As Christians, we are commonly taught the idea of righteous anger: the idea that anger, if directed towards sin, is justified. We feel we are entitled to anger at an injustice, and because of that, we will act against the injustice. No matter how convincing the arguments may sound, this idea is not biblically founded.
The simple truth is the Bible never once condones human anger. In fact, it does precisely the opposite. James 1:19-20 states, “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.” Similarly, in Colossians 3:8, Paul says, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” The Bible makes it very clear that anger is a sin.
If you witness or hear of an injustice, you may believe that anger will fuel you to right that wrong. But rectifying an injustice does not have to come from a place of anger. Christians should not correct the wrongs of others because they are angry at the sin; they should correct the sin simply because the Bible tells them to correct the wrongdoings of others from a place of love. Christians are called to a higher purpose, and we answer to a power greater than the world: God.
Humans are simply not capable of righteous anger because we are sinful. In every human context, anger is a sin. Do not misunderstand this concept. Christians have a new nature in Christ Jesus because we are born again in Him. We lose our sinful nature and receive the Holy Spirit. But we still have no right to be angry at injustice because we are capable of the same injustice. Instead of being angry at the sin, Christians should act upon it through love simply because we are commanded to do so in the Bible.
Righteous anger does exist, however. God has the right to anger, and this is addressed multiple times in Scripture. Because God is truly sinless, He can possess righteous anger, just as He can possess jealousy and vengeance.
The nagging question is, if anger is a sin, why did God give us anger as an emotion? The answer is quite simple. We were made in the image of God, and He has anger, so naturally we would too. But we are not capable of God’s anger, only human anger. Our human anger is sin because it is not righteous. It is a similar concept to jealousy. God is jealous, and because we are made in His image, we have the emotion of jealousy also, but our jealousy is a sin, as listed in James 3:16 among other texts.
Ephesians 4:26 seems to contradict this argument. It states, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” A closer look eliminates this roadblock. This verse is in a context speaking about relationships. What it is saying here is that you will be angry at others. That anger, however, should not lead you into more sin, and it should not linger in you. Additionally, later in the passage, it says “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
Ultimately, anger is always a sin in all contexts, simply because we are not righteous. Rectifying a wrong should never come from a place of anger. It should come from love. Anger will only bring about more sin. Doing the right thing is not contingent on anger. As Proverbs 29:22 puts it, “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.”
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