Love Is Not Irritable or Resentful
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; (1 Corinthians 13:4-5 ESV)
Anger comes naturally to human beings. If you don’t believe it, go to the nursery and locate the sweetest little baby you can find. Then take away his bottle and that sweet, innocent child will contort his face into something that looks like it’s right out of The Exorcist. Anger is not a learned response; it is deeply ingrained in our humanity. Even when we grow up and learn to mask our immediate reactions that does not mean we are immune to being provoked, irritated, angered, or aggravated and in turn becoming resentful and lashing out. When anger leads us to sin it makes a fool of us. A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control (Proverbs 29:11).
Interestingly, the word rendered “resentful” in the passage above translates the word, “logizesthai” which is an accountanting word. It is the word used for entering an item in a ledger so that it will not be forgotten. That is precisely what so many people do in growing resentful. The NIV renders it “keeps no record of wrongs.” The idea is a person whose anger leads them to keep score of all the sins that someone has done against them. Many people nurse their anger to keep it boiling by brooding over how they have been offended by others. One of the greatest lessons in life is to learn how to forgive and make the choice to forget.
You might say, but what about righteous anger? Didn’t even Jesus get angry? What does Scripture say about that? Well, let’s look at Ephesians 4:26, Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger. There are times when anger is an acceptable, even necessary, response. So what characterizes indignation that is truly righteous?
It usually does not involve something done against us personally. When Jesus was abused, vilified, mistreated, He never once lashed back. He was, however, angered when God’s temple was made a place of comerce thus making a mockery of the worship of God.
Righteous anger instead usually involves an injustice done against another; where we move to defend one who is oppressed. It is appropriate when God, His purpose, or His will is profaned and perverted. But even when righteous anger is an appropriate response, it must express itselfs the right way; in Christ-like love which hates the sin, while loving the sinner!
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 ESV) Lets bear in mind the truth of this passage of Scripture. Anger, even righteous anger, must not lead us to sinful responses. Anger must not be carried and nurtured within our mind and heart, because that leads us to bitterness and resentment and gives Satan a stronghold in our life.
