AfterWords: Seven Deadly Sins...Life-Giving Virtues -- Wrath

 

Romans 12