Mortifying Anger

God said to Jonah, "Doest thou well to be angry?" - Jonah 4:9

Anger is not always or necessarily sinful, but it has such a tendency to run wild that whenever it displays itself, we should be quick to question its character with this question: "Are you doing well to be angry?" It may be that we can answer, "Yes." Very frequently anger is the madman's firebrand, but sometimes it is Elijah's fire from heaven.

We do well when we are angry with sin, because of the wrong which it commits against our gracious God, or with ourselves because we remain so foolish after so much divine instruction, or with others when the sole cause of anger is the evil which they do. He who is not angry at transgression becomes a partaker in it. Sin is a loathsome and hateful thing, and no renewed heart can patiently endure it. God Himself is angry with the wicked every day, and it is written in His Word, "Ye that love the lord, hate evil."

Far more frequently it is to be feared that our anger is not commendable or justifiable, and then we must answer, "no", if we are doing well by being angry. Why should we yield to anger with our children or with our friends? Is such anger honorable to our Christian profession or glorifying to God? Is it not the old evil heart seeking to gain dominion and should we not resist it with all the might of our newborn nature? Many professing Christians give way to anger as though it is useless to attempt resistance. But let the believer remember that he must be a conqueror at every point or else he cannot be crowned. If we cannot control our tempers, what has grace done for us?

Someone told Willliam Jay that grace is often grafted onto a crab-stump. "Yes," said Jay, "but the fruit will not be crabs." We must not make natural personality or weakness an excuse for sin, but we must fly to the cross and pray the Lord to crucify our tempers and renew us in gentleness and meekness after His own image.

- C. H. Spurgeon