Overcoming Anger

Today, I am going to take a little detour from my normal series through the book of Galatians to speak about overcoming anger. Ephesians 4:26 says, “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” There are several things that I want us to look at about anger. First, we must realize that anger in and of itself is not sin. As a matter of fact, Jesus got very angry in Matthew 21:12-13 when he “…entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves…and said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN." The point is that being angry is not sin. However, uncontrolled anger is.

We must never let our anger control us. Some people say that they can’t help themselves, but that is not what the Bible teaches. On the contrary, Paul said in Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Did you notice the fruit of “self-control”? That means that you can, as a fruit of the Spirit, control your anger.

If anger is left uncontrolled, it always leads to sin. I want to discuss here and in the next few articles the result of uncontrolled anger. The first result can be that of retaliation. Oh, we all know what it feels like to want to get even. We learned that on the floor of K4! “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”! However, Paul said in Romans 12:17-21 that we are to “never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men…never take your own revenge…but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. "BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Wow, I don’t know about you, but that flies in the face of my natural instincts.