Lookahead: I believe that even after 30 years of walking with the LORD, I still have that same rage-capacity in me. Every once in a great while, I will actually feel the rage rising up. The only thing (One) that (Who) helps me keep the dam from bursting is the Holy Spirit. When the rage feeling starts rising, I start crying out to God silently in my spirit. The Holy Spirit intervenes and keeps me from throwing whatever it is, or saying that hurtful thing that will destroy a relationship, or (as happened to someone I know and love) grabbing scissors and cutting a large clump of hair off, that had resisted de-tangling. 🙂 Praying helps me disengage from the moment–and once in a while I feel like He actually speaks to my spirit and says something that helps me re-frame the situation. So I go from petulance to laughter in the moment.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. James 1:19-21
These verses follow on the heels of:
James 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
James addresses verse 19 to his “dear brothers and sisters” alternatively worded, “my beloved fellow believers.” So he continues to target the firstfruits as his audience. As I mentioned in the last post (after I wrestled with whether :18 was a stand-alone verse or not), one TV pastor actually thought :18 might be a causal statement segueing into :19 and the other “Listening and Doing Topic” verses that follow. That is to say, since you are among the fortunate, brand spanking new converts–with great spiritual insight and fervor–own up to your responsibility of spreading the Good News…and get to work. 🙂
λόγῳ supports this. λόγῳ? λόγῳ is the Greek word for the taught Word of God. It is used in verse :18 as the catalyst for a Christian’s new birth (He chose to give us birth through the word of truth). And it is also described as the catalyst for a Christian’s transformation in verse :19 (accept the word planted in you, which can save you). Therefore, scripture says that the planted Word can actually save us, and more appropriately: heal us, make us whole, deliver us, preserve us, keep us safe-and-sound, rescue us, and protect us. James effectively says that now that you have been spiritually re-born by the Word, allow the Word to heal you and make you whole.
James next begins to address the highly relevant topic of anger, i.e., better steer clear because, Anger does not produce righteousness. James, in fact, contrasts the unrighteousness that results from anger as moral filth and prevalent evil.
In the Greek, moral filth is rhyparian or ῥυπαρίαν: filthiness, metaphorically, of wickedness as moral defilement;
prevalent is perisseian or περισσείαν: abounding, superiority, preference, preeminence, gain, profit;
with evil being kakias or κακίας: wickedness, malignity, malice, ill-will, desire to injure, wickedness, depravity, evil, trouble.
My 20’s decade was a raging time for me. Case in point, I had a car that didn’t have AC and I relocated from the north to south, to take a job in a pseudo-tropical state that was a “snow bird haven” for retirees. At the height of summer, I remember raging at an interminable traffic light when the elderly person ahead of me didn’t sprint out at green–and I was trapped at the light for a second cycle. I started screaming at the top of my lungs, “I hate traffic lights and I hate this place!!!”…in a populated area…obviously with all my car windows down. 🙂 Fortunately, when I lashed out physically, I took my rage out on inanimate objects like walls or automotive parts or household appliances instead of people. But verbally was another story. Until I quit drinking at the age of 25, I was an angry drunk and goaded people with expletive-laden vitriol–strangers and sadly friends, when my real truth came tumbling out.
I wasn’t alone with this type of rage expression. When I was researching this post, I read of a rock star who was accused of raging when high on drugs–and having an altercation with a fellow musical artist. But the latter described it as more of a gasoline meets fire scenario. 🙂 —
He invited me to his house in Los Angeles and started (giving it to me) for swearing in interviews…When I told him,
he got very upset and became quite threatening…He can pack a punch. A few blows were exchanged. All I could do was spit. I spat on him quite a bit.1
Sounds like both parties may have exhibited rage under the influence…
However, having looked at some of the more benign, though highly embarrassing, aspects of rage, it must be emphasized that rage is no joke…in fact, rage kills.
In March 2022, a 26-year-old woman, who had been hitting art galleries/lots of complimentary wine that evening, was asked to leave a Manhattan park due to closing hours. The woman and her fiancé had temporarily plopped there to eat a food-cart meal. The directive to exit the park triggered an explosive reaction from the woman, but rather than physically accosting Park Security, she unleashed on an innocent bystander. It is unknown whether she had a grudge against the elderly, or just wanted to start a fight with someone she had an obvious height/weight advantage over. But this tall, 175 pound woman deliberately crossed the street to curse at and shove a 4’11” 87 year-old woman who weighed less than 100 pounds. It turned out to be a fatal shove, as the elderly woman fell violently to the ground, hitting her head. The victim described her hit-and-run perp/actions, then went into a coma from which she never emerged. Fortunately the young woman was arrested and charged with first-degree manslaughter; she was subsequently incarcerated at Rikers Island, and was pursuing a psychological legal defense at this writing.2
I believe that even after 30 years of walking with the LORD, I still have that same rage-capacity in me. Every once in a great while, I will actually feel the rage rising up. The only thing (One) that (Who) helps me keep the dam from bursting is the Holy Spirit. When the rage feeling starts rising, I start crying out to God silently in my spirit. The Holy Spirit intervenes and keeps me from throwing whatever it is, or saying that hurtful thing that will destroy a relationship, or (as happened to someone I know and love) grabbing scissors and cutting a large clump of hair off, that had resisted de-tangling. 🙂 Praying helps me disengage from the moment–and once in a while I feel like He actually speaks to my spirit and says something that helps me re-frame the situation. So I go from petulance to laughter in the moment.
To elaborate further, I believe that God is willing and able to heal us from anger issues with the snap of His fingers–essentially by helping us to identify and be delivered from the root cause. However, anger can also be a result of learned behavior and/or the “Angry Gene.” So many times God won’t take the rage tendency away in one fell swoop. He will instead take us through a process of un-learning the toxic anger response. And as happens continually in my case, He will teach us that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9
Finally, as James says, a person with anger issues is, at any time, subject to being defiled by the enemy and committing evil acts up to and including murder. God gives us the solution for attaining to His righteousness: I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Gal 5:16
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