'My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.' James 1:19
Some of us think that there is such a thing as 'Righteous Anger'. We justify this by pointing out to the many times God was angry in the Old Testament or to Jesus Christ strenuously driving the merchants away from outer courtyards of the temple in Jerusalem. We even point out to Ephesians 4:26, which says 'Be angry and do not sin' to excuse us when we lose our tempers.
Can we lose our temper and not sin? Solomon in Proverbs 29:22 had already made up his mind,
'An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin.'
I do not think that there is a right to be angry. Righteous anger is self-righteousness on display. However it is easier said than done. I thought as I grew older I became more mellow but at a recent committee meeting I became very angry and upset at the lack of progress of an outstanding matter. It was very regretable. Then, the Bible reminded
'In your anger do not sin: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.' Ephesians 4:26
There is a lesson in this: Do not let your anger broil up nor let it simmer for too long. That is not a characteristic of Christians. Rather, the apostle James instructed,
'My dear brothers and sisters, take not of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.' James 1:19-20
The words from James describe a 'measured' person to whom we should all aspire. One characteristic of measuredness is being 'slow to anger' which is also describes the anger of God. God wants everyone to have a chance to turn from their wrongdoing.
The experiences of the people in the Old Testament with God clearly illustrate this as we read of episodes of God's anger and punishment followed by forgiveness and mercy. God's anger is a divine reaction to selfish and destructive human decisions and behaviours but it's rooted in God's love.
Exodus 34:5-6 tells us that despite God's righteous anger, His core character trait is rooted in generous mercy, compassion and love. God's anger is followed by redeeming love as noted by this experience of Moses,
Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him (Moses) and proclaimed His name, the Lord. And He passed in front of Moses proclaiming, "The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."
Another characteristic of God's anger is that it is relatively short-lived,
'For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.' Psalm 30:5
There is a flip side to God's anger and that is God's grace, which the Psalmist described as lasting a life time. In Greek the word for grace is 'kharis' which means graciousness or undeserving gift.
Saving by Grace - the Gift of Salvation
Charles Wesley wrote of this salvation in Christ in his famous hymn, "My chains fell off, my heart was free. I rose when forth and followed Thee." Underdeserving though we may be, in Jesus we found saving grace. God's anger did not rain down on us, instead His grace did. God's grace saves us thoroughly.
'God has shown us undeserved grace by coming to save all people. He taught us to give up our wicked ways and our worldly desires and to live decent and honest lives in this world' Titus 2:11-12 (CEV)
Light of Grace - the Gift of Freedom
Charles Wesley wrote of being set free from the oppression of sin. "Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night. Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke the dungeon flamed with light." The apostle John opened his gospel referring to this light,
'In Him was life and that life was the light of man. That light shine in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.'John 1:4-5.
The Bible described the birth of Jesus Christ as the dawning of a great light and the star in the east signifies this.
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
My chains are gone, I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love
Amazing grace
The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God who called me here below
Will be forever mine, will be forever mine
You are forever mine
'Out of His fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.' John 1:16
We have received grace upon grace. Don't let the sun come down on our anger. Replace all anger with grace.
Lionel
