...handle your anger...

“1 Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, ‘I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.’ 2 Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.’

8 Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let us go out to the field.’ And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ He said, ‘I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?’ 10 And the Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.’ 13 Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.’ 15 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.’ And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden” Genesis 4:1-16.

This famous story about Cain’s murder of his brother Abel stems back to Cain’s anger. Did you notice that it says in the text: “5 So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it’” Genesis 4:5-7.

Christian writers have written about anger for centuries. Augustine acknowledged the reality of anger but stressed that a person's anger must always be subject to reason and governed by love, warning that unchecked wrath easily gives "a foothold to the devil”. 

Martin Luther, the great Reformer of the Christian church recognized the intense force of anger, noting in his writings that it is a natural emotional response when a person's boundaries or values are violated. However, he cautioned against letting passion turn into vindictiveness or malice.

John Calvin, in his Institutes, urged believers to aggressively guard their hearts against bitterness. He saw unmanaged anger as a form of self-worship where one elevates personal pride over the command to love one's neighbor.

C. S. Lewis, in works like Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters, explored how anger and resentment frequently disguise themselves as righteous indignation, making it one of the most subtly deceptive vices. He argued that indulging in wrath distorts a person's moral compass.

John Piper, one of the great contemporary preaching Pastors, writes in his reflections on "killing anger" (often drawing from James 1:19), that unrighteous anger smolders beneath the surface and destroys relationships, noting that good anger among fallen humans is exceptionally rare and must be handled with extreme caution.

Dear friends, Cain failed to recognize his feelings of anger immediately, and instead he let his anger control his actions. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4;26 to resolve relational anger before the end of the day so that it cannot fester into bitterness. 

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-26), Jesus expanded the commandment against murder. He taught that being unjustly angry with someone, or using degrading insults, makes a person liable to judgment, as it devalues another human being.

Jesus Himself exhibited anger, such as when He drove out the money changers from the Temple (John 2) or confronted hypocrisy. This demonstrates that anger is not inherently sinful if it is directed at injustice, the mistreatment of others, or offenses against God. However, Jesus never became angry out of personal insult or wounded pride.

Expanding on Jesus' teachings, the Apostle Paul summarized this balance perfectly: "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil" (Ephesians 4:26-27). This highlights that while experiencing the emotion of anger is natural, it must be managed quickly to prevent it from turning into bitterness.

So today, bring your anger to the Lord in prayer. Ask the Lord to help you understand your anger and take away your anger. Do this every day when you feel anger building up in your heart.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.