Anger Pt III

V. Some of What the Bible Says About Anger:

1. Unchecked anger is one of the fruits or deeds of the flesh contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit:
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions…
Gal 5:19-20 (NASB) (cf. 2 Cor 12:20)

In other words, outbursts of anger are on the same list as sorcery and lusciviousness (lust).

2. It is forbidden by God:
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret, it leads only to
evildoing.
Psalm 37:8

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice
Eph 4:31 (NASB)

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
Col 3:8 (NASB)

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
1 Tim 2:8 (NIV)

Paul urges us over and over to not allow anger to hinder the work of the Gospel. The solution? It is hard to strangle the guy next to you when you both have your hands raised in praise.

3. It causes us to act foolishly:
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.
Proverbs 14:17

Quite simply, you do things when you are mad that you would not normally do. This is why when you have a tiff with your spouse on the way to work, you get overly hacked that the water cooler is out of "wax coated sleeves". You don't really want to kill the intern (at least not for this). Its just that you were hovering at a "7" by the time you got there. Keep your cool.

4. It brings you into trouble:
A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty;
if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
Prov 19:19 (NIV)

There are times when you simply cannot help someone. When the Bible talks about "fools", it is useful to note that this designation is packed with more meaning than it is in the West. Someone who is a fool has abandoned all reason and chosen to deliberately walk a path that leaves destruction in its wake and ultimately will destroy them. They can be warned, but they may not be able to be helped.

As for us, we are told to warn folks in this situation (Ez 33, Prv 24:11), but eventually they have to choose to change their mind (repent).

This caution is espescially relavant to the friend or family member who is constantly making excuses for someone who can't keep their cool, "Oh, he's really a nice fellow... you just pushed his buttons... when he's not drunk..." and so on. This may be hard to hear; and I am not implying that this person is beyond redemption. I am simply saying that for some, they need to lay in the bed they have made. In so much as THEY become the one who receivies the brunt of their poor choices, perhaps then they will turn away from them.

5. It’s hard to watch your mouth when you’re angry: (ever said something when you were mad that you wish you could take back?)
There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Prov 12:18 (NASB)

Unfortunately, words have staying power. Long after you have called someone 'stupid' that person is feeling the effects. You can apologize, you can backpeddal, but in the end you said what you said whether you meant it or not. The point is this, think before you speak. Your words can be either the thursts of a sword (destruction) or the incisions of a scalpel (healing).

May your words be soft and sweet, for tomorrow you may have to eat them.
-Navajo proverb.

6. It keeps us from the kind of life God desires:
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
James 1:19-20 (NIV)

As it has been aptly said, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reson."

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.
Prov 16:32 (NASB)

If we let the context of this passage sink in, the effect is tremendous. The siege of a city was a lenghty and grueling ordeal. It was the art (if you will) of starving a city into submission or gradually driving its knees, or to the ground; whichever came first. The siege of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 AD would take six months, other sieges could last for years. To say that someone who keeps thier cool is greater than one who sieges a city is to say that they are better than the likes of Nebuchadnezzar, or in contemporary terms, Douglas MacArthur or "Stormin' Norman".