How Do You Control Your Anger? Part One
Ephesians 4: 26, 27 & 30 – 32
Jesus entered the temple and saw extortioners at work robbing the people. He wove some cords into a whip, turned over tables, opened the cages of animals releasing them, and drove the religious robbers out of the temple as He shouted, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of thieves.”
Do you think He was emotionless in doing this? Do you think His emotion might well have been anger?
Many people have used this experience as an excuse to cover their intemperate outbursts. Was it a tirade by Jesus which justifies such on our behalf? Does it give us license to throw things, shout abusive and derogatory comments, or strike someone? No!
When channeled and controlled, anger is commendable. What Jesus experienced and appropriately expressed was righteous indignation. Defined, it means to become indignant over unjust treatment of others or things of God. The word “righteous” is an expedient. Jesus’ purpose was the defense of the honor of God’s house. His conduct was in defense of a Biblical principle. Candidly more Christians need to show more righteous indignation toward segments of the world that are degrading and debasing Scriptural principles. We have become too torpid, tame, and timid. Responses like ours would have resulted in passive conduct by Jesus.
A person who does not know how to be properly angry does not know how to be good. A Christian who doesn’t know how to be shaken to the center of the heart with righteous indignation over evil is either a fungus or an evil person.
Recently there has been a dramatic turn in the advice being given by psychologists as a result of current research. The swing is back to the Biblical technique for handling anger. This advice is often coming from clinicians who have no idea what the Bible says about how to handle anger.
Researchers at Florida State University are in accord saying, “The myth that ventilating anger brings down tension is long gone.” (Newsweek)
This brings to the surface a point which should not be overlooked. Christians need a Biblical worldview. That is, believers need to know the Word of God and what it says on critical issues. If a Christian had any comprehension of the Word of God, they would have known all along that the “vent your venom” style of dealing with anger advocated by psychologists for some time was wrong. Every time there is a Scriptural spiritual principle, there is physical evidence for it. Even if we don’t know the physical evidence supporting the Biblical concept, we can be confident in the integrity and wisdom of God’s Word.
Controlled indignation is conducted in accord with the Scripture: “Be angry and sin not” (Ephesians 4: 26).