Wrath: Holy Emotion or Hellish Passion?

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Introduction

Yesterday, after losing my temper, the Lord reminded me that I was preaching on wrath today.

Wrath, or anger, is arguably the most complicated of all the seven deadly sins. Is anger a sin? What about the wrath of God? Jonathan Edwards’s famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God?” What about righteous indignation and holy anger against injustice in the world?

Even the Apostle Paul seems to be confused about anger. See Ephesians 4:26-27, 31.

Are we supposed to be angry without sinning or are we supposed to put away all wrath and anger?

To answer that question, we need to understand how anger gets twisted into a sinful vice that turns a holy emotion into a hellish passion.

What turns a holy emotion into a hellish passion?

“Wrath becomes a vice when it fights for its own selfish cause, not for justice, and when it fights dirty.” ~ Rebecca DeYoung

Wrath becomes a vice when we get angry for the wrong reasons.

Justice is the seed of anger…

But anger becomes sinful when our good desire for justice is twisted into a disordered desire for self-preservation.

“When anger becomes sinful, its purpose and desire is to eliminate any obstacle to my self-seeking, to retaliate against any threat to my security, to avenge any insult or injury to my person, to protect my ego and entitlements, to advance my agenda, to secure my control, to defend my dignity, to restore my cherished reputation, or to punish those who fail to meet my expectations.” ~ Rebecca DeYoung

Wrath becomes a vice when we express our anger in the wrong way.

Bitterness, malice, slander, refusing to forgive, gossip, uncontrollable rage, violence, hatred, vitriol… Even anger for the right reason is sinful when expressed in the wrong way.

Doing the wrong thing for the right reason is still wrong. The ends do not justify the means. Pursuing justice in the wrong way is sinful.

How do we avoid the hellish passion?

Assess your anger. Evaluate your wrath.

Ask: Why am I angry?

In this moment of anger, am I pursuing justice or vengeance? Am I fighting for righteousness in the world or seeking to vindicate myself? Am I striving for the highest good of others or looking out for my own interests?

Remember the list from earlier. Is my anger about me not getting what I want? Is it about my wounded pride? My bruised ego? Is it about my agenda? My power being threatened? Am I angry because you failed to meet my expectations? Am I more angry when my kids misbehave at church where my reputation as a dad is on the line?

If we’re honest in our assessment, we must admit that virtually all our anger is tainted with self-seeking.

Illustration: Mask mandates… Was I angry at the injustice or the inconvenience?

Virtually all our anger is poisoned with self-seeking, and that’s why Paul wrote Ephesians 4:31 .

Ask: What am I doing with my anger?

Be like God...

In the OT, God is often caricatured as the angry, unloving God. But do you know the most common description of God that appears in the OT? Psalm 145:8.

Be like God: gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars… Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Seek to build rather than merely to destroy.

The only time in all four Gospels that the word “anger” is used to describe Jesus is in Mark 3:1-6.

What did Jesus do with his anger? He healed the man.

Seek to heal rather than kill. Seek to build rather than destroy. Seek justice rather than vengeance. Seek life rather than death. In other words, seek love.

Illustration: Redirect my anger from my son to the sin...

Be willing to suffer—even for your enemies (Luke 23:34).

Release your anger. Let go of your wrath.

Trust in the mystery of God’s justice and mercy (James 1:19-20).

“That’s not my freedom.” ~ Shad Laddell

Practice forgiveness (Eph 4:31-32).

Conclusion: Prayer & Meditation