WORDS OF JESUS -- READING THE RED
ANGER AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Matthew 5: 2121 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’
22 But I say to you that EVERYONE WHO IS ANGRY WITH HIS BROTHER SHALL BE GUILTY BEFORE THE COURT; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
23 Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first BE RECONCILED TO YOUR BROTHER, and then come and present your offering.
25 Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
26 Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.
Anger [N] [T] [E]Strong emotional reaction of displeasure, often leading to plans for revenge or punishment. There are many words for anger in Hebrew; in Greek orge [ojrghv] and thumos [qumov"] are used more or less interchangeably.
The Anger of God Unlike pagan gods, whose tirades reflect the fickleness of their human creators, Yahweh "expresses his wrath every day" because he is a righteous judge ( Psalm 7:11 ). At the same time, God is merciful and not easily provoked to anger ( Exod 34:6 ; Psalm 103:8-9 ).
God may choose to display his wrath within historical events, as in Israel's wilderness wanderings ( Psalm 95:10-11 ) or the Babylonian exile ( Lam 2:21-22 ). But his wrath will be fully expressed on the dies irae, the day of wrath at the end of the age, when all wrongs will be punished ( Zeph 1:14-18 ).
John the Baptist warns of God's fiery judgment ( Matt 3:7 ). Jesus will execute God's wrath at his second coming ( Rev 6:15-17 ). While the wicked already stand under God's condemnation ( John 3:36 ; Eph 2:3 ), by sinning, they continue to store up wrath ( Rom 2:5 ; 9:22 ). But God in his mercy sent Jesus to turn away his anger by a sacrifice of propitiation ( Rom 3:25 ; 5:9 ; 1 John 2:2 ; 4:10 ).
Some have doubted whether a God of love can experience anger toward his creatures. The Jewish philosopher Philo championed the Stoic idea that a perfect being by definition could not become angry. In the twentieth century, C. H. Dodd held that "wrath of God" is merely symbolic of the fact that sin has consequences. But such viewpoints reveal more about the writers' theological assumptions than the consistent teaching of the Bible.
Human Anger The Bible usually portrays human anger as sinful. Cain's ire would have been turned to good if he had repented and offered an acceptable sacrifice. But by nursing his wrath against a holy God and the righteous Abel, he ends up committing murder ( Gen 4:3-8 ).
"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath"so warns Psalm 37:8. In contrast with our modern emphasis on the constructive uses of anger, Proverbs urges us to think carefully before expressing anger ( 12:16 ; 14:29 ; 19:11 ), to be patient ( 16:32 ), and to show restraint ( 29:11 ). Angry people cause conflicts ( 29:22 ; 30:33 ) and continually get themselves into trouble ( 19:19 ); they should be avoided ( 22:24-25 ). In biblical history, Saul stands out as the embodiment of sinful rage (see 1 Sam 19:9-10 ; 20:30-34 ). On the other hand, Job and many psalmists display anger and frustration with their situationand at times even with God himself. In the end Job is rebuked because he has doubted God's justice (chaps. 35-36), but the psalmists' prayers are acceptable apparently because they are viewing the world from God's perspective; since God knows the heart, it is better for them to voice their anger than it is to deny it.
Jesus warns that angry people will face God's judgment ( Matt 5:22 ; cf. Gal 5:20 ; Col 3:6-8 ). James reflects the wisdom of the Old Testament when he tells his readers to "be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" ( 1:9 ). According to Ephesians 4:25-27, people should speak truthfully, but their anger should be restrained, short-lived, and used for righteous ends. Provoking another person to anger without reason is in itself a sin ( Eph 6:4 ). Anger can divide a church ( 2 Co 12:20 ) and frustrate prayer ( 1 Ti 2:8 ); an elder must not be "quick-tempered" ( Titus 1:7 ).
People may, however, react to sin in the way that God doesin holiness and without desire for personal vengeance ( Ro 12:19-21 ). Moses was therefore justly angry with Pharaoh ( Exod 11:8 ). But Jesus the God-Man gives us the best example of how to express righteous anger ( Matt 23:1-36 ; Mark 3:5 ; 11:15-17 ; John 2:13-17 ).
At the same time, people may believe that their anger is warranted when it is not; such anger is usually rooted in a desire to justify oneself. Simeon and Levi's slaughter of the Shechemites goes well beyond righteous anger ( Gen 34:1-31 ; 49:5-7 ). Jonah believes that he is right to be angry when God spares the wicked (chap. 4). Those who angrily oppose Jesus think that God is on their side ( Matt 21:15-16 ). Even the disciples are self-righteously angry with James and John ( Matt 20:24 ) and with the woman who anointed Jesus with costly ointment ( Mark 14:4-5 ).
24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first BE RECONCILED TO YOUR BROTHER, and then come and present your offering.
25 Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
26 Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.
The Anger of God Unlike pagan gods, whose tirades reflect the fickleness of their human creators, Yahweh "expresses his wrath every day" because he is a righteous judge ( Psalm 7:11 ). At the same time, God is merciful and not easily provoked to anger ( Exod 34:6 ; Psalm 103:8-9 ).
God may choose to display his wrath within historical events, as in Israel's wilderness wanderings ( Psalm 95:10-11 ) or the Babylonian exile ( Lam 2:21-22 ). But his wrath will be fully expressed on the dies irae, the day of wrath at the end of the age, when all wrongs will be punished ( Zeph 1:14-18 ).
John the Baptist warns of God's fiery judgment ( Matt 3:7 ). Jesus will execute God's wrath at his second coming ( Rev 6:15-17 ). While the wicked already stand under God's condemnation ( John 3:36 ; Eph 2:3 ), by sinning, they continue to store up wrath ( Rom 2:5 ; 9:22 ). But God in his mercy sent Jesus to turn away his anger by a sacrifice of propitiation ( Rom 3:25 ; 5:9 ; 1 John 2:2 ; 4:10 ).
Some have doubted whether a God of love can experience anger toward his creatures. The Jewish philosopher Philo championed the Stoic idea that a perfect being by definition could not become angry. In the twentieth century, C. H. Dodd held that "wrath of God" is merely symbolic of the fact that sin has consequences. But such viewpoints reveal more about the writers' theological assumptions than the consistent teaching of the Bible.
Human Anger The Bible usually portrays human anger as sinful. Cain's ire would have been turned to good if he had repented and offered an acceptable sacrifice. But by nursing his wrath against a holy God and the righteous Abel, he ends up committing murder ( Gen 4:3-8 ).
"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath"so warns Psalm 37:8. In contrast with our modern emphasis on the constructive uses of anger, Proverbs urges us to think carefully before expressing anger ( 12:16 ; 14:29 ; 19:11 ), to be patient ( 16:32 ), and to show restraint ( 29:11 ). Angry people cause conflicts ( 29:22 ; 30:33 ) and continually get themselves into trouble ( 19:19 ); they should be avoided ( 22:24-25 ). In biblical history, Saul stands out as the embodiment of sinful rage (see 1 Sam 19:9-10 ; 20:30-34 ). On the other hand, Job and many psalmists display anger and frustration with their situationand at times even with God himself. In the end Job is rebuked because he has doubted God's justice (chaps. 35-36), but the psalmists' prayers are acceptable apparently because they are viewing the world from God's perspective; since God knows the heart, it is better for them to voice their anger than it is to deny it.
Jesus warns that angry people will face God's judgment ( Matt 5:22 ; cf. Gal 5:20 ; Col 3:6-8 ). James reflects the wisdom of the Old Testament when he tells his readers to "be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" ( 1:9 ). According to Ephesians 4:25-27, people should speak truthfully, but their anger should be restrained, short-lived, and used for righteous ends. Provoking another person to anger without reason is in itself a sin ( Eph 6:4 ). Anger can divide a church ( 2 Co 12:20 ) and frustrate prayer ( 1 Ti 2:8 ); an elder must not be "quick-tempered" ( Titus 1:7 ).
People may, however, react to sin in the way that God doesin holiness and without desire for personal vengeance ( Ro 12:19-21 ). Moses was therefore justly angry with Pharaoh ( Exod 11:8 ). But Jesus the God-Man gives us the best example of how to express righteous anger ( Matt 23:1-36 ; Mark 3:5 ; 11:15-17 ; John 2:13-17 ).
At the same time, people may believe that their anger is warranted when it is not; such anger is usually rooted in a desire to justify oneself. Simeon and Levi's slaughter of the Shechemites goes well beyond righteous anger ( Gen 34:1-31 ; 49:5-7 ). Jonah believes that he is right to be angry when God spares the wicked (chap. 4). Those who angrily oppose Jesus think that God is on their side ( Matt 21:15-16 ). Even the disciples are self-righteously angry with James and John ( Matt 20:24 ) and with the woman who anointed Jesus with costly ointment ( Mark 14:4-5 ).
Gary Steven Shogren
MANUFACTURER'S HANDBOOK
2 Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore CHRIST'S AMBASSADORS, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
The Judds - Love Can Build a Bridge
Romans 5
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Ephesians 4
25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.
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Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do know about origin or website I have tried to always post a link to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope it will encourage and inspire others.
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