Anger Management...

Last week in my youth bible study class we were talking about anger. We began discussing what the Bible says about anger, and we studied this verse:

Ephesians 4:26- Be angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. 

Woah... Be angry and sin not. That confused me.  I couldn't figure out what God was saying.  It seemed like anger itself was a bad thing...a sin.  Me and mom looked up the passage in a study book we have by John McArthur. John McArthur explained that the anger in this passage is a determined and settled conviction.  It's anger Jesus showed when in Mark 3:5 when He was healing a man with a withered hand.. and the Pharisees were upset that He was healing on the Sabbath.  He looked around at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.  It was anger He showed when  He overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple.  Matthew 21:12-13 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 
 

It's good and right to be angry about certain things.  Jesus was angry when His Father's name or reputation was at stake...or when other's were hurt or treated wrongly.  He, on the other hand, never got angry about what was done against Himself. 

I am generally opposite that.  I do get angry about when other's are treated wrongly, but I am much quicker to get angry about wrongs done to me.  That's where I learned that it becomes sin.  John McArthur explains that it is a self defensive, self serving, resentful anger that is sin.  It is selfish, undisciplined, and vindictive.  It's results are never good. 

The Bible gives us a hint on how to handle anger.  It says to  not let the sun go  down our anger.  Anger can get out of hand if it isn't handled the right way.  Bitterness can sneak in...or a lot of other things that will harm us... and our relationship with God and others. So... anger is not  a bad thing, but the results of anger that can get bad.  We should get angry about certain things.  As a big sister, a little sister, a daughter and a student,  I have to work at this... but it is possible!


 

Walking In Grace,

Abby