We return to the consideration of anger. In the previous treatment, it was established that anger within the ranks of mankind is more often than not a sinful, carnal expression. Anger, when associated with humanity within scripture, predominantly exemplifies a person whose reasoning capacity has been overrun. Consequently, they are rendered a slave to their carnal passions while self control, which is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 6:1), is categorically rejected. John Calvin speaks of such a one as "resembling a madman." Of course it is impossible to reason with a madman for reason is not ruling as sanctification is jettisoned. Again, Calvin describes the phraseology of anger within holy writ as indicative of, "that depravity of mind which is opposed to humanity and justice, and which is usually called malignity." As I have posited in Anger, Part I anger is a resident evil that eschews sanctified reasoning and represents a lapse into the carnal psyche. A. Skevington Wood underscores this in saying, "Anger...signifies an unjustifiable human emotion that manifests itself in noisy assertiveness (krauge; literally, 'shouting;' NIV, 'brawling') and abuse (blasphemia). The poisonous source of all these regrettable re-assertions of the old self is named malice."
A common contention with this position, which the lion share of scholarship will attest to, is that the Old Testament is replete with references to God as "angry." Indeed, Old Testament nomenclature frequently speaks of God in such a way. Yet, it is easy to understand that superficially and subsequently apply that characteristic superficially. The regular acknowledgement of God's anger throughout the old covenant is more or less an anthropomorphic (speaking of God in human terms or assigning human qualities to God to describe Him), expression or description of God's actions being provoked (a literal Hebrew translation of one of the two words for anger, ka ac, in the Old Testament is provoke), by some form of sin. Does this mean that ascriptions of anger to God are erroneous or flawed? Of course not. God has revealed His quality, being and nature in history (personally and directly through revelatory events) and within scripture (through human language vis a vis inspiration). So, these are inarguably reliable references to His person. However, we tend to apply our preconceptions of anger based upon human categories to these ascriptions for whatever reason. Perhaps to justify our reactions or over-reactions. Perhaps to excuse our sin or to dismiss our mistreatment or mishandling of things.
God's anger cannot be defined by human experience alone because the human experience is tarnished by sin. It is commonplace for humanity to personify abstractions to better understand or to be more comfortable with certain phenomena. So, we treat anger as one of God's natural attributes. Anger, though, is not a natural attribute of God. God's expressive anger and wrath are the affects of God's holiness and righteousness against man's sin. Before sin entered into the fray of creation en toto anger and wrath would not have been present or operative. Speaking on divine wrath Louis Berkhof asserts that, "in a sinless world there would be no place for its exercise...." Sin is not natural therefore, anger and wrath cannot be defined in such a way. Now, God has not been changed by sin by becoming wrathful or angry but man has undeniably been changed by sin and now the human experience and knowledge of God has been drastically altered. God's anger is essentially humankind's factual experience of God's unchanging holiness and righteousness in a fallen world order and an existence (redemptive and unredemptive) tarnished by the lingering effects of sin.
God's anger and wrath are expressions of His perfect justice (equity), righteousness and holiness. The former are God's application of the latter against those things contrary to His eternal perfections. His justice, righteousness and holiness are the causative attributes of His biblically identifiable anger and wrath. The latter of course being constituents of the causative attributes. This is why Martin Luther spoke of God's real wrath as the "alien work of God." Therefore, God's anger and wrath are fundamentally executed upon the predicates of His ineffable holiness and righteousness. The corporeal manifestations of punishment and consequence are not contiguous with anger but are instead contiguous with His intrinsic holiness and righteousness. This is necessarily true because, "His acts are determined by His nature, His disapprobation of sin must manifest itself in acts," (Charles Hodge on God's attribute of holiness in relation to punishment), and these acts are described as His anger. God's anger is better understood as subsumed under the attributes of holiness and righteousness in terms of absolute and relative justice or more specifically distributive justice. There is much more to be said in relation to this subject matter but I think it would only serve as monotonous minutiae. Suffice it to say God's "anger" as evinced in the Old Testament corpus is dictated by His holiness and righteousness in accord with His divine aversion to anything contrary.
This of course is just as true germane to the variegated expressions of Christ's palpable "angry" actions as recorded in the Gospels.
The warp and woof of the matter is that God's angry and wrathful movements within scripture are best understood as divine effulgence's or even implements, so to speak, of His perfect holiness and righteousness, and this in regards to sin. His wrath and anger are not obfuscated by tarnished emotions as in humanity's case. As Tertullian said in his treatise, Against Marcion, "God may be wrathful but He is not irritated." It is incumbent upon all within Christendom, especially with those who struggle with anger, to recognize that God's wrath and anger are governed by perfect holiness and righteousness while being entirely devoid of human pitfalls. We, on the other hand, are fallible beings rife with many imperfections. To presume that we can be carte blanche practitioners of "anger" is to be rather credulous or pompous. This is why Paul exhorts the Ephesians to "be angry and sin not," and then promulgates that they are to purge themselves of anger. It appears to be problematic for Paul to allow anger to be cultivated as normative. The writings and voices of the patristic churchmen will also evince this to be true. To be quick tempered or quick to anger is undeniably opposed to the character of God, who is Himself "slow to anger" (Psalm 103:8), and the overwhelming thrust of holy writ.
Now anger when properly understood and exercised with regenerate and biblical fidelity is most surely a useful quality. This will only be achieved when anger is seen as an execution of righteousness and holiness against biblically defined sin alone; over and against human preferences and traditions of caprice. Expressing anger because of one's own personal preferences being violated is tantamount to bigotry.
A wholesome anger though will aim at retarding anything sinful. When employed in that manner it is indeed a virtue par excellence. As the Puritan Richard Baxter's asserts, "It stirs us up to vigorous resistance against anything that opposes God's glory, our salvation, our real good, or the good of our neighbors. Anger is therefore good when it is used to its appointed end, in the right manner and measure. But anger may be sinful...."
It is imperative for us to recall though that Scripture incontestably places more of a premium upon humankind refraining from anger (Gen. 4:3-16, Num. 20:10-13, Prov. 15:8, 16:32, 19:11, 22:24-25, 27:4; Eccl.7:9, Matt. 5:21-22, Gal. 5:20, Eph. 4:31, Col. 3:8,21, I Tim. 3:2,3, Tit. 1:7 et al). And this because of our propensity to mishandle it!!
When is anger sinful:
1.) When it opposes God or good; as in the case of those who become angry with us because we seek to win them to the Lord or separate them from their sins.
2.) When it disturbs our reason, and hinders us from thinking rightly.
3.) When it causes us to act unbecomingly, so as to use sinful words or actions.
4.) When it causes us to wrong one another by our words and deeds, or treat others in a way in which we would not like to be treated.
5.) When it is mistaken and with no just cause behind it.
6.) When it is greater in measure than that which provoked the anger.
7.) When it makes us unfit to do our duty to God or man.
8.) When it hinders love, brotherly kindness and the good we might do for others.
9.) When it encourages malice, revenge, contentions, division, oppression of those under us, and dishonour to those over us.
10.) When it lasts too long, and does not cease when it has accomplished its purpose.
11.) When it is used as a means to further our selfish, carnal, and sinful ends. When we are angry because our pride, profit, enjoyment, or fleshly will is crossed.
Credo ut Intelligam
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