TOLERANCE versus RIGHTEOUS ANGER
by Page Lucas
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Most people do not associate Christians with being angry, and rightly so. Scriptures urge us to be 'slow to anger' (James 1:19), but I think too many people confuse this with tolerance. There is such thing as righteous anger. For example, Jesus who was and is without sin, was angry upon seeing His Father's house being used as a marketplace. The Old Testament is filled with accounts of God's anger and the New Testament speaks of God's coming wrath and vengeance. If Jesus did not sin and yet was angry, this shows that anger in itself is not a sin.... what was Jesus angry about? His anger resulted from the degrading of a place of worship and sacrifice. He would not tolerate His Father's house being treated in such an ungodly way.
Our God's love is not unconditional like so many people say. Our God honors and keeps covenants with His people. He is angered when we break our end of the deal, as we so often do, and when we continue to live in sin knowing that we are essentially spitting in His face by doing so. God does not tolerate sin; He rebukes it and punishes those who commit them. In the same way, we are not to tolerate sin or approve of those who live in sin. The world does not want to accept this.
Schools institute 'tolerance days' where students show their 'support' for so-called minority groups such as the homosexuals. When Christians do not participate in such activities and/or speak out against such ungodliness, they are called unloving hypocrites. The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is an abomination to the Lord. So, how is hating homosexuality and being angered by the practice of it a sin? It isn't. So those who say "you're being un-Christian by being angry" and "Christians should be tolerant" don't know what being a Christian means.
So, being angered by sin is not a sin. This only means that you are on fire for the Lord and you cannot stand to see what is unholy be treated as acceptable. This goes not only for the act of homosexuality, but filth on television, gossip, cursing, boistrousness, and everything that is worldly and sinful. When you truly follow the Lord, walking on the straight and narrow path, you do not desire worldly, sinful things and it gets to the point of anger and frustration as you wonder why others cannot see the evil in it.
As an example from my life, I used to enjoy reading Harry Potter books. I used to wonder why some Christians were so offended by the series. I didn't believe in magic, so I thought I was doing nothing wrong. Looking back, I now see the evil in what I was doing and in many other things I was partaking in. Not only do I no longer desire to read those books, I am disgusted that I ever enjoyed them, and I am humiliated that I got enjoyment and pleasure from reading something that is a huge abomination in God's sight.
Unfortunately nearly everything in the media is filth. Parents are handing their children over to the TV as if it were a nanny. They allow them to hear cursing, watch sexual perversion in many forms, and read about witchcraft; all for the sake of entertainment. This should anger us as Christians. If it doesn't, then something is wrong! Romans 12:9 says, "abhor (hate) what is evil; cling to what is good" and Romans 12:21, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Jesus died on the cross to save us. So many people see His death as just saving us from hell, but it means so much more to us. Jesus' death and resurrection save us in this life, too, by freeing us from the bondage of sin now (Romans 6). We don't have to get gratification from ungodly television, unworshipful music, gossip, another person's failures, sexual impurity, or materialistic belongings. Jesus broke those chains. We are now free to find our gratification and fulfillment from the Lord and His perfect Word. Our anger should burn against the evil desires that once consumed us. Again, if you aren't disturbed by worldly desires and those who succumb to them, then something is terribly wrong and your perspective is entirely out of place according to the truth of God's eternal Word.
~ KPL 3-1-2009
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