“An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.”

       -Proverbs 29:22

Everybody knows what anger feels like. When someone lies to you, cuts you off in traffic, or is five minutes late for a dinner appointment you immediately feel it starting to build. But just because anger often comes so naturally when things don’t go your way doesn’t mean this emotion is always justified. Even if we are quite certain that we have every right to our anger, the question then becomes “is it worth it?” Studies show angry people are more likely to experience heart trouble, headaches and weakened immune systems¹, not to mention the emotional and spiritual side effects.

“But Jesus got angry!” you may be saying. Yes, but Jesus’ anger was far different than what we usually experience. In his book “Anger is a Choice”, Tim LaHaye makes this point:

“It is wrong to compare our Lord's anger toward sin with human anger, for Jesus has a divine nature of holiness that man does not share; thus Jesus could sustain a holy wrath without sin. His most severe anger involved righteous indignation against sin; it was never a response to personal rejection, insult, or injury.”

Reading this for the first time awakened me to the foolishness of comparing my anger to God’s, or attempting to justify resentment based on Christ’s occasional righteous indignation toward the Pharisees. I’ve heard many believers point to the Lord’s cleansing of the temple in John 2 as “evidence” that their own anger toward a friend or family member is reasonable, without considering that Christ never took personal offense. Is there any record of a heated argument with Peter after his denial of the Lord? Did He harbor a grudge against Judas, or any of those who crucified Him? Quite the opposite! In fact, Scripture indicates His immediate prayer was for their forgiveness (Luke 23:34). It didn’t take Him years of battling with bitterness and hatred before He found peace; He never gave place to anger in the first place. 

“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

       -Matthew 6:15

The obvious cure for anger is forgiveness, and forgiveness never comes without sacrifice on your part. For example, forgiving someone who stole $10 from you means releasing your claim to that money and shouldering the financial consequences of another’s actions. Forgiving someone for tainting your reputation with gossip means bearing the loss of your good name. Basically, any instance of forgiveness requires you to give up your claim to restitution. Isn’t that what Christ did for us? He released us from the consequences of our sin, but only because He personally paid the price for them.

In the parable of the king, one generous ruler forgave his servant of an enormous debt equivalent to millions of dollars in today’s money. The former debtor then went out and found someone who owed him 100 pence, – about $10 – took him by the throat, and demanded payment (Matthew 18:23-30). Forgiveness was not given as it had been received, and anger was the result.

Don’t allow your life to be consumed with anger. It is perhaps the greatest thief of Christian joy you’ll ever encounter, while the extension of forgiveness to the undeserving is one of the greatest sources of this joy. Let your joy be full.