156. Bible Questions: Is there such a thing as "righteous anger"?

E156:  Bible Questions:  Is there such a thing as “righteous anger”? 

Is there such a thing as righteous anger?  The annual Darwin awards are given each year saluting actions demonstrating that the human species is not always improving one such Darwin award nominee, our five inebriated, Michigan man, and a hunting dog intending the duck hunt. They attempted to open up an ice covered pond with a stick of dynamite. They decided to choose the man with the best arm to launch it once lit when he did the dynamite throwers hunting dog, a retriever bolted to fetch the stick. When the dog's retrieving instinct overruled his masters frantic commands to stop the master pulled his birdshot loaded shotgun from his new Jeep and shot his approaching dog.

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00:00:49

More startled than hurt Rover kept on coming. When Rover was shot a second time, he sought refuge to lick his wounds under the new $30,000 Jeep. In this case, no Darwin award was issued as it was determined. This was a classic urban legend, but that exploding stick, the inebriated men and the bewilder dog are a vivid example of the danger and damage of anger. No doubt about it. We live in an angry world and anger, swirls as an emotion in all of us. At some level, we see it in politics, a worldwide pandemic and economic gender and race issues.

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00:01:31

Whether anger is a part of our design as being made in the image of God or the consequences of the fall of sin, I'll leave to theologians. But what I do know is that a whole lot of people who like me claim to be followers of Jesus, have a category of anger that is acceptable, even commendable to light and throw around at others. So here's our question. Is there such a thing as righteous anger first? What is it it's getting ticked really ticked over a spiritual or moral issue that we believe cheapens the reputation of God or weakens the vitality of the church or the viability of our society, or even the value of a single person.

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00:02:15

Followers of Jesus will point to several incidents in the life of our master. As examples, we normally start with Jesus, overturning the tables in the temple and using a whip to drive cheating peddlers from the temple. We then move on to Jesus lambasting Pharisees in Matthew 23. I mean, it gets really ugly. Then we bring in the apostle. Paul is further evidence, often quoting Ephesians 4 26, be angry, and yet do not sin. After quoting this verse, we suggest to others with a raised knowing eyebrow that not being angry in cases like that would be a greater sin citing, perhaps the quote evil when good men do nothing.

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00:03:01

You seldom hear people cite. What comes after that verse in Ephesians, here it is verses 29 through 31. Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification, according to the need of the moment, say that that it will give grace to those who hear and do not grieve the holy spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption, all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you along with all malice, be kind to one another compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has also forgiving. You talk about hiding the matches.

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00:03:43

That's why I'm beginning to conclude that righteous anger is dynamite, which should seldom be lit and should never be thrown. And here are two main reasons why first anger never achieves God's purposes. You say who says, while the holy spirit says through Jesus' little brother, James, he says, be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. Knowing that the anger of man does not accomplish the righteous purposes of God. Next time you want to launch anger at someone I'd like you to ask yourself, when has my coming totally unglued with righteous anger ever really helped resolve a problem or mend a relationship.

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00:04:28

Now, before you come up with an example, I mean helped long-term oh, it may have forced someone to comply for a bit, but did it change the hearts that brought the issue to a head in the first place? Not even God uses this destructive force often, Romans two, four tells us that it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance to change. That's true in a person, a church or a society. I would argue second anger ignores our limited perspective. It shows we are clueless about our own baggage and bondage. If we had a clue, I think most of our anger would be replaced by compassion a but for the grace of God, that could and probably would be me kind of emotional reaction.

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00:05:16

Anger also ignores our almost total lack of understanding of the life situation of the other person or group of people or in the case of an issue it's complexity. So why did Jesus practice righteous anger? Unlike us, Jesus didn't have limited perspective. His heart was pure and he could perceive what was in the hearts of those around him. And when he became indignant, it accomplished a righteous result, not unthinkable damage to others and to the cause of Christ. But you and I are Jesus. We aren't even close. So when it comes to righteous anger, I suggest we hide the matches and stop throwing this dynamite at others.