SABBATH THOUGHT 2026-08-01—CASE AGAINST ANGRY PEOPLE
May God bless you on His Sabbath day!
What is holiness? Someone is holy if their life is dedicated a god. Those who worship Baal are holy to him. Those who worship God are holy unto Him. At its core, however, holiness to God is centered on agape love:
EPHESIANS 1:4 just as He [God the Father] chose us in Him [Jesus Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
Agape love IS the primary reason for having the Holy Spirit: “… the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.”[1] Agape love is the most important characteristic of someone who is holy to God. Solomon said, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.”[2] It is quite a statement because the Hebrew word for cover is the same word used to describe the cloud of incense that “covers” the Mercy Seat on the Day of Coverings.[3] Agape love covers sins like incense upon the Mercy Seat!
Anger is the complete opposite of agape love. Agape love ALWAYS covers sin whereas anger CAUSES sin. While not all anger is sin, it can become sin. Jesus talked about good and bad trees and their fruit. In the Bible, fruit is always meant for others[4] so anger becomes sin when it is a bitter fruit dished out to others:
MATTHEW 7:16-20 “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
A tree, here, is a metaphor for the character of people. Good and bad trees represent good and evil people. While there are many kinds of evil, the foundation of all evil is anger. Why? The root of any tree is what nourishes, sustains, and anchors it so its fruit is determined by the root of the tree. In the case of a bad tree, its roots are bitterness[5]:
HEBREWS 12:14-15 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 [see to it that no one] fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
If the root of a bad tree is bitterness, anger is a primary root of evil. I rarely quote things from the Internet because they usually do not align well with the Bible but this definition struck me as quite accurate, if not insightful:
“A root of bitterness is a metaphor for unresolved resentment, anger, or offense that festers in the heart. It begins as a hidden "seed" of hurt but, if left unaddressed, grows, poisons the individual’s perspective, and negatively impacts the people around them.
“A root of bitterness typically develops in three stages: 1) The offense—an individual experiences a perceived wrong, betrayal, or unmet expectation. 2) The nourishment—instead of forgiving or resolving the issue, the person constantly replays the hurt, justifying their anger. 3) The Growth—over time, the internal offense hardens into a cynical, resentful attitude that becomes a part of their core character.
“[A root of bitterness has a] Contagious Nature [that causes “many [to] become defiled."] The metaphor of a root is used because bitterness spreads quietly beneath the surface. Just as a poisonous root taints the soil and chokes out surrounding plants, a bitter person often spreads their toxicity. This can manifest as gossip, sowing division, or fostering a critical spirit within families, friendships, or workplaces.
“Breaking free from a root of bitterness requires intentional choices: 1) Honesty—acknowledging the hurt and admitting that the resulting resentment has become sinful rather than justified. 2) Forgiveness—actively choosing to release the offense and the person who caused it. This does not mean excusing the wrong, but rather letting go of the desire for retaliation. 3) Grace—shifting focus toward healing, humility, and extending the same grace and patience received from others.”
A root of bitterness does not simply describe how deeply anger has become intertwined in the very character of angry people; it is also a warning that anger can spread through roots to others around them. The angry people I have known over the decades were that way from the time we met. A good indicator of an angry person is if anger is a part of their character. I cannot say what makes angry people; perhaps they never were disciplined as children to be respectful of others or maybe it was just a part of their nature. Anger can be due to a traumatic event such as war that leaves emotional scars but some are angry from their youth:
[KJV+] JOB 20:11-14 His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust. 12 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue; 13 though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth: 14 yet his [food] in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.
I dislike dedicating a whole topic to overcoming sins. Besides being generally well understood, in my experience people rarely take to heart admonitions such as:
PSALMS 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; …
COLOSSIANS 3:8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
PROVERBS 29:22 An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression.
MATTHEW 5:22 “But I [Jesus Christ] say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
As a foundation for all manner of evil, anger is a leading cause for a judgment to eternal death from God:
GALATIANS 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers [angry people are abusive], nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
EPHESIANS 4:30-31 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor [quarreling], and evil speaking be put away from you, [along] with all malice.
Anger is completely contrary to the Way of Life of God and Jesus Christ so it will not exist in the Kingdom. If fruit reflects the character of people, then angry people can easily be identified through their fruit as those who:
· Are concerned only about themselves;
· Do not say please;
· Do not apologize (they make a pretence and insinuate the other person is at fault by saying “I’m sorry if I did anything that offended you” or “I heard you were offended and I’m sorry to hear that”);
· Are not thankful;
· Have no friends;
· Have no sympathy or empathy for others;
· Complain about others;
· Use anger to control people;
· Are utterly disrespectful of others;
· Are always at odds with others;
· Point out someone’s faults, usually in front of others;
· Yell at people, usually in front of others;
· Do not care if they hurt people;
· Bring nothing to a relationship—they only blacken the hearts of others;
· Blame everyone else for all their problems;
· Will get angry about someone or something eventually.
The fruit of an angry person causes obvious reactions every time they are encountered. You might be in the presence of an angry person if you:
· Tense up,
· Find your mood instantly changes,
· Avoid certain topics,
· Withhold your opinion,
· Find it a strain to talk,
· Carefully choose your words,
· Look for excuses to end the conversation.
Angry people are everywhere including the ekklesia. A common trait is self-righteousness. Angry people call out the sins of others (that’s pretty much everyone else) and quote the Bible like leaves falling in autumn. They spew verses like bullets rather than gently wrapping someone with comforting words that heal[6]. If that is not enough, they finish them off by boldly proclaiming the victim is not converted and will lose their salvation.
They are quick to tell others to repent and change but never do so themselves. Perhaps they think God overlooks their anger because they study, pray, listen to a message on the Sabbath and Holydays, etc. This ignores the fact that the PURPOSE for keeping the Law of God is to produce hearts of agape love. They must think that God will somehow replace their anger with agape love at the resurrection. If so, they surely do not understand the Word of God:
1 TIMOTHY 1:5-7 Now the purpose of the commandment is [agape] love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.
There is a root of bitterness but did you know there is also a root of love? If a Bad Tree has a Root of Bitterness then a Good Tree is grounded with a Root of Love:
EPHESIANS 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
It is a huge challenge for an angry person to overcome a Root of Bitterness. It is also an extreme hardship for anyone who tries to help them. Angry people “defile”[7] others with their Root of Bitterness so the best advice is to avoid them:
ROMANS 16:17-18 Now I [Paul] urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
Those who tolerate angry people are usually other family members. Regardless, anyone who is able to bear the unimaginable stress and pain of trying to help an angry person and not be spiritually defiled, truly, “the love of God is shed abroad in [their] hearts.” Their Root of Love grows deep; deeper than most. Saving an angry soul from death is an act of agape love that “covers a multitude of sins”[8]:
JAMES 5:20 … he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
May God’s grace and peace be upon you!
Steven Greene
https://sabbathreflections.org