I’m sure you’d agree that God’s character and nature is different from the character and nature of man: as Hannah exclaimed in a moment of worship, “There is none holy like the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:2). But how is God different from us? In what respect is there “none holy like the Lord?”

One of the clearest differences between God and mere men is in the different ways we experience anger. I mentioned this in passing on Sunday, but I think it’s important to spend a little more time on the difference between the wrath of God and the anger of man. 

Many professing believers have more or less thrown out the idea that God could get angry. To them, such a notion seems beneath Him, as though only lesser beings experience anger. If you think of anger in merely human terms, that makes sense. But there’s a problem: God’s anger is frequently asserted and often assumed in the pages of Scripture. But how is this possible? How can God’s anger complement His other perfections? How does His anger differ from the anger of man? 

It might help to point out what every form of anger holds in common: Anger of any kind requires two ingredients: (1) a sense of right and wrong and (2) a sense of value or worth. If you’re angry, it’s because you feel that something is wrong. Not just unpleasant or less than ideal, but morally wrong. Anger is tied to one’s sense of justice. 

Not only that, but anger is tied to value or worth. The greater the value of the being that suffers the wrong, the greater one’s tendency to anger. For example: I believe it’s wrong to be unkind to a stray cat. But (true confession!) stray cats aren’t valuable to me (sorry!). So if I were to witness someone being unkind to a stray cat, I doubt I would feel any anger about it (although I hope I would intervene out of a sense of duty!). 

If you think carefully about these two ingredients, I’m sure you’ll see a key difference between the anger of man and the anger of God as described in Scripture. In God, His sense of justice and injustice is perfect. His sense of right and wrong defines what is actually right or wrong. 

By contrast, my sense of right and wrong falls far short of the ideal. As a Christian, I have the Holy Spirit, but the “flesh” still looms large in my affections and thoughts. I still deal with the “old man” with its twisted morals. Not only that, but as a human being, I’m limited. I just don’t have the capacity to see moral issues as clearly as the all-knowing God. And this is a key difference between the anger of man and the anger of God. God’s anger is perfectly calibrated to His perfect justice. His anger is never misdirected or confused. It is always right, period. 

Not only that, but God’s sense of value and worth is different from ours as human beings, both because of the presence of sin and because of our weaknesses and limitations as human beings. I might not adequately value that stray cat (just being honest!), but God values it perfectly. 

Typically, our anger differs from God’s in that we put ourselves at the center of the universe rather than Him. When someone crosses us, our wrath burns. When someone offends our Creator, we yawn with boredom. 

James speaks of this dynamic in James 4. He asks, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?” The root cause is that we have placed our sinful, selfish desires at the center: we take the place of God. We desire something and don’t get it, so we rage, and everyone in our orbit suffers. This twisted wrath stands behind every human conflict: men and women competing for a spot that belongs to God alone. 

But God’s wrath is perfect: It is always in proportion, always just, always controlled. It is a function of His perfect righteousness, His perfect care, His perfect zeal for His glory and for us, the creatures He made in His image. 

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jake