s your anger righteous? It certainly feels that way sometimes, right?
You gave your spouse or children explicit instructions on what to do and they still didn’t do it.
Seems like righteous rage to me.
However, James chapter 1 verse 20 seems to disagree with that sentiment.
for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.
Apostle Paul explains further in Romans chapter 12 verses 17-19.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Part of Ephesians 4:26 says
Be ye angry, and sin not.
So it’s not the angry part that gets us in trouble it’s generally what we say and do after the anger that leads to it being unrighteous.
Righteous anger does not produce sin. We have evidence of this as Jesus drove the people out of the temple who had desecrated the House of the Lord.
After making a whip out of cords, He drove everyone out of the temple complex with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables.
John 2:15 HCSB
So what is the final answer here, can our anger be righteous or not?
It depends.
A good tenet to have is if the result of your anger results in a redemptive action for the Kingdom of God (Peace, Justice, Mercy) you might be on the right track.
However, if your anger is going to cause you to exact vengeance and transfer a feeling of guilt or shame to the opposing person or group, you may want to take a moment of self reflection before continuing on that course.
Frank Turner
Frank Turner is the founder of Break Bread, Break Chains and is the co-host of the following podcasts: Defund The Church, Relative Currency, Politically Entertaining, and Christ over Crypto. He is also the founder and creator of the op-ed site Fake News Syndicate.