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Devotion from Anger, Taming a Powerful Emotion by Gary Chapman

The Origin of Anger

Anger is everywhere. Spouses are angry at each other. Employees are angry at bosses. Teens are angry at parents (and vice versa). Citizens are angry at their government. Television news routinely shows angry demonstrators shouting their wrath or the weeping mother of a teen gunned down in an angry quarrel. Spend some time around a major airport when bad weather has canceled flights, and you will observe anger in action.

Many of us are angry at ourselves. Sometimes we are angry and think we “shouldn’t feel that way.” Or we observe our children expressing anger inappropriately and wonder how to teach them to deal with their anger.

Clearly, many of us have issues with anger. In addition, Christians are often confused about this powerful and complex emotion. For those who follow Christ, is there ever an appropriate expression of anger? What does the Bible say? Can anger ever be a good thing?

If you go online and type “anger” into a search engine, you will find an overwhelming amount of information. Yet most of what has been written does not deal with two fundamental questions: What is the origin of anger, and what is the purpose of anger? Understanding the origin of anger is essential to understanding the purpose of anger, and understanding the purpose of anger is essential to learning how to process anger in a constructive manner.

So where does anger come from? The answer may surprise you.

The human capacity for anger is rooted in the nature of God. Please do not think that I am being disrespectful of God. On the contrary, I stand in deep reverence of God when I suggest that human anger is rooted in the divine nature. I am suggesting that anger derives from two aspects of God’s divine nature: His holiness and His love.

The Scriptures proclaim that God is holy. The word holy means “set apart from sin.” Whether we are talking about God the Father, God the Son, or God the Spirit, there is no sin in the nature of God. 

A second fundamental characteristic of the nature of God is love. The apostle John summarized the whole teaching of Scripture when he said simply, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Love is not to be equated with God; rather, in His essential nature God is loving. This is not simply the New Testament concept of God. From beginning to end, the Scriptures reveal God as committed to the well-being of His creatures. It is God’s nature to love. 

It is from these two divine characteristics that God’s anger is derived. Please note: The Scriptures never say, “God is anger.” That statement is not in fact, true. Anger is not a part of the essential nature of God.

God desires humans to do what is right and enjoy the benefits. Knowing the detrimental effects of sin, God’s anger is kindled. It is God’s concern for justice and righteousness (both of which grow out of His holiness and love) that stir God’s anger. Thus, when God sees evil, anger is His logical response to injustice or unrighteousness. 

What does all this have to do with human anger? The Scriptures say that we are made “in the image of God” (Gen. 1:27). Though that image was marred by the fall, it was not erased. People still bear the imprint of God’s image deep within their souls. Thus, even though we are fallen, we still have some concern for justice and rightness. Find the most pagan man you know and follow him for a week, and you will hear him make such statements as “That’s not right.” “He shouldn’t do that to her.” “She treated him wrongly.”

Anger, then, is the emotion that arises whenever we encounter what we perceive to be wrong. Anger is not evil; anger itself is not sinful; anger is not part of our fallen nature. Quite the contrary. Anger is evidence that we are made in God’s image; it demonstrates that we still have some concern for justice and righteousness in spite of our fallen state. 

REACT: How can anger reflect God’s image? Is this a new idea to you? Explain your understanding of anger being rooted in the nature of God.