Anger and the Word of God (James 1:19-21)

As we have seen, the recipients of James’ letter were facing difficult situations because of opposition to their faith in Jesus. Perhaps they had been tempted to become angry with God at their circumstances or maybe they were expressing words of anger to one another, engaging in a form of blame for the problems that they now faced. Of course, they could also have been angry with their opponents who were causing such trouble and making their lives so hard. Whatever the reason, James as a pastor had to deal with a situation in which anger was showing itself and therefore he wanted to warn his readers about the dangers they faced from it. From James’ perspective, the wrong anger of Christians was more dangerous to themselves than was the fury of their opponents.

The obvious deduction that we can make from James’ response is the seriousness of anger. It is not something that should be accepted uncritically by anyone, whether the agent of it or the recipient of it. So we should be willing to consider whether or not our anger is sinful because it is possible that our anger may be righteous. Jesus was angry on occasions, such as when he saw the abuse of the worship of God in the temple. It is obvious that the anger James is referring to is sinful. Furthermore, we should also remember that even righteous anger should be short-lived, provided the issue is dealt with quickly. Paul reminded the Ephesians that righteous anger should not continue past sunset on the day it was expressed (Eph. 4:26).

The first point that we can note is that James makes this concern a priority for members of the family of God. It is interesting that he connects the issue of anger to two Christian relationships, that of brothers and that of love. We can deduce from his method of introduction that sinful anger is not what should be found in the family of God and is not an expression of brotherly love. It may be obvious, but we should ask ourselves, when about to express anger, if we are acting as brothers and if we are acting in love.

How can we know when we are angry? James mentions two practical ways that show we are. The first is slowness to listen and the second is quick to comment. I have heard people say in several religious settings that they were not going to listen to another person’s opinions, whether or not they were according to God’s Word. The reason for not listening was connected to anger with the other person. Maybe the opinions were wrong, but perhaps the listener did not like to hear the truth.

Having said that, it is probably the case that what James is saying here is that we should be quick to listen to the word of God. This verse may be the commencement of a passage that speaks about the connection between the word of God and his people. If that is the case, then James is saying that wrong anger is a barrier to hearing the word of God, or of having the word become a means of blessing to us. We need to identify what James means here by the word of God. He could be referring to reading the word of God (the Old Testament, which would have been all that was available of the Scriptures at that time) or listening to an address based on the word of God. For the purpose of James’ argument, there is little difference between the two options.

It is important to remind ourselves about the use of words. Our ability to speak is a reminder that we are made in the image of God. Worship of God requires words as does fellowship with his people. Moreover, we cannot witness unless we use words. Yet we have to bear in mind that we will have to give an account for our words. Some people use words hypocritically, other us words in gossip, others use words to demean and even destroy the reputation of another believer. God listens to our words.

With regard to anger, we often forget that the Bible says that God is slow to anger. So even righteous anger is not done in haste. This does not mean that God will not punish, but it does suggest that hasty anger is nota feature of God-given wisdom. We can see an example of hasty anger in the desire of James and John to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans who had refused to acknowledge Jesus. But the Saviour did not approve of their attitude or words (Luke 9:54).

Anger and the righteousness of God (v. 20)

According to James here, what is the purpose for which God sends his word? It is to produce righteousness in those who listen to it. Righteousness can have more than one meaning, or perhaps we should say that it can be looked at from different aspects, but each of them is hindered by anger. Here are three examples.

When the gospel is offered to sinners, the aim is that they should become righteous in God’s sight through being clothed in the righteousness of Christ after believing in him. This is the case whether the person making the offer is a preacher in a sermon or a Christian in his verbal witness to unbelievers. If the preacher or Christian is marked by sinful anger, his preaching and his witnessing will not normally bring people to Jesus because the anger will have grieved the Spirit.

After a person becomes a Christian, he interacts with other believers in a variety of ways, all connected to paths of righteousness. An angry believer becomes a hindrance and an obstacle to other believers wanting to enjoy those paths of righteousness. His sin of anger prevents him from being a help to other believers as they serve God.

Moreover, a believer is meant to become like God in character. God is righteous, and while he has righteous anger when we sin, he never has unrighteous anger. If I have sinful anger, I am not like God in character. In fact, when I have it, I am the opposite of God as far as character is concerned and I should repent of my failure to be like him. So we can see why it is important that we should not have sinful anger.

Instead of producing the righteousness of God, James says that a sin like anger has two dramatic effects on the lives of believers (v. 21). First, it makes them filthy and, second, it leads to lots of other sins. James likens such expressions to a filthy garment that is no longer fit to be worn and instead must be put off.

James indicates that tolerance of sin makes it very easy for a person to become unrighteous. We do not know the full consequences of any sin. James has already mentioned how sin, when once begun, produces death. Sin, including sinful anger, never produces any benefits. Instead it will produce all kinds of other sins. It is not hard for us to recognise the sins that will flow from unrighteous anger, including those of thoughts, words and actions.

The remedy (v. 21)

The remedy for James is connected to the implanted word. This illustration from horticulture informs us that he is speaking to believers because they are the only people in whom the word of God has been implanted. When did this implanting take place? It happened at conversion. One way of looking at it is to remind ourselves of the details of the new covenant that God makes with his people. In that covenant, part of the terms is that he will write his laws on our minds and hearts. He places them within us, implanted.

The illustration implies three important features of God’s word in the lives of believers. First, it is there permanently, which is good for us, and we know that it will perform a variety of roles such as comforting and correcting. Second, it is alive, which means that it is always relevant and focused on the present. The Bible will speak to where we are today, which may be a consequence of past actions, but it will speak to where we are rather than where we were. If I was angry sinfully with a person yesterday, the word of God today will tell me to go and confess my sin to him and ask for forgiveness. And it will keep on speaking to me about it. Third, the word of God, since it is permanent and alive, will produce spiritual growth.

But how are we to receive the word of God? James tells us that there is only one way and that is meekly. A meek person is gentle and under control. The word was used of a trained horse who knew how to respond to the commands of its rider when he used the reins.

We can come to the Bible and look at it in different ways. One way is to look for contradictions in it. I did that once, and I imagined that I had found some, but looking back they were all silly and only revealed that I did not understand the Bible. A lot of people engage in this practice, but I would not worry about it because if someone claims to have found one then it is a sure sign that they have no idea about what the Bible is about.

A more insidious way is to come to the Bible in a merely intellectual manner. All kinds of Christians do this, ranging from those who engage in academic studies of it to those who attend weekly Bible studies. We should not engage in Bible study out of curiosity. Instead we should do so because we want to become more consecrated to God. Hopefully, this is why we are here in this service. We are not only here to find out what the Bible says, but to find out what the Bible says about us personally and then do whatever it says. So, our study tonight is not meant to lead us to deduce only that some Christians are angry. Instead the word will search us to see if we have that sin and it will direct us how to respond to it if we have it.

In order, for this to happen, we have to be meek. Meekness, as has often been said, is not weakness. Jesus was meek, and he was perfect. Moses was described as the meekest man on the earth, but no one can say that he was weak. Jesus is our example, even although we are not perfect, and we know that he received whatever the word required. Moses lived his life according to what God required, even although Moses was a sinner and failed occasionally.

James also refers to sanctification he here when he mentions that the implanted word is able to save our souls. As we have often heard, salvation has three tenses, past, present and future. In the past, we were delivered from the penalty of sin, in the present we are being saved from the power of sin, and in the future we will be saved from the presence of sin. It is the middle aspect that James has in mind here. If I get angry in a sinful way, I am not showing evidence of sanctification.

The word in our heart is the primary means of dealing with that indwelling sin, along with prayer and refusal to engage in the sin. When James says that the word is able, he means that it can do it. As we listen to the Bible, it tells us to confess that sin, to cast it away and to develop a holy character instead.