Created to Rebel Against Anger
This article includes some great additional information from a great Christian Site,
www.GotQuestions.org!
 What Does the Bible Say About Anger?
Handling anger is an important topic. One experienced counselor stated that 50% of the people who came in for counseling had problems with dealing with their anger. Anger can shatter communication and tear apart relationships and ruins both the joy and health of many. And most often people tend to justify their anger instead of accepting responsibility for it. Anger has become an important part of our culture too. Let's face it, we have a tendency to celebrate the 'bad boys' of our world and turn them into heroes! In addition to that, the television and radio airwaves are filled with comedians, talk show hosts and programs that lift anger to a new level. When our culture is so saturated with angry images, is it any wonder that often find ourselves sucked into similar behaviors?
Well, if you are going to be a rebel in this culture, you're going to have to do something OTHER than submit to similar behavior. In fact, you're going to have to step up and lead the charge AGAINST anger. And it just so happens that this kind of rebellion is consistent with the teaching of scripture! God wants you to be rebellious. He wants you to rebel against the culture that surrounds you.
 Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Understanding God's Perspective
Before we can step out as Rebels, we need to understand God's view of anger. While many Christians over the years have taken the road of pacifism as an expression of their faith, you might be surprised to learn that God doesn't remain passive to every situation. In fact God often gets angry! On the other hand, many atheists point to the wrath of God as seen in many Old Testament Passages, and without understanding God's nature, they misjudge God as a recklessly angry being! Well, we need to get it right. So let'e take a closer look. Scripture tells us that God is capable of getting angry:
Psalm 7:11
God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.
Mark 3:5
And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
In addition to this, believers are often commanded to be angry
Ephesians 4:26
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.
Keyword 'Anger'
Two Greek words are used in the New Testament for our English word “anger.” One (orge) means “passion, energy;” the other (thumos) means “agitated, boiling.” Webster defines anger as:
“excessive emotion, passion aroused by a sense of injury or wrong;”
Now this injury may be to us or to someone else. Biblically, anger is God-given energy intended to help us solve problems. One example of a Biblical use of anger is seen when Paul confronts Peter because of his wrong example to other believers:
Galatians 2:11-14
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, 'If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
In another example, David is seen to be upset over hearing Nathan the prophet sharing an injustice:
2 Samuel 12:1-6
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said, 'There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 'The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 'But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him. 'Now a traveler came to the rich man, And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.' Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, 'As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. And he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.'
Even Jesus is seen getting angry over how some of the Jews had defiled the Gentiles’ place of worship at God’s temple in Jerusalem:
John 2:13-18
And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, 'Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a house of merchandise.' His disciples remembered that it was written, 'Zeal for Thy house will consume me.' The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, 'What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?'
Clearly God calls us to get angry when there is an injustice or when we see a direct violation of our God given moral code! There is of course a reality to anger, however, that we need to be aware of. We have to be careful not to be so arrogant and prideful that we become judgemental. After all, how many of us are still involved in the very same sin behavior for which we would condemn others? The anger we are called to feel about sin and injustice has to first be turned toward ourselves! We've got to remember that only God is perfect and sinless. The rest of us are equally fallen and in need of a savior!
Anger Can, However, Turn to Sin
There are several instances when anger can become sin. While God does become angry and calls us to become angry as well, we need to be mindful of the way in which we develop our anger, focus it and then finally express it. Let's take a look at some of the ways that anger can become sin.
 When It is Selfishly Motivated
God warns us that anger turns to sin when it is selfishly motivated, and not focussed on the righteousness and injustice that God cares about:
James 1:19-21
for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
 When God's Goals Are Distorted
In addition to this, anger can turn to sin if God's goal is distorted:
1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God
 When It Is Allowed to Linger
God also clearly warns us not to steep in our anger. Anger can turn to sin when it is allowed to linger:
Ephesians 4:26-27
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.
 When It Is Focused on the Sinner Instead of the Sin
In some situations, instead of using the energy generated by anger to attack the problem at hand, we can find ourselves attacking the person instead, and when that happens we are moving away from Godly anger and toward the anger of sinful man. Look at what God really wants us to do with our anger:
Ephesians 4:15
but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ
 When It Is Manifested in Destructive Words
God wants us to speak the truth in love and to use our words to build up others, and not to allow rotten or destructive words to pour from our lips. Unfortunately, this poisonous speech is a common characteristic of fallen man:
Romans 3:13-14
'Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness'
 When It Is Allowed to Boil Over
Remember that anger becomes sin when it is allowed to boil over without restraint, resulting in a “sawed-off shotgun” consequence in which everyone in earshot is hurt:
Proverbs 29:11
A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back.
