Righteous Anger

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”

Psalm 103:8 NKJV

The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

James 1:19–20 NKJV

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

John 2:13–17 NKJV

Righteous vs. Unrighteous Anger

Colossians 3:8–11 NKJV

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

“Anger” (orgen): “To teem, swelling up…..settled anger rising up from and ongoing opposition.” (HELPS)

“Wrath” (thymon): “Passion-driven behavior, I.e. actions emerging out of strong impulses (intense emotion).” (HELPS)

Comparison of the two:

“[wrath] is to be distinguished from [anger] in this respect, that [wrath] indicates a more agitated condition of the feelings, an outburst of wrath from inward indignation while [anger] suggest a more settled or abiding condition of the mind.” (Vines)

Galatians 5:19–22 NKJV

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Psalm 69:9 NKJV

Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

Romans 15:3 NKJV

For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”

Isaiah 1:17 NKJV

Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

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Righteous Anger

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