“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. (Matthew 5:21-22)
I’ve heard it taught that we are actually commanded to be angry based on a verse that reads, “Be angry but do not sin.” And that there’s nothing wrong with indignation as long as it is “righteous.” This is error on steroids.
Jesus warns that anyone who is angry with a brother is guilty of murder. And anyone who uses contemptuous language on them is guilty as well. Obviously, anger is never justified. The New Testament also says the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. The real command is for us to control it and likewise keep a tight rein on our tongue, the usual vehicle that conveys the aggression that comes from the heart. Therefore, instead of being angry with one another, let us be patient, the first description of what love is, and so fulfill the divine law.
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