This post is a very rough sketch of ideas and may include unfinished, incomplete, or erroneous ideas that will later be corrected. This post will be part of a series that will form the basis of a new book I’m writing following on the themes of my last book, Thoughts From Reconstruction. All of these themes center around the New Covenant. You can find everything published so far in this series on the Highlights page under the My Most Important section.
Devils and Delusions
It is true the Bible talks about restraining anger: “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:26-27). Yet, we know that anger is frequently ascribed to God so we know there’s more to it than simply ‘do not be angry’ [1]. Even Paul, in Ephesians, says “In your anger, do not sin.” If God can be angry, how do we understand anger, for ourselves?
God was angry as recorded many times in the Old Testament. God was angry with sin, angry about injustice, and angry about violations of His Commands. God was angry with Moses for his resistance to confront Pharaoh in Egypt (Exodus 4). God is angry at the mistreatment of the helpless, strangers, widows, and orphans (Exodus 22). God was angry when the Israelites turned to worship false idols (Exodus 32).
God’s anger does does not change in the New Testament, either, and doesn’t change with Jesus, His Son.
Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
-Mark 3:4-6
Just as God was angry at the mistreatment of the helpless, Jesus was angry at the mistreatment from the religious for the helpless of His day when they wouldn’t treat the less fortunate, at all.
Forsaking and Forgiving
We all know there is anger that borders on a prideful rage: This kind of anger is destructive and does not seek correction but a punishment. This is the ‘old self’ that we carry before we come to Christ and are made into a ‘new man’ and cast off the old self. Anger, in the ‘new self’, directs its energy and purpose through the New Covenant and the Great Command to treat others the way we would want to be treated.
We all tend to think ourselves half decent and would wish mercy and a chance to prove ourselves again, were we in the wrong. Therefore, to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’, when in anger, is to act as if you were the one in the wrong, hoping for justice and mercy, not excusing sin but desiring an opportunity to repent and do right. We look to the example of who God was angry with the Israelites many times but never forsook them completely or removed forgiveness for sins.
So, we fulfill Love God by showing righteous anger, fulfill Love Neighbour by modeling towards the offending party, in the way God showed to us, with a God-honouring balance of justice and mercy. We show that Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment in the way that we leverage controlled anger towards both perpetrators and victims. Uncontrolled anger might destroy one who, except for an offence, is our neighbour but righteous anger seeks to restore and build up.
Footnotes
- Righteous Anger (Ephesians 4:26-27): https://bible.org/seriespage/14-righteous-anger-ephesians-426-27
This series will continue. Please check back from time to time, if you’re interested in reading new parts as they become available. The entire series will be made available on the Highlights page under the My Most Important section as each part is published.