Ephesians 4:31
“All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness.”

Hebrews 12:15

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up
to cause trouble and defile many.”

We have all been warned about anger and bitterness and the danger it can cause, so it is no small wonder that many Christians try to contain anger as much as possible- considering it a sin. The bible has much to say about this, but if we look at ALL that it has to say about it we may be surprised.

For instance Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no place to the devil.” It is very interesting how the scripture states “be angry…” and amplifies “and do not sin…” Often the primal emotions and drives that God has placed in us are difficult to control. At times we may wish we did not have them at all. Given the many negative things associated with anger – there is no small wonder it is one of the most misunderstood attributes of man and God.

Wrath is often viewed as bad and evil. Even God’s wrath is explained away by many modern theologians. I don’t wish to spend a lot of time on theology here, but I do want to make an argument from scripture and make a point as far as the usefulness of the emotion of anger when it is tied to good and why it is important to understand our motives so we can discern if our anger is selfish or rooted in a purpose God has placed in our hearts.

Two examples from scripture of good motives behind anger:

Matthew 21:12-13

12And Jesus entered  the temple^b and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of  the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13He  said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house
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Acts 13: 6-11

6They traveled through  the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and  false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7who was an attendant of
the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for
Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8But
Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to
turn the proconsul from the faith. 9Then Saul, who was also
called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,
10“You are a child of  the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of  deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?
11Now the hand of the  Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.”

What is interesting about these passages is the context in which they occur. In the first situation we have God entering the temple. He demonstrated His displeasure by turning over tables and physically driving merchants out. The merchants were using religion as a means for profit. Often fear mongers drive people to give or else face divine retribution. What Christ revealed in this exchange was the real motives of these folks.

The second took place during a mission trip of Paul’s ministry. Paul was filled with the spirit, and a righteous indignation. What followed was a rebuke and miraculous judgment. Paul did put on a fake smile or a long face. He essentially said, you’ll pay for that and you will be accountable to God.

What can we learn from this? It’s good to turn over tables or that we should expect God to judge our enemies instantaneously? No. What I’m attempting to articulate is that anger is an emotion that often reveals where our true values or heart lies. To be angry for the right reason is what it comes down to. Is our anger immature and selfish or is it seasoned, purposeful and rooted in spiritual maturity. We need self-control, but we also need to know getting angry is not sinful; it’s what we do with it. We certainly should not hold on to anger and become bitter; we should discern the source and go to God for His help. Next we address the issue. Anger can be an ally if it is handled in a godly way. In fact if it is rightly discerned, and the motive is clear, the emotion can bring about a great deal of good.