Man's Anger; God's Wrath

The word ‘anger’ is used in the Bible some 45 times of human, 177 times of Divine. The word occurs rarely in the New Testament (Mark 3:5; Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8; Revelations 14:10), its place being taken by the word “wrath”. The anger of God is the response of His holiness to an outbreaking sin. Particularly when it culminates in action is it rightly called His “wrath.” The Old Testament doctrine of God's anger is contained in many passages in the Pentateuch, Psalms and the Prophets. In Proverbs men are consistently advised to turn away from anger (15:1; 27:4), and being “slow to anger” is commended (15:18; 16:32; 19:11).

Christians are enjoined to put away the feeling of self-regarding, vindictive anger (Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8), and to cherish no desire for personal revenge (Ephesians 4:26). An angry person does not fulfil God’s will but rather becomes an obstacle to it. An angry person gives a foothold to the devil to accomplish his purpose. He grieves the Holy Spirit of God. St. Paul writes to Ephesians “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice”. (Ephesians 4:30-31).

But when used of God, it is to be understood that there is the complete absence of that caprice and unethical quality that is so prominent in human anger. The divine wrath is to be regarded as the natural expression of the divine nature, which is absolute holiness, manifesting itself against the willful, high-handed, deliberate, inexcusable sin and iniquity of human beings. God's wrath is always regarded in the scripture as the just, proper, and natural expression of His holiness and righteousness which must always, under all circumstances, and at all costs be maintained. It is, therefore, a righteous indignation and compatible with the holy and righteous nature of God. ‘’Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against his people, so he stretched out his hands against them and afflicted them. The mountains quaked, and their corpses were like refuse in the middle of the streets. Throughout all of this, his anger has not turned away, and his hands are still stretched out to attack (Isaiah 5:25)”.

Wrath or anger when used of man, is the exhibition of an enraged sinful nature and is therefore always inexcusable. It is for this reason that man is forbidden to allow anger to display itself in his life. Galatians  5:19-21 makes  it clear that anger is a sin:  “Now the actions of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that… people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Ephesians 4.26 is more specific: “Be angry, yet do not sin. Do not let the sunset while you are still angry…’’

An angry person is no less than a murderer.  “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment’. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” (Mathew 5:21-22).  Verses in Ephesians 6:4. Colossians 3:19 say anger is prohibited while dealing with family, particularly wife and children. The apostle again names anger along with other types of sins-- wrath, malice, slander, obscene speech, and all such sins in Colossians 3:8. An angry person is a foolish man controlled by his wavering emotions. It is written, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (Proverbs 29:11). Also, “Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9).

The wrath of God is less prominent in the New Testament than in the Old Testament. This is understandable because the New Testament magnifies the grace and love of God as contrasted with His wrath; love is more prominent than wrath in the revelation and teaching of Christ and His apostles.  However, it must not be thought that the element of wrath, as a quality of the divine nature, is by any means minimized in the New Testament because of the prominent place there given to love. On the contrary, the wrath of God is intensified because of the more wonderful manifestation of His grace, mercy, and love in the gift of His Son Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world.

An angry person does not fulfill God’s will but rather becomes an obstacle to it. It is written, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God”(James 1:19-20). An angry person’s prayer and worship is unholy in God’s sight. It is written, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling” (1Timothy 2:8). An angry person grieves the Holy Spirit of God. It is written, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (Ephesians 4:30-31).

It is important to remember that God is not love only: He is also righteous; Hebrews 12:29 says our God is a consuming fire; “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” says Hebrews 10:31). An  overstated, sentimental view of the Fatherhood of God or of His mercy and loving-kindness should never dilute the manifestation of His just, righteous and holy anger against sin and the sinner on the day of reckoning (1Peter 1:17; Hebrews 10:29). What can save the sinner from the outpouring of God's righteous anger against sin in the day of visitation is only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who bought man for God with His blood. In warning about “the scoffers who would come in the last days mocking the truth”, 2Peter 3:9-10 says the Lord is not slow about his promise, (about returning to judge the earth) as some people understand slowness, but is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to perish but wants everyone to repent.  But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will disappear with a roaring sound, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed.

Christ’s second coming will be sudden and terrible for those who do not believe in Him. But, if we are morally clean and spiritually alert, the day of God’s anger need not be a surprise. It should not be thought that the postponement of the visitation of God's wrath against sin in the present dispensation means the total abolition of it in the future. Postponement is not abolition. The sinner, who continually rejects Jesus Christ and the salvation which God has provided in Him, is simply 'treasuring up' wrath for himself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. God's anger while slow, and not easily aroused, is to be dreaded and not to be provoked); when visited, in the present life, it should be borne with submission; prayer should be earnestly made for deliverance from it; it should be the means of leading man to repentance.

Therefore, the Holy Bible exhorts, “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips” (Colossians 3:8). “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:12-14).

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