Anger: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

You can feel it pulsing within you. It’s struggling to control you. Once it gains control, there’s no telling what might happen—anger is so hard to fight!

Anger is something that we all experience at one point or another—whether directed at us or toward others. It’s a common emotion that’s a part of the human experience.

Many of us struggle with our anger and find it to be an emotion that is difficult to control. Instead, we often find the anger controlling us—with sometimes very bad consequences!

Yet is all anger bad? Is it wrong to be angry? Or is the seemingly simple emotion of anger more complicated? This blog will examine the three sides of anger: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Anger: the good

A look at the Bible shows us that God Himself gets angry (Deuteronomy 6:15; Psalm 85:4). But God has a righteous anger that is always under control and not blind rage (Micah 7:18; Exodus 32:10-14).

Even our perfect example, Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:21), did occasionally express anger. When He encountered those who defiled the temple, He was angry and drove them out (Matthew 21:12; John 2:15).

Anger does have a good side. But godly anger (righteous indignation) should be very rare in a Christian’s life. Here are some trademarks of godly anger:

• Godly anger comes in response to disregard for God’s law and standards or to legitimate injustice.
• Godly anger is always spiritually just. We cannot allow our emotions to overshadow God’s standards.
• Godly anger is short-lasting (Psalm 30:5; Ephesians 4:26).
• The ideal outcome of godly anger is forgiveness and reconciliation—not “bottled up” resentment (Matthew 6:14).

Without self-control and a pure motivation to live God’s way of life, however, anger does not have a good side.

Anger: the bad

Many of us are aware of the bad side of anger. We may see it every day on the road, in the workplace, in our homes and often in ourselves.

The bad side of anger can exhibit itself in a sudden fit of rage that often stems from our own selfish motivations and is characterized by a lack of self-control. With this anger we often say things that can never be taken back or do things we will later regret. We must avoid verbal abuse and physical violence against another human being (Matthew 5:21-22, 39; 1 Timothy 3:3).

Without self-control, our anger is like a warhead gone awry. There’s no telling where it will strike or how much unrepairable damage it will do. Self-control is not just a positive attribute of character, it is also a fruit of God’s Spirit working in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). Bad anger can sometimes be turned away by a soft word (Proverbs 15:1).

Being quick-tempered can produce the kind of anger that can be dangerous for us and those who are around us (for more on this, read “Anger: ‘It Injures Me’”).

Anger: the ugly

Anger has its good side and its bad side, but it also has a side that is ugly. This side of anger is why Paul tells us to never let the sun set on our anger (Ephesians 4:26).

A sudden and blind rage is bad and can have catastrophic effects. Yet that can pale in comparison to the effects of prolonged and nurtured anger.

One example of this kind of anger is that of Absalom, the son of David. Instead of giving in to a sudden anger, he hid his rage and nursed it for two years until his anger resulted in the murder of his brother (2 Samuel 13:22-34). Absalom eventually died in a battle against his own father for control of the kingdom of Israel.

This slow and calculated anger—which is encouraged by Satan—is the cause of many of mankind’s problems. Because Satan isn’t happy about being overthrown or seeing God’s plan move forward, he does all that he can to prevent it. Satan is angry and has been for thousands of years.

For more on the ugly side of anger, read “Why Do We Cherish Our Anger?”

Which will you choose—anger or joy?

We will have occasional anger in our life, but the choice is ours concerning which type of anger we will have.

• Will we choose the good and righteous anger of God, which is not motivated by selfishness and is characterized by self-control?
• Will we choose the bad anger that gives in to sudden impulses and destroys relationships?
• Or will we choose the ugly, vengeful anger of Satan and Absalom that can lead to a miserable life and eternal death?

Instead of being an angry person, strive to be a positive person characterized by joy and happiness (Proverbs 17:22; Romans 15:13).

Joshua Travers is a member of the Athens, Ohio, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.