS AND BOLDFACE MINE!

Anger per se is not sinning, but that is called righteous indignation; Jesus even expressed anger at the money changers in the temple.  God was very angry about Adam's disobedience, and when he expected to be cursed like the serpent was, it was deflected to the ground--what a relief!  God is not angry at us when we sin but angry about us--he never gets angry at people but about ideas, events, and fruits of the flesh.  If God ever got angry at anyone that person would perish (cf. Psalm 2:12).

The Word says, "A fool gives full vent to his anger."  Having temper tantrums is childish and shows lack of self-control which is a fruit of the Spirit.  The unbeliever cannot control himself as well as the believer. When a person gets angry he usually says something that will be regretted.  You cannot take back a word said in haste, it has done its damage.  We are to use words to heal and not to hurt.  We are to be sensitive to our brother's feelings and use tact and good judgment in restraining our anger.

We can get angry at the Obamacare law, but not at President Obama.  King David would not speak a harsh word of criticism against the Lord's anointed (King Saul).  Paul was caught pronouncing judgments and he said that the Law says "not to speak evil of a ruler of your people."  You can be angry and not sin, as Scripture says, and God can reign it in and keep you under control, so as not make a fool of yourself.   "Be angry, but do not sin," says the Word.  Jesus had a lot to say about anger:  He equated it with murder itself--we murder one another in spirit when we lose control of our temper and don't have patience in dealing with one another (cf. Matt. 5:22f).  Some people clearly have anger issues and must learn that the solution is repentance and living the Spirit-filled life, and not medication or anger management classes.   Soli Deo Gloria!

A Failure To Communicate?

I have learned through experience that even the closest of brothers can misunderstand each other and ruffle each other's feathers, despite loving each other and get upset or angry and then "bite and devour each other." "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath" (cf. Ps. 37:8). Jesus warned in Matt. 5:22 that we shouldn't be angry at a brother or even insult him. There is a fine line drawn between "speak[ing] the truth in love" and being judgmental. In my definition, judging (I do not mean rebuking, admonishing or correcting) is not something we have the prerogative to do (I mean reading minds, determining motives, or deciding someone isn't a Christian who claims to be). 1 Cor. 5:12 says, "Do you not judge those who are in the church?" (He was talking about known sin in the church body). God judges those outsides--we are to save them not condemn them. Yes, the Bible says that judgment must begin at the house of God. If believers are scarcely saved, what about the infidel?

All Christians should be willing to swallow their pride and apologize when wrong or convicted of sin and want fellowship more than a win so-to-speak. The truth often hurts and it takes bravery to tell someone the truth and to rebuke or admonish a believer, but sometimes it must be done. Let love be the rule: "Love bears all, believes all, hopes all, endures all, love never fails." It is unfortunate when we carry our feelings on our sleeves, are hypersensitive, or have vulnerable areas--we all live in glass houses with skeletons in our closet, as it were, and shouldn't judge harshly or rashly. Our motive must not be to cause hurt nor damage egos but to edify or correct.

When we know someone we know how to press their buttons and manipulate them if we want to and sometimes we inadvertently push the wrong buttons and get a rise out of them--let's learn from our mistakes. In my opinion, it is an unfortunate event to judge someone in a judgmental spirit intentionally, but we should not return the favor and do likewise if you know what I mean. We don't return evil for evil or insult for insult--it just retaliates, escalates, and estranges.

As they say, familiarity breeds contempt, which is probably a maxim, with the exception being Christ himself. In the final analysis, we all have "feet of clay" or have vulnerabilities and weaknesses not readily apparent, and must be sensitive to each other's feelings as well as accept believers the way they are--God did! (Because we are "accepted in the beloved.")   Soli Deo Gloria!