What does it mean for anger to be righteous, and is it possible for humans?
If you’ve been a Christian for a while, you’ve heard Paul’s warning: “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) .We learn from this verse that anger is not necessarily sinful, but it is easy to sin when we are angry.
Usually when we think of anger, we think of someone behaving aggressively: loud yelling and forceful movements. This is one way of expressing anger, but it is not the only way to sin in anger. It is also sinful to do nothing (suppress our anger) when we witness injustice.
Righteous versus Unrighteous Anger
Experiencing anger is part of being made in the image of God. It is a God-given emotion and it is good, but like every part of our human experience, anger has been tainted by the Fall of humanity. It is no more or less sinful than our thoughts, words, and deeds.
The difference between righteous and unrighteous anger is the motive behind it.
Anger rooted in selfishness, greed, and pride, is unrighteous. It is the sinful motive that makes it sinful. Much of the anger we feel day-to-day is selfishly motivated, but it is a mistake to shy away from anger altogether.
Anger at evil or injustice is righteous anger. Anger motivated by love, care, and the preservation of truth is righteous. This kind of anger is legitimate, necessary, and – dare I say – holy.
Expressing Anger
We can think of expressing anger as a continuum. At one extreme is aggression and violence. At the other extreme is suppression and repression of anger, sometimes to the point that the person is unaware that they are angry. Somewhere in the middle is assertive communication, which is clear, kind, respectful, and firm.
It would be a mistake to label all aggression as sinful, and all suppression of anger as holy or righteous. Aggression is often sinful, but it depends on the motive behind it. I would absolutely want force, aggression, and even violence to play a role in capturing a gang of human traffickers, or someone about to commit murder. The motive is righteous: to put an end to evil and injustice. Suppressing our anger and doing nothing in that circumstance would be wrong.
I suppressed my own anger for many years, and I thought I was more righteous than the people who tend toward aggression. But my repression of anger was motivated by pride – and pride is sin. All too often I would let the sun go down on my anger. I’d stew on a conversation and become bitter and offended without acknowledging that I was angry.
The Righteous Wrath of God
God’s anger and wrath (extreme anger) is always righteous, because his motives are always righteous. His anger is motivated by love, never by sin.
Simply put, the definition of righteous is right moral conduct, sinless. As Christians, we believe that no person can be righteous by their own effort, because we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Only those who put their faith in Jesus have had their sins atoned for (paid for) and are considered righteous before God. (See Romans 3:21-26.)
Throughout the Bible we read about God’s anger, or his righteous indignation. When the situation calls for it, God does act aggressively. We see this in the destruction of towns and nations that were steeped in wickedness in the Old Testament. God first warns them to turn from their wicked ways. The books of the prophets are full of warnings to Israel, Judah, and the surrounding nations, e.g. the Ninevites in Jonah. God is slow to anger – he holds back his anger for a time (Genesis 15:12-16, Psalm 103:8, Exodus 34:6).
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief…” (2 Peter 3:9-10).
Though God is patient, his judgement will come and, from what I read in Scripture, we do not want to be on the wrong side of his anger. Thankfully, all who have turned from their sins and been cleansed by the atoning blood of Jesus will not have to suffer under God’s wrath. Jesus already did that for us.
That is good news for those who put their trust in God, but how do we navigate our own anger?
How to Express Anger Healthily
The first stop for expressing anger is before God. Whatever the situation, we can express ourselves to him. He already knows the details and how we are feeling, so there is no need to hide this from him. He loves that we turn to him.
When we turn to God in our anger, he often shows us some of his perspective. We may begin to see our motives are not entirely pure, or we may gain more of his heart for the offender or the victim.
We want to examine our motives and repent for unrighteous motives. This is not easy to figure out even at the best of times, but with the Psalmist we can ask the Holy Spirit to
“Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
If (when) we discover that our anger is motivated by sin – pride, greed, fear, selfishness – we simply confess it to God and receive his forgiveness.
When our anger is righteously motivated, we need to ask the Holy Spirit how to act on it. Does God want us to do anything other than bring it to him? (Note, bringing our anger to him is not the same as suppressing it.) If so, does he want us to communicate assertively, or is this a situation that calls for more aggression?
How we live, including how we handle our anger, should reveal the character of God to those around us.
Assertive Communication
A general rule of thumb when it comes to expressing our day-to-day anger is to aim for assertive communication. Being assertive is neither acting aggressively, nor suppressing anger and shrinking back from potential conflict. We don’t sweep things under the rug, only to find ourselves stewing on them later.
Assertive communication done well should lead to mutual understanding and is the best means for resolving conflict in a healthy way.
Ideally, through assertive communication, each party would be able to take ownership of their own motives and actions, and apologize when necessary. When we explode out of control or avoid our anger, we tend to bypass examining our motives. By communicating assertively, and hearing back from the other party, each party can own their responsibility.
In conclusion, the motive behind anger makes it righteous or unrighteous. Anger may be expressed on a continuum with some expressions being more healthy than others, though all are needful at times.
“Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.” – Aristotle
Rather than wallowing in self-condemnation because of this quote, let’s praise God that his anger is perfect! It gives us something we can aim at. We will make mistakes along the way, but I believe God rewards our journey of faith in handling anger.
What is one thing you can do today to grow in your journey with anger?
Read Also
Tips for Assertive Communication
Why a Jealous God is the Best Kind
