Understanding Anger and Jesus' Position on It (Part 2): 100% Man

Since we put forth evidence for the deity of Jesus Christ in our last post, lets look at the humanity of Jesus.

Many people, for many different reasons, see anger as sinful in every circumstance. I have heard, for example, people saying "we should be without offense as Christians." Does that mean that we shouldn’t get angry?

I believe that the clear teaching of scripture is that we are made in the image of God and we are to follow his example (see Eph 5:1). God gets angry at injustice and we should too. But the scripture says God is slow to anger (Joel 2:13, Neh 9:17, Ps 103:8, Na1:3) and commands us to be also (Jam 1:19, Mt 5:22). I think that we will see, from the following scriptures, that teaching or believing that we should not get angry leaves us in a dilemma.

The dilemma is this—either:

1. Jesus did not get angry, or

2. We are not supposed to follow Jesus’s example of life in every way.

I believe Jesus did get angry and I believe we are supposed to follow his example of living in every way. Christ wants us to be like him, hence the term Christ-ians (1 Cor 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ; also see Eph 5:1, 1 John 2:6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked).

Here are passages clearly showing Jesus express anger:

Mathew 11:20-24 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

Mathew 21:12-13 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

Really Read Mathew 23:13-36, especially verse 33 where it says: “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”

Do we really think that He delivered this without anger? Mark 3:5 says:

And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

The Greek word for anger here is: g3709. ὀργή orgē; from 3713 ; properly, desire (as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind), i.e. (by analogy), violent passion (ire, or (justifiable) abhorrence); by implication punishment: — anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath. AV (36) - wrath 31, anger 3, vengeance 1, indignation 1; I.anger, the natural disposition, temper, character II.movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but esp. anger III.anger, wrath, indignation IV.anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment itself A.of punishments inflicted by magistrates.

The commentator, Finis Dakes, writes the following in regard to this verse: “[anger] According to some this would prove that Christ was not sanctified and that He had the "old man" in Him, but it only demonstrates that anger is not necessarily a manifestation of sin and Satan . Both God and man have it and will always have it (emphasis mine). Without it, man would not be capable of waging warfare against sin and Satan, so do not pray to be dehumanized and uncreated (emphasis mine), but pray to be able to control all faculties in the bounds of the law of God ( Gal. 5:22-23 ).

Mt 5:22 states "But I say unto you , That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." James 1:19 says "Wherefore , my beloved brethren , let every man be swift to hear , slow to speak , slow to wrath." Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,"

When we interpret scripture with scripture we must come to this conclusion:

A. Anger is good because God is good and God gets angry.

B. We are to be slow to anger and control it like God does.

C. We are commanded to “not let the sun go down on our anger,” This means we forgive daily

D. It is part of our humanity and part of the way that God created us.

E. It is essential if we are to recognize and respond to injustice

So, to put a bow on this teaching, we are to see that through scripture and the life that Christ lived, anger itself is not sinful and to be devoid of it wouldn't even be Christ-like.

-Mark

Understanding Anger and Jesus' Position on It (Part 1): 100% God

When writing about the humanity of Jesus, perhaps we should start with a clear reminder that Jesus was fully God. That needs to be addressed first. In describing the way that people look at themselves and Jesus from the perspective of the New Age religions, Frank Peretti gives an excellent example. It is as follows:

In the New Age religions, people say “I am God,” “you are God.” But when a Christian tells them that Jesus is God, they say “Jesus never claimed to be God!”

OH YES HE DID. In Exodus, when God called Moses and began teaching him how to proceed with the deliverance of the Hebrew nation, he told Moses to tell them “I AM” sent you. Read EXODUS 3:14:

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

When Jesus was debating the Pharisees and religious leaders in John 8, He spoke plainly with them, saying this:

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “ Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Apparently, all of the previous religious discussion was tolerable, but when he spoke this, THEY WANTED HIM DEAD. He is clearly making himself out to be God here!

Other passages that clearly delineate the deity of Christ:

Hebrews 1:8 But to the Son He says:“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

John 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Col 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

John 10:30-33 "I and My Father are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

We are taking all of this time to establish the deity of Jesus, because we will be looking to Him for our answer on anger and Humanity. Catch up with us next time!

-Mark

Manipulation

Manipulation: exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage; "his manipulation of his friends was scandalous".

Today, we will consider the topic of manipulation. Manipulation is my attempt to dominate another person. Except in cases of grave necessity, such as a young child, a helpless person, or extreme danger, I don’t have a right to dominate another person.

If I use the silent treatment to punish someone, I am using manipulation. If I put a “guilt trip” on someone, I’m using manipulation. If I attempt to twist emotions to get someone to do what I want them to do, I am manipulating them. Contrary to popular belief, God does not manipulate us. In Romans 2:4, we learn that it is his kindness that leads us to repentance. Love does not manipulate and therefore God does not manipulate, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)

The power of manipulation is in the agreement. If I “agree with it” by dishing out manipulation, I am putting myself into that stronghold. If I “agree with it” by being on the receiving end of manipulation, I am also putting myself in that stronghold. Of course, as a child, and in certain other situations, I may have no choice but to yield to manipulation outwardly. But commonly during it, and always at some time afterwards, I can repent and renounce being on either side of the manipulation.

Laying out rules and consequences is not manipulation. In the case of God teaching us right and wrong, every rule and every law is something that provides for us or protects us.
I can always ask the question, “does this provide for or protect that other person? Would I have others do to me what I am doing to this person?"

Here’s a prayer: “Father God, I repent for all the ways that I manipulated others in ways that are not love--they are not Your ways. I renounce that manipulation and I come out of agreement with it. I thank You for Your forgiveness and Your cleansing me. Amen”

Here’s a declaration: “I renounce all manipulation that I have been under and I declare that I am not in agreement with manipulation. I am in agreement with my God who does not manipulate. You love me, You love others, and I will love others.”

-Mark