Anger is a human emotion that (if we are honest with ourselves) we all have experienced from time to time. It is not only a natural response to things and circumstances that occur in our lives, but it is a God-given emotion. In fact, scripture tells us to “In your anger do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). Even Jesus Christ himself got angry when he saw the stubborn hearts of men (Mark 3:5). I would go as far as to say that anger is a gift from God: (1) it increases our arousal, that in turn increases our heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure making us ready to react; and (2) it is an emotional response that tells us that something is not quite right, and helping us to reveal our feelings to others. However, anger can be destructive as well: (1) it can hurt the ones we love; (2) and it can hurt us when we hold it in our inner being (in fact, anger that is not dealt with has been positively correlated to poor health physiologically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually).
How can this gift of anger, that is given to us by God, be a bad thing? Doesn’t the bible say that “every good and perfect gift is from God” (James 1:17) ? Yes, indeed every good and perfect gift is from God. There is only one problem; anger, because of our original (inherited) sin it is not perfect. Just like in so many areas of our lives, sin perverts our emotions, and in particular, anger. I have struggled for a long time with the image of an Angry God.
I grew up in a conservative, fire-and-brimstone preaching church. It seemed as though God was always angry, waiting to punish someone every time they slipped up. I have seen many “conversions” that were based out of the fear of Hell rather than the Grace of God. Now, don’t get me wrong. There is a place for the teaching of Hell in the presentation of the Gospel (Christ talked about Hell around 12 times in the Synaptic Gospels). There cannot be an accurate representation of the Gospel without the mention of Hell and its consequences. However, there were too many times that I heard preachers and teachers use Hell as a scare tactic to coerce people into making a decision for Christ. The scriptures say that God draws us with his Kindness (Jeremiah 31:3). I do not believe that the consequence of unbelief should be swept under the rug (like it is in so many “watered-down” churches). Edwards sermon Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God was, and is, an influential sermon that was used, and rightly so, to convict men of their sins. Albeit, there is in contrast grace in the Gospel message, and to exclude this grace, does a disservice to Christ’s death on the cross. Every time I hear a preacher say, “If you were to die tonight…”, I shutter. Not because I am unsure of my eternal destination (I am an adopted son of the Father), but because most of the time (not all the time) it is a statement that elicits our emotion of fear. Think about it, who would willingly want to spend an eternity in torment! Of course a pastor will stir up an emotional response. My point is that we are not just emotional beings; we are made of mind, body, and soul. God’s anger towards sin should make us fear the consequences, but his love and kindness should, by the drawing of the Holy Spirit (not the clever words of men), lead us to the process of redemption in Jesus.
Potter's Will 