Be Angry and Do Not Sin
- Michelle Stepp
- Dec 12, 2024
- 2 min read
“Instead of allowing anger to abide in our hearts, we are to abide in Jesus”
“Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9 (CSB)
Anger is a primary emotion, which means it is felt by everyone, yet can present itself in different ways. According to Christopher Ash and Steve Midgley, there are four emotions underlying anger. These emotions are fear, frustration, sadness, and shame. Normally, we think of anger manifesting itself as yelling or throwing objects, yet when we view the emotions that are hidden beneath the surface of anger, we see how truly universal anger is.
When we look at Scripture, we see that not all anger is necessarily sinful. Jesus Himself drove money changers out of the temple with a whip He made with His own hands. Moses broke the first stone tablets after seeing the Israelites worshiping the golden calf. Anger can indeed be righteous. Righteous anger is a longing for God to execute His judgment and bring His promised justice to the earth. Righteous anger is desiring for God to make all the wrong and suffering we endure right and new.
As an enneagram type 1, anger is a primary underlying emotion in my life. Anger could be considered as the deadly sin I’m tempted to fall into. It can come in the form of self-righteous anger or resentment. Any of these forms are sinful, and something I need to be on the lookout for and repent of when I become aware of their presence. Again, not all my anger is bad, though. As Jesus says in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). I pray we all may have a righteous anger that causes us to hunger and thirst for righteousness. May we be women who long for Jesus to come quickly and make all things new.
Solomon is warning us in Ecclesiastes 7:9 not that anger is bad, but that we shouldn’t rush to it or let it abide in our hearts. We should instead be patient and slow to anger. Instead of allowing anger to abide in our hearts, we are to abide in Jesus (John 15:1-11). It is when we don’t dwell on our anger, but rather allow God to redeem and heal what is causing our anger, that we will find freedom. God promises He will make right everything that is wrong in the world. May we trust Him instead of reaching for control and falling into pride in our anger.
Action Steps:
Read and reflect on James 1:19-20 and Ephesians 4:26
Read the article “4 Emotions That Are Hidden Beneath Your Anger”
Written by Michelle, mom of 1