- Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.
- And be ye kind one to another. Tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.
- Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.
- And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.
Scripture reveals that both God and Jesus experienced anger—what is known as righteous
indignation. This is anger in response to ungodliness, injustice, or the mistreatment of others. God displayed righteous indignation when dealing with the sins of the Israelites, and Jesus displayed it when confronting the hypocrisy and pride of the Pharisees.
Although Scripture warns us “Be ye angry and sin not, let not the sun go down on your wrath”
(Ephesians 4:26), it is the angry heart that makes a person contrary to God. Anger is not the sin—an angry heart is. So much so that Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:10 that “revilers will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Revilers are those who verbally abuse, insult, or slander others—these behaviors flow from a bitter heart, not isolated instances of anger. Heaven is a place of pleasure with no pain or sin; therefore, the posture of the heart is what God judges.
To be a Christian is to walk in the footsteps of Christ—carrying yourself in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Worshiping humbly on Sunday, but living with bitterness, wrath, and anger the rest of the week is not being Christlike, and does great harm to Christianity. As believers, we are called to live lives that attract the lost and unbelieving to Christ. But when we live contrary to the character of Christ, we make ourselves hypocrites, weakening the witness of God’s Word.
Forgiving others and ourselves, frees the heart for the fruit of the Spirit to flourish. Confidence is built when strength is found in forgiveness, meekness, and humility—while anger is a defense and protector of pride. Forgiveness strengthens and builds relationships, and a warm word invites conversation. Joy is shared among those who fellowship, whereas an angry expression leads to isolation. We are commanded to walk in love as Christ loved us, to allow fruit of the Spirit to flourish from a heart shaped by God’s divine grace—the outward expression of being born again.
The essence of being Christlike is to love and forgive like Christ, and to reserve our anger for what is truly ungodly and unjust. Never carry unresolved anger into your rest; to do so is to risk giving rise to a bitter heart. When Jesus expressed righteous anger, He didn’t dwell in it; instead He would move on in love and peace—the example His brothers and sisters are called to follow.