Can We Be Righteously Angry?

Recently we were riveted to our TVs as we watched the emotional battle for the Supreme Court unfold. We saw sadness as a woman told her painful story. And we saw the anger of a man defending his honor and his reputation.

Because of his anger, they said he does not have the right temperament for the highest court in our land.

The message is: It’s okay to feel sadness or pain, but not anger.

Anger is an emotion we have little tolerance for. We’ve been taught that anger is sinful and bad—good people should never get angry.

But is all anger necessarily bad? Or can it be redemptive? Is there a righteous anger?

What is anger?

Anger is a natural human emotion. Psychiatrist Scott Peck explains: “We experience anger whenever we perceive someone attempting to encroach upon our geographical or psychological territory or trying, one way or another, to put us down.”

It leads us to fight back. Without our anger we would indeed be continually stepped on, until we were totally squashed and exterminated.”

Clinical therapist Judith King in her book, Really Angry, says: “Of all the emotions, anger is the one that has the most energy to do work, both constructively and destructively.” It can mobilize us into action or totally shut us down, often leading to depression.

Anger itself is not a bad emotion; it is what we do with it that matters.

God uses anger, so did His Son

Our Creator has emotions too, including the capacity to be angry. The Bible tells us that God gets angry at sin, individuals, and nations.

Jesus was angry with his accusers who were trying to entrap him:

“They were watching Him …, in order that they might accuse Him. … He said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath?’ … After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ … and his hand was restored” (Mark 3:4-5).

And remember how Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers. Did He feel sweet and loving as He made a scourge of cords and drove them out of His Father’s house? (John 2:15-17).

What is righteous anger?

Drs. Allender & Longman say, “God designed and blessed anger in order to energize our passion to destroy sin. Anger can be lovely and redemptive, but it can also be ugly and vindictive. It depends in part on the object of the anger, how it is expressed, and why the anger is unleashed” (Cry Of The Soul: How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions About God).

Righteous anger exposes danger and potential harm. Like a surgeon’s knife, it is focused and direct, wounding in order to heal. It invites redemptive change, restoring instead of destroying relationships.

Allender & Longman explain that “righteous anger is neither defensive nor vindictive, and it is permeated by a sadness that is rich in desire and hope. And most importantly, it allows the offense to be seen as an issue between the offender and God.”

Unrighteous anger, however, is driven by the need to make somebody pay for the pain they caused. It threatens, blames, and condemns as it spews out accusations against the offender.

Don’t let the sun go down on your anger

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, St. Paul gives these early Christians permission to be angry, but warns not to let it go too far. He writes, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger …” (Eph 4:26).

You don’t need to let your anger or present circumstances rob you of peace. Take your burden to Jesus Christ. He knows what to do with anger, so He can help you with yours.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest—Matthew 11:28.