11月15日 每日经历神


1115

标  题: 基督徒的怒气

经  节: 生气却不要犯罪;不可含怒到日落。(以弗所书四章26节)

对基督徒而言,生气所带来的破坏力,往往更甚于其他事情。怒气使我们失去自制,说出或做出从来没有想到的事。圣经一再命令基督徒要除掉怒气,并且列出怒气是肉体其中的一个罪(以弗所书四:31)。

有时候,我们引用以弗所书第四章26节为自己辩护。我们用耶稣洁净圣殿是“义怒”,来争辩生气有的时候也是可行的。以弗所书讲到的是不犯罪的生气。耶稣可以做到“生气而不犯罪”(马太福音廿一:1214;马可福音十一:1518;路加福音十九:4546)。

我们一定要小心,不要以经文作为我们发怒的借口。在以弗所书第四章31节命令我们,要除去所有的恼怒。这不代表不要有悔悟或者是不再追求公义,而是表示我们不愿意让其他人的罪,惹动我们犯罪。生气不能够成就神的救赎大工,反而可能拦阻了神的工作。

如果你自觉为某事而升起义怒,要检查你心中的怒气是否有罪的成分。你的怒气是否变成苦毒?怒气是否让你对人的态度,没有基督的馨香之气,甚至说别人的闲言闲语?怒气是否使你为自己不敬虔的态度找借口?愤怒是否阻止你在言行上表达出爱与宽容的态度,愤怒会不会阻碍你仿效基督呢?你一定要审察自己内心的怒气,求神除去你因为怒气所产生的一切罪恶态度。


Christian Anger

“Be angry,
and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath. (Ephesians
4:26)

Few things are more destructive to Christians than anger. Anger causes
us to lose our self-control and to say and do things we would otherwise never
consider. Anger, if allowed to remain, turns into bitterness that eats away at
our hearts. Scripture consistently commands believers to put away anger and
lists it as one of the sins of the flesh (Eph. 4:31).

At times, we try to defend our anger by citing Ephesians 4:26. As
additional proof we argue that Jesus cleansed the temple in “righteous
indignation.” Ephesians refers to anger that does not lead to sin. Jesus was
capable of being angry without sinning. When Jesus cleared the temple,
Scripture does not indicate that He was angry (Matt. 21:12–14; Mark 11:15–18;
Luke 19:45–46).

We must be careful not to justify our anger with Scripture. Ephesians
4:31 commands us to put away all anger. That does not mean that we cease to
have strong convictions or lose our desire for justice. It does mean we refuse
to allow the sins of others to cause us to sin. Anger does not bring about
God’s redemptive work; far more often it hinders what God is working to
accomplish.

If you feel that you have a righteous anger because of something that
has happened, see if you are holding anger in your heart without sin. Is your
anger turning into bitterness? Is your anger causing you to speak in an
unchristian manner to someone or to gossip about them? Is your anger causing
you to make excuses for your own ungodly behavior? Is your anger preventing you
from acting in a loving, redemptive, and Christlike way toward someone? You
must examine any anger within you and allow God to remove any sinful attitudes
that your anger may have produced.

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