Slow to Anger

[Sue J Love]

“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:19-21 NASB1995)

In context, both before this and following this, this is in reference to the Word of God (the Word of Truth). We should be quick to listen to what the Scriptures teach us, in the appropriate context, and we should be slow to forming our own opinions of the matter, especially in anger, for that does not achieve the righteousness of God. For not all of us were taught the truth when we were growing up, or else we were taught partial truths and partial lies, because what we were being taught was being taught out of context.

So, we have to be very careful to make certain that what we were taught, and what we came to believe, is the truth of what the Scriptures actually teach, if taught in their appropriate context. In other words, we should be students of the Scriptures who study them in the appropriate context, and who are seekers of truth and righteousness, who want to know the truth, and who refuse to believe the lies which were handed down to us from generation to generation. We should want to know and follow the truth.

Now, this applies in our conversations with other people, too, especially on personal blogs or Christian discussion sites where we are having interactive discussions with other people on biblical topics. We should be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to anger. But that does not mean that we have to engage with profanity, hateful and spiteful remarks and false accusations, and that which is inflammatory against God or against the Scriptures, etc. We do not have to listen to such hateful, mean, and cruel rhetoric.

But just because we might disagree with what someone else is saying, it does not give us the right to be nasty and hateful and cruel in our responses. We can learn to disagree respectfully, and with kindness, and to speak the truth of God’s word, in love, one to the other, without lowering ourselves to name calling, or to false accusations against another. It is possible for us to have kind, thoughtful, and reasonable discussions with others without it turning into hate, spite, and to name calling.

“For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

We the people who profess faith in Jesus Christ are to be putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, and in humility we are to be those who are receptive to the word of God implanted in our hearts through biblical faith in Jesus Christ. And we are to be those who want to hear the truth of God’s word, and who obey his word, in practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God. We must be seekers of truth and righteousness who obey God’s word, in practice, which is for the salvation of our souls.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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Slow to Anger
An Original Work / July 15, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

[B-A-C]

Amen.

Eph 4:26; BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

 

[Garee]

“For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

Amen the unseen difference of faith.

A while ago I was looking at verses that had to do with anger. One translation seems like a commandment. Be angry yet not sin as some sort of justified anger and in another translation, God recognizing we are a fallen race as angry people

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Ephesians 4:25-27 In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, not give the devil a foothold.
In that way when angry with God unredeemed mankind seems to look to fault in others knowing God has brought them into their lives.

Gods anger achieves the righteousness of God. Not the unrighteousness of mankind

 

[Sue J Love]

Amen the unseen difference of faith.

A while ago I was looking at verses that had to do with anger. One translation seems like a commandment. Be angry yet not sin as some sort of justified anger and in another translation, God recognizing we are a fallen race as angry people

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Ephesians 4:25-27 In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, not give the devil a foothold.
In that way when angry with God unredeemed mankind seems to look to fault in others knowing God has brought them into their lives.

Gods anger achieves the righteousness of God. Not the unrighteousness of mankind

Yes, justifiable anger against the kinds of things which anger God, and is not of human flesh, is the kind we can have, and the anger itself is not sinful, but what we do with the anger may or may not result in sin. We may be angry at lies, deception, injustice, cruelty to the innocent, and the like, but we should not let that anger lead us to sin. We should not verbally attack other people in a way that is hateful and nasty and unkind. We should use that anger in a good way to make a difference in this world, to refute the lies of the enemy, and to proclaim the truth that all need to hear. And we must not let the anger linger and remain and get into our hearts and turn into bitterness and unforgiveness. We must forgive and show love.