ANGER - What does the Bible say about it?
- Lori Joy
- Feb 5
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 7
Jesus's words from the sermon on the Mount... It is one of several scriptures that teaches that as Christians we are not supposed to be hurting others... we are to be loving others as Jesus taught. We are also supposed to be slow to anger so that we can better guard ourselves against falling into the sin of acting in our anger.
If you should say, "Well, it was the other person's fault for ticking me off"... ummm, nope... think again. Indeed, you are not accountable for someone else's actions, but it is how you respond to their actions that you are accountable to God for. This is what Jesus in Matthew 21-22 is warning us about. Here Jesus is warning us that in God's eyes, our anger towards another is worthy of the same punishment as Murder. (See scripture in photo to the right -->)
This is why we should strive for our own actions to stay pure, even in situations which are disturbing our peace of mind and are provoking us to anger. Strive to keep being loving towards others even if what they say or do hurts you. Don't allow your anger to get the better of you, lest it cause you to sin. Further down in this chapter Jesus even says in verses 38 to 41, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you that you must not oppose those who want to hurt you. If people slap you on your right cheek, you must turn the left cheek to them as well. When they wish to haul you to court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. When they force you to go one mile, go with them two."
Indeed this is not easy to do in some cases, and our human nature sometimes feels so very justified in our anger, and we do not want to submit to this teaching. But, we always need to remind ourselves of what Jesus himself taught with regards to how we really ought to be as examples of Christ's love, and what "loving others" is supposed to look like.
If you read verse 22 of Christ's teaching in Matthew 5 regarding anger, you will see that Jesus taught that we are not even to criticize or insult one another in our anger, or we will be judged, and could we even be condemned to the fire of Hell.
"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. If they say to their brother or sister, ‘You idiot,’ they will be in danger of being condemned by the governing council. And if they say, ‘You fool,’ they will be in danger of fiery hell." - Matthew 5:22 (CEB)
So let's ask ourselves... if Jesus gave us such a stern a warning concerning anger, then why is it that we as Christians have not taken this more seriously? Why do we keep self justifying our anger?
Ok you might argue that God understands that we are human and imperfect, and that we are saved by Grace. Yes, that is true; but, we still bare the responsibility to obey God's word... especially the commandment to "love one another" because this is the summation of ALL the law. This is what Christ himself taught. You see, when we act out in our anger towards someone, we are NOT acting in loving ways as we should... we are sinning in our anger. When we find we have stumbled and sinned, we still need to repent of those sins and then we must...
"go and sin no more".
Our salvation is not an excuse to keep sinning. So also, our salvation is also not an excuse to justify when we sin in our anger. We need to strive to keep our anger in check, and maintain that "peace" in our spirit that we are called to have, and keep loving others.
As you read further through Matthew 5, in verses 23 and 24 Jesus says, "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there you remember that you brother has anything at all against you; Leave you gift there before the altar, and go on your way to first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
In Jesus' time, the "gift to the altar" was the sacrificial lambs that the Jewish people would bring to the temple to be sacrificed for the atonement and forgiveness of their sins. So let's put this into context for today's generation, being that we have understanding that Jesus, when He died on the cross, was the sacrificial lamb who died for the atonement and forgiveness of our sins. So yes, our sins are forgiven through Christ... but when we pray to God we still need to come before Him with a pure heart worthy of Him. This means that before we come before Him to worship, to tithe, or to serve... we need to be sure we are coming before God with a pure and undefiled heart.
If we come to church on Sunday and sing praises to God, or to serve in any way (whether it be an usher, or worship team member, door greeter, or even as Pastor), and we are still offended and angry at another who offended or hurt us in some way... our heart is not pure, it is defiled. So we need to make that right as far as OUR part is concerned. If the other party concerned is not willing to forgive you, or is not willing to repent for their actions that offended and hurt you... just leave them them to God to deal with, but for your part... forgive the other as God has forgiven you, repent for your own sinful actions, and then as much as it depends on you... keep the peace.
In Matthew 5:44-45 Jesus explains further, saying: "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
In this final scripture quote, I am using the CSB translation because I feel it words so clearly in the modern English language the intent of Romans 12:17-19 which reminds us... "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord."
So in conclusion... please prayerfully consider these scriptures and examine your own heart. If we are being honest with ourselves, we ALL will acknowledge that we have fallen short on this one... yes myself included. If you know that you have sinned in your anger... humble yourself and repent... make it right before God, and also make it right with the person/persons you are angry with. Forgive others just as God has forgiven you. As far as it depends on you, strive to live in peace with with everyone.
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