This kind of anger leaves devastation in its wake...often with irreparable consequences. Anger also becomes sin when one clams up (Ephesians 4:26-27), doing the “slow burn.” This causes one to become depressed and irritable and fly off the handle over any little thing, often things unrelated to the underlying problem.
So How Are We Supposed to Handle Our Anger?
Even though we may understand what God expects from us related to our use of anger, it's still difficult to handle our anger in a Godly way. There are, however several steps that we can take to turn our sinful anger into Godly anger that can be used to change our world. We can properly handle anger by:
Recognizing That Your Selfish or Wrongly Handled Anger Is Sin
This confession should be both to God and to those who have been hurt by our anger. Nor should one minimize that sin by calling it “getting a little hot the other day” or by blame-shifting: “well if you wouldn’t have acted the way you did...”
Seeing God in the Trial
This is especially important when people have done something to offend YOU specifically. James 1:2-4; Romans 8:28-29; and Genesis 50:20 all point to the fact that God is sovereign and in complete control over EVERY circumstance and person that enters your path. NOTHING happens to you that He does not cause or allow. And as all of these verses share, God is a GOOD God (Psalm 145:8,9,17) and does and allows all things in your life for your good and the good of others! Reflecting on this truth to the point of where it moves from our heads to our hearts will alter how we react to those who hurt us deeply.
Making Room for God’s Wrath
This is especially important in cases of injustices, especially when done by “evil” men to “innocent” people. Genesis 50:19 and Romans 12:19 both share that we should not play God. God is righteous and just, and we can trust Him who knows all and sees all to do justly (Genesis 18:25).
Returning Good for Evil (Genesis 50:21; Romans 12:21)
This is key to altering our anger into love. As one’s actions flow from one’s heart, so also one’s heart can be altered by one’s actions (Matthew 5:43-48)...that is, one can change one‘s feelings toward another by changing how one chooses to act toward that person.
Communicating to Solve the Problem
There are four basic rules of communication shared in Ephesians 4:15,25-32:
a) Being honest and speaking (Ephesians 4:15,25).
People can’t read our minds, but speak the truth IN LOVE.
b) Staying current (Ephesians 4:26-27).
Don’t “sand bag,” letting the list of what is bothering you build up until the “dam busts” and you lose your temper. Dealing with and sharing what is bothering you before it gets to that point is important. Keep a short list!
c) Attacking the problem, not the person (Ephesians 4:29,31).
Along this line, one must keep in mind the importance of keeping the volume of one’s voice low (Proverbs 15:1). Yelling is usually a form of attack toward the person.
d) Acting, not reacting (Ephesians 4:31-32).
Because of our fallen nature, our “knee-jerk” reflex, our first impulse is usually a sinful one (verse 31). The time spent in counting to ten should be used to reflect upon the godly way to respond (verse 32) and to remind yourself how anger is to be used to solve problems not create bigger ones.
e) Acting to solve your part of the problem (Acts 12:18).
You cannot control how others act or respond, but you can make changes that need to be made on your part. Overcoming one’s temper is not something that is usually accomplished overnight. But with reliance upon God through prayer for help, Bible study, and reliance upon God’s Holy Spirit, it can be overcome. As one has allowed anger to become entrenched in one’s life by habitual practice, one must also practice responding correctly until it too becomes a habit replacing the old ways.
Learning to Deal With It
Learning to deal with your anger will take some time and will most likely be a life-long process of personal and spiritual growth. So, plan for it to take some time and resource yourself with scripture that will make the transformation easier. Here are some Proverbs that deal with the topic of anger:
Proverbs 6:34
...jealousy enrages a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
Proverbs 14:17
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of evil device is hated.
Proverbs 14:29
He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.
Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:18
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but the slow to anger pacifies contention.
Proverbs 16:14
The wrath of a king is as messengers of death, but a wise man will appease it.
Proverbs 16:32
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.
Proverbs 19:11
A man's discretion makes him slow to anger and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.
Proverbs 19:19
A man of great anger shall bear the penalty, for if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.
Proverbs 21:14
A gift in secret subdues anger, and a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.
Proverbs 22:24,25
Do not associate with a man given to anger, or go with a hot-tempered man, lest you learn his ways, and find a snare for yourself.
Proverbs 24:17,18
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and He turn away His anger from him.
Proverbs 27:4
Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, but who can stand before jealousy?
Proverbs 29:8
Scorners set a city aflame, but wise men turn away anger.
Proverbs 29:22
An angry man stirs up strife, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
Proverbs 20:33
For the churning of milk produces butter, and pressing the nose brings forth blood; so the churning of anger produces strife.
Take the Challenge
OK, so you want to be a rebel? Then move in a direction that opposes the culture! Develop a Godly approach in the way you become angry, focus your anger and deliver it as you work with God to change our world! | 
