THE ACTION OF ANGER

Hosea 4:1 & 6 says: "Listen to the word of the LORD.
... My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

Jesus said: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16 NASB).

THE ACTION OF ANGER

INTRODUCTION

"On the part of Truth there cannot be, and on the part of Philanthropy there ought not to be, any truce between Truth and error. . . . Satan is the oldest liar in the records of Eternity." ¹ His influence is seen everywhere this subject is written about, discussed or treated. Many are under the influence of his erroneous views and principles regarding anger and being angry without ever perceiving, designing or intending it. Anger has been a problem for human beings since Cain killed Abel. We must not let Satan's erroneous views and principles regarding anger and being angry influence our thinking and our actions. Anger, suppressed or expressed by a human being, is a destructive, toxic and negative emotion recognized by a person when that person feels it. The heart rate increases. The blood pressure goes up!

In our society, human anger is an often misunderstood and misrepresented emotion. "The term emotion [from Latin, to move out, stir up, agitate] is defined by Webster's Universities Dictionary Unabridged as: "In psychology, the faculty of feeling, of reacting to mental impressions involving the sentiments; the Sensibility." ² The Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of Michigan exists to answer a single question: What good is it to feel good? Their research team is working to show how it is that being moved by positive emotions can move you forward, and not only lift you to your higher ground, but also create a world worth giving to our children. ³ " Goodness matters." The Bible contains very clear instructions regarding "Positive" emotions and "Negative" emotions.

It is written in Ephesians 5:15-17 (NASB): "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." And Galatians 6:7 (NASB) says: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap."

In Galatians 5:19-25 (NASB) it is written: "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit."

It is written in James 3:11-13 (NASB): "Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.

In Luke 6:43-46 (NASB) Jesus said: "For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. "For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" And, 1 John 2:3-4 (NASB) says: "By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

In Matthew 7:13-20 (NASB) Jesus said: "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "So then, you will know them by their fruits."

Don Colbert, M.D., in his book entitled Deadly Emotions, on page 9, said: "Positive emotions such as joy, gratitude, happiness and serenity, to mention a few, are a universal part of human nature. No person experiences an emotion just in his 'heart' or in his 'mind.' Rather, a person experiences an emotion in the form of chemical reactions in the body and in the brain. These chemical reactions occur at both the organ level--stomach, heart, large muscles, and so forth--and at the cellular Level." ⁴

So, "Positive" emotions, such as joy, gratitude, happiness and serenity, and "Negative" emotions such as anger, wrath and malice, are feelings that reflect a change in both our biological and psychological conditions. We can choose to change our thinking and that can change the way we feel and react.

The Bible instructions regarding anger and being angry, were recorded in the New Testament in the Greek language that was in common use during that period, perhaps one of the most perfect vehicles of expression ever known to man. The words of the Bible, in the original language, contain all the ideas in it, and in order that the ideas may be perceived, the words of the Bible need to be rightly understood. It is essential that we consider this subject regarding anger in the light of what the New Testament writers said in the original language. For the Greek words translated as anger and be angry, see the footnote. ⁵

Before I could put "The Action of Anger" into written form, there were a few lessons I had to learn about my own emotion of anger. It all began when two Professors of Ophthalmology were in the process of performing five separate operations on me, in order to restore sight in both of my eyes. They discovered that I had been experiencing transient ischemic attacks (TIA), as the result of an artery restriction in my brain in an area related to my optic nerves. This was confirmed by a Professor of Neurology, and I was put on blood thinners and told what to do and how to react when I felt an attack coming on. At that time, I was advised that an anger event could kill me. They said to me: "Mr. Davis this is a very, very serious matter, you must listen to us. You must give this your immediate attention." They snapped their fingers to demonstrate, and they said: "you could die just that quick." I was 56 years old at the time. My father, at the age of 56, had died suddenly during the course of a conversation with his first cousin. He simply dropped his head and immediately died. I asked them if it were possible that my condition was inherited. They said: absolutely.

They got my attention. I was introduced to the "Sociological and Psychological" approach to "Cognitive Restructuring," a process of verbalization and internalization by which we can change the incorrect programming of our subconscious mind, and that includes our very own anger triggers. I was instructed to identify my embedded anger triggers, and to verbalize them and internalize a defused reaction to each trigger. Later it dawned on me: "Cognitive Restructuring" is taught in the Bible.

Our thinking controls our emotions. And, if we want to, we can change the way we think. And, we can choose to get rid of our "Negative" emotions. Just as it is written, we can "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger" (Ephesians 4:31 NIV). It's easy to do. I did it. If you want to, you can do it too. And John 8:32 (NIV) says: "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." And 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) says: "We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." ⁶

James S. Davis

INTRODUCTION FOOTNOTES:
¹^{Millennial Harbinger, 1857 (Joplin, Mo., College Press, reprint), pages 94, 95.}^{²^{Webster's Universities Dictionary Unabridged.}}³^{www.Isa.umich.edu/psych/peplab/}^{⁴^{Deadly Emotions by Don Colbert, M.D. (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2003), page 9.}}⁵^{We are focusing on the verbal word picture in the Greek word orgizomai, transliterated: orgizomai. Orgizomai is the middle voice or the passive voice of orgizw, transliterated: orgizo. The middle voice (orgizomai) is that use of the verb which describes the subject as participating in the results of the action of anger. And the passive voice (orgizomai) is that use of the verb which describes the subject as receiving the action of anger. Orgizomai is translated in the KJV five times as be angry and three times as be wroth. And, we are focusing on the Greek noun orgh, transliterated: orge. Orge is translated anger three times and wrath 31 times in the KJV. Orge is also translated vengeance one time, and indignation one time in the KJV. Orge, a Greek noun, expresses the fact, topic or theme of anger. In biblical Greek the word orgh, transliterated: orge, according to Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament is "from orgav [transliterated: orgao>] to teem, denoting an internal motion." The Greek word qumoV, transliterated: thumos, which is anger boiling up and bursting forth, is translated "wrath" 15 times; "fierceness" 2 times; and "indignation" 1 time in KJV.}

⁶^{The Interlinear NASB-NIV Parallel New Testament in Greek and English by Alfred Marshall (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993, pages 290, 536 & 565).}

FOCUS ON THE SCRIPTURES.ORG

THE ACTION OF ANGER

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER IX

CHAPTER X

CHAPTER XI

CHAPTER XII

ENDNOTES

THE ACTION OF ANGER