“Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah”
--Psalm 4:4 NKJV
God is not a hypocrite, for He never commands us to do something that is contrary to His own nature and standard of conduct. Every command God gives is possible to obey by the power of His Holy Spirit whom He freely gives to those who believe in Him. See Mathew 19:26; Luke 11:13; John 7:37-39; Acts 5:32; Romans 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. So when he commands, "Do not let the sun go down on your anger," then what does this say about God? See Ephesians 4:26.
God never lets the sun go down on His anger. He does deal with us as He seeks to address our issues if we are foolishly ruining our lives and hurting the people around us, but He never holds a bitter grudge over our past mistakes. Is that not why the Scripture says that His mercies are renewed every morning? See Lamentations 3:22-24, 31-33; Nehemiah 9:16ff; Psalm 25:5-7; 103:1ff; 2 Corinthians 1:2-4. What does it mean that God is love, and that love keeps no record of wrongs? See 1 John 4:8, 16; 1 Corinthians 13:5.
For those who are in Christ Jesus, for those whom God’s wrath has already been poured out on His Son for the forgiveness of our sins, this means that God is not mad at us for the mistakes we made yesterday or in the past. See Romans 5:8-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; John 3:35-36; Ephesians 1:7. When we realize and believe that, then that truth shall make us free from anger, bitterness, guilt, self-accusation, fear, anxiety, and other spiritual baggage.
Might we still be reaping the consequences of yesterday's sin? In cases where one’s bad habits and mindsets of chronic grief, guilt, shame, fear, and anxiety release excess cortisol drip, compromise the immune system, and manifest in a disease, does that mean that God is still angry with us and withholding healing?
Or rather, might we remain stuck because of our unbelief when we believe the lie that God is [still] angry about our past sin? Could it be that we are still communicating day and night with that self-accusation (or guilt) rather than with the Spirit of grace that removes mountains through faith and the Spirit of truth that makes us free? See Zechariah 4:6-7; 12:10; 1 Corinthians 13:2; Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:22-26; John 8:31-32; 14:16-17; 15:26; 16:13; 17:17; 1 John 1:5-7.
But doesn’t the Word say that if you don’t forgive your brother for his sins, then neither will your heavenly Father forgive you? Doesn’t Jesus also say that God will hand or deliver you over to the torturers (demons) if you do not forgive your brother from your heart? Doesn’t that imply that God is still angry at you when you are still walking in unforgiveness? See Matthew 6:14-15; Mark 11:25-26; Matthew 18:21-35.
To explore this question, let us consider an analogy…
Let’s say that a just judge sentences a murderer to prison for his crime. During that murderer’s 20-year sentence, the criminal remains bitter, feeling guilty, ashamed, anxious, depressed and filled with self-hatred. Does this mean that the righteous judge who sentenced the murderer to prison is mad at that murderer all those 20 years because of the horrible things that the criminal did?
Rather, what if that judge--from the very day he sentenced that murderer to his prison sentence--was filled with compassion for the man? What if that good judge was always desiring and hoping that one day the murderer would have a change of heart and be freed from the bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, retaliation, rage, hatred, and violence that drove him to act out in murder?
In the same way, God is a just Judge who must punish sin according to His good and just nature. If a judge does not sentence a mass murderer to prison, then is he really a good judge or a just judge? If a judge does not impute guilt or punishment to the mass murderer, might this actually indicate that the judge demonstrates no compassion, love, or a desire for justice on behalf of the mass murderer’s victims and their families?
Imagine if a judge says, “Yeah, I know you mutilated and killed those 20 children, but I’m a kind, gracious, merciful, loving, compassionate, and good judge. So I declare you ‘not guilty!’ I know that you’re hurting and carrying incredible pain and horrendous trauma on the inside, so I’m not going to punish you for your crime. You’re free to go back into society!”
Would that truly be a kind, gracious, merciful, compassionate, loving, good, and/or just judge? Rather, would such actions from a judge demonstrate a lack of compassion and love towards the families of those murdered children? Would the judge’s verdict demonstrate love towards the people in society towards whom he is releasing the depraved (albeit hurting) murderer back into?
However, if the judge sentences that murderer with a twenty-years-to-life prison sentence, doesn’t that demonstrate a love for justice, kindness, and empathy towards the families of the murdered children and also towards other children in society who might otherwise become the murderer’s next victims?
Furthermore, is it possible that declaring the murderer "guilty" of the crime and sentencing him to prison actually demonstrates love, compassion, and kindness towards the murderer himself? Might such actions communicate, “Although you did some horrible things, you are still a hurting human being who has incredible value. You are going to prison where there will be a boundary preventing you from engaging in society to the same degree as before.
“This is actually a mercy to you, as those boundaries of the prison walls will prevent you from continuing to carry out your fallen nature by murdering even more people in society and compounding your guilt and destructiveness. However, as you are in prison, I hope that you will come to your senses, hear the good news about how much God loves you and sent His pure, innocent Son to be murdered in your place.
“When you hear the good news of God and respond by believing it at a heart level, you shall receive a new heart full of love, the forgiveness of your sins, and the removal of all the hurt, pride, bitterness, offense, unforgiveness, resentment, retaliation, anger, rage, violence, and murder in your heart. Only when the Holy Spirit of God transforms you into a new creature from the inside-out through the good news about Jesus will you be released from your internal prison of guilt, shame, fear, worry, hatred, arrogant pride, and condemnation.
“When your transformation, new lifestyle of good behavior, and love is evident, then maybe some legal possibility of releasing you from prison back into society might actualize. But even if that never happens, you won’t become bitter or complain, for you will still be filled with the joy and peace of knowing Jesus as your Master, Savior, and Deliverer from evil, even if your external circumstances never change and you carry out your full prison sentence [or death sentence by the electric chair].”
Thus, even though the just judge sentences the murderer to a long prison sentence, does that mean that the judge has to lose one bit of sleep over his decision? The good, kind, compassionate, loving, merciful, and just judge may be angry and grieved at the murderer’s horrible crime and indignant at what the devil drove that man to do to his victims; but does this mean that the day after the trial and the verdict, and ten years down the road, that judge is holding a bitter grudge against the murderer in prison?
The law may still be holding that murderer in prison, and the just judge may still remember that murderer, his case, and what the murderer did, but does this mean that the judge is [still] personally angry or filled with hatred towards that murderer? In the same way, if we are still trapped by the lies we believe, if there is still some unresolved bitterness, self-hatred, anxiety, fear, guilt, shame, or pride in our lives, does this mean that God is still mad at us over our unresolved issues?
Or rather, like the just judge sentenced the mass murderer to a just prison sentence, might God still be loving, nurturing, and compassionate towards us although He may have to justly sentence or to hand us over to the torturers of the prison of guilt and fear until we repent, reconcile with others, and/or deal with ourselves under His guidance and leadership as we obey what He says in His Word?
Imagine that the mass murderer in our analogy hears the gospel and undergoes a massive transformation in his character. He is no longer the bitter, angry, volatile, perverse murderer that he once was, but he died to that old identity when he became a new creation in Christ Jesus. He received God’s Holy Spirit and all things about him became new, and every bad thing that dwelt within him has lost all its power and influence. The man repented, believed in the gospel, received God’s grace and mercy by His Holy Spirit, and received God’s perfect love that casts out fear. See 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:11; 12:1-2; Colossians 3:2-10; Romans 5:17; Titus 3:4-6; 1 John 4:18.
News of the murderer’s transformation reaches the same just judge who had originally sentenced him with twenty-year-to-life in prison as a new case is brought up concerning whether or not to reduce or to cancel the man’s prison sentence. The judge was never bitter about the man’s past criminal acts and he never held a grudge against that criminal. Certainly the judge was grieved by his heinous crimes and felt compassion for the victims and their families, but his judicial decisions were never based on his mere personal emotions or feelings.
Rather, the judge always made his decisions regarding what is a just verdict, action, or punishment according to the laws of the land, what is best for society, what is best for the victims and their families, and even what is best for the criminal in his current state. Imagine that the families of the murder victims even forgive the man, and upon hearing of his undeniable transformation in prison, they petition the judge that if he wills, they would receive that man back into society with open arms. Given the new evidence of the former criminal’s transformation and other factors, the judge may be moved to reduce the man’s sentence or to even release him from prison.
Further questions for reflection:
Is God angry or mad at us for not dealing with recurring sin issues?
Is God mad at us for struggling with guilt, shame, fear, anxiety, worry, accusation, lust, perfectionism, hypocrisy, anger, or other sins?
Is it possible to be mad at the sin but not mad at the person who has been influenced and overcome by that sin?
How can coming into a deeper knowledge of God’s love, mercy, grace, compassion, and affections towards us through His Word better inform us on this matter?
Like the good, loving, righteous judge can sentence a murderer to a prison sentence without retaining bitterness or resentment towards that criminal personally, might God allow us to reap the negative consequences of our imprisoning, enslaving, toxic mindsets and sins (fear, guilt, anxiety, pride, shame, impurity, etc.) without being personally mad at us?
Although sin grieves God’s heart (Ephesians 4:30), does this mean that God remains perpetually angry with us until we finally see victory over the sin in our thoughts and actions?
If a child rebels against a good parent, although that parent is grieved, does a good parent remain angry at that child for the duration of the rebellion until the child finally decides to come clean?
Rather than remaining bitter, offended, and hurt by that child, will not a good parent simply yearn with compassion and eager longing for that child to return to a relationship of love, honor, and trust with the parent?
In the same way, rather than feeling hurt by us in bitterness and anger, does not God the Father hurt for us as He waits in eager longing for us to return to Him and to experience His indescribable love, grace, compassion, mercy, joy, hope, and good plans for us? See Luke 15:11ff.
For more information on entering into a personal relationship with God through Jesus, see “Four Spiritual Laws for Healing a Broken Heart.”
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