Anger seems at odds with love. However, there is righteous anger and wrongful anger. Whenever we support the will of God, it's righteous anger, but when we oppose God's will, it's sinful anger. Even when we are supporting God, our anger must be under control. We're not to judge harshly, even by a different standard than we want others to judge us. By judging harshly we condemn the one that we're commanded to love!
Matthew 22:39b "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Matthew 5:43b "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you..."Both verses are quoted to demonstrate the loving is not "picking and choosing"! It's easy to love the lovable, but we're called to do so much more than that! We're to love our enemies. They too are our "neighbors". The enemy are those with whom we're at odds. It's likely that our enemies are the ones who make us angry! Even friends who anger us become the enemy! Humans have an inherited system of survival. Since we all are prone to worship our "self", when others encroach on the comfort and pleasure of the self, anger results. That's not righteous anger!
"Don't get mad, get even!" is a popular refrain, but not a righteous one! It's at total odds with Matthew 5:43. Rather than get even we're to bless our enemy, do good to them and pray for them; not that our will be done, but God's will.
Romans 12:20 "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head."We're to do good for those who are our enemies. By taking the high ground we cannot be rightfully attacked. If our enemy does seek retribution then he heaps troubles upon himself. The alternate is a feeling of a sense of guilt and the fire of guilt may cause one to change. Either way, we're to do good and let the enemy have consequences of our love. God does the rest. We are only to love! What do we get out of it?
Proverbs 25:21 'If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: 22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee."The Old Testament and the New agree! For doing good to our enemies "the Lord shall reward thee". That's in itself can makes the enemy "burn" because their desire is for you to suffer, but instead the Lord gives the gives a reward. That's hardly satisfying to the enemy and may even make them seethe with anger, wishing you evil, but seeing you rewarded! I believe that "heaping coals" can be for good or bad. The enemy makes his own decision based on their own spiritual condition! (Note: Being the "enemy" doesn't necessarily mean that you're the sinful one!)
Anger without a cause is sinful anger. That means that there is appropriate anger because there is a cause. It should make a Christian angry when a life is taken, someone is bullied, people commit adultery, someone steals from you or others denigrate God who you cherish! (Wow! That does include our government: They legalized abortion, they bully citizens by various repressive laws, their entitlements encourage moral wrong, they tax unfairly and steal hard earned wages which they waste, and they denigrate God with secular humanistic laws!)
It's established. There is "just" anger. Unjust anger includes hate. Hateful words includes name-calling. Remember, we're to demonstrate acts of love for our enemies; our neighbors. Calling others "fools" is not feeding and giving drink. It's a hateful and disobedient action! By loving them doesn't mean that they are not fools, but you are to love even those who're foolish!
Matthew 5:22 "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.""Raca" is a word meaning "worthless". Like fool, we're not to tell someone that they're worthless. Everyone has value to God and calling another "worthless" is a harsh judgment with condemnation. Again, "worthless", as "fool" isn't in the spirit of loving others, and certainly shows no love to out enemy!
Few believe in hell anymore! However, if we don't follow God's commandments we are in "danger of hell fire". What commandment is that? Loving God by showing love to others! Hell is not just the grave or a place of desolation. It's a hot place where the disobedient are punished. Yes, it seems unfair, but God gives us every chance in the world to be saved from eternal fire and what is that? We're to love! It's not a requirement that's unbearable, but a gift from God. We don't even have to love on our own, but turn to God and he will bestow love into our heart.
God's grace is an easy burden to bear. We are to obey, then God makes it easy to do just that. Most people just can't submit themselves to God to get all his free stuff. The penalty for pride is severe. Don't go there! Love one another.
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