It is no secret that we live in an angry society.  We are surrounded by people who are mad at the world, demonstrated by their constant outbursts of anger.  There seems to be more and more violence in the world each passing year.    Christians must be different.  Our anger must be controlled.  We must be slow to wrath and not easily provoked.  We must be willing to forgive those who sin against us and not hold grudges or allow evil thoughts to dwell in our hearts.

Jesus spoke of anger in the Sermon on the Mount, reminding us that we cannot be right with God and wrong with our brethren.

Matthew 5:21-25 (ESV)
²¹  “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ ²²  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³  So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴  leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵  Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.

An angry heart leads to hurtful words, words that could cause us to lose our souls (ver. 22).  Do you think that you can have feelings of hostility towards your brethren and still be in a favorable relationship with God?  I am afraid that many in the kingdom of God feel that way today.  Jesus, however, is letting us know that such is not the case.  You cannot call your brother a fool and get away with it in the eyes of God.

The word “fool,” used by Jesus, refers to “a dull, stupid, blockhead.” Now how do you use that term in love?  No one would say to someone, “You are a stupid, blockhead, but I mean that lovingly.”  No, this is a vindictive and malicious term meant to hurt someone’s feelings.  It is a word spoken out of hatred and uncontrolled anger.  However, there is an even worse connotation that comes from this word.  It suggests that someone is “morally worthless”  and implies that a person is abandoned by God and eternally lost.  It is equivalent to calling someone “a child of hell.”

Only the most arrogant and self-righteous person would use this term.  I may consider a person to be lost, but to say he is morally worthless, i.e., that he has no value to God and no hope of changing, is a judgment not mine to make. That is for God alone to decide, and for me to say such is not only cruel, it is to elevate myself to the throne of God and attempt to do His job.  Jesus says to use that kind of railing term is to be in danger of hell fire.

We must control, not only our tongues, but the anger that might cause us to say unloving things to others, and especially to brethren in Christ.  You cannot be right with God while you are at odds with your brethren.  If you sin against a brother, it cannot be ignored.  It must be taken care of as soon as possible.  Before you attempt to worship God, go to the one you have sinned against and get it right.

Do not let anger get in the way of your relationship with brethren, and therefore, your relationship with God.  Never develop the pharisaical mentality that says, “As long as I don’t kill my brother, I’m okay.”  No, what is in our hearts matters.  While we all get angry once in a while, it should never be without cause, and we should never allow the sun to go down upon our wrath (Ephesians 4:26).  If we do, it hurts our relationship with God.

 As you wind down for the night, think about these things.