Love Is...Not Easily Angered

Love Is…Not Easily Angered

Pastor Russell Henderson

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, NIV.

Anger has become a serious epidemic in society today creating issues such as road rage, homicide, hate crimes, and even rape.  Anger is harmful, even life threatening, to both the one who harbors it and to the one upon whom it is unleashed.   Anger is sparked by numerous factors of life, many of which did not exist a few decades ago.   Stress is a huge factor that can lead to anger: stress at work, stress in the marriage, stress with the kids, stress with the finances.  Another factor of anger is unrealized expectations. Hollywood is constantly telling us what a successful, happy person should look like, and if you don’t meet those standards then you are considered a failure.

While all these things can be legitimate to some degree, the truth is that the enemy, Satan, is constantly at work to spur people to anger.  His goal is to get our eyes off of God, and he knows that if he can stir up anger in our lives he has been successful.  Let’s examine what the bible has to say about anger.

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

 - Mat 5:21-22 KJV

In this passage, Jesus is expounding on the sixth commandment – “Do not murder”. He first states that unwarranted anger is just as dangerous and condemnable as murder.  The bible does say that there are times when anger is justified, but those who are “easily angered” are almost never justified.  Jesus then goes on to describe how anger can lead to actions worthy of hell itself.

He first addresses the act of saying “Raca” to a brother.  Raca is a term that basically means to call someone empty-headed or stupid.  It is an insult toward one’s intelligence.  But Raca is not as serious as the next step:  calling someone a fool.  The translation of this term is to go beyond insulting one’s intelligence, but insulting their very character.  It is in essence calling them godless and morally corrupted.  Anger may start out small, but if it is not dealt with it will grow into something that will ultimately condemn one to hell.  Ecclesiastes 7:9 tells us that anger rests in the bosom of fools.  In the passage above from Matthew 5, the angry person is trying to call out foolishness in others, when in reality the foolishness (godlessness) is inside him.

The word “anger” literally means to stir.  Something that is being stirred is constantly unsettled.  It is never still – no peace.  Likewise with anger, the angry person is never satisfied or at peace.  He is constantly unsettled and his actions and frustrations affect everyone in his path.

Let’s briefly examine a couple of scriptures from Proverbs 15.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.

-       Pro 15:1, 18 NIV

As we saw earlier, an angry person is never settled.  He is never at rest.  He is constantly being negatively stirred in his spirit.  And just the smallest negative or harsh word can set off his anger.   Angry people are always looking to bring other people into their anger.  They are constantly looking to stir up strife and quarrelling.  It is like a cyclone of anger that sucks everything into itself.

Anger is resentful, bitter, corrupt, and unforgiving.  Show me an angry person, and I will show you a person full of unforgiveness.  Love, on the other hand, is forgiving, it is peaceful, and it is morally decent.

A Christian cannot harbor unwarranted anger for long.  Sooner than later it will corrupt every fiber of his being until he is completely removed from the peace and protection of God.  Are you a person who is easily angered?  Do you find yourself looking for quarrels and strife?  Get filled up with the love of God.  Clothe yourself in his peace and contentment, and be free from your anger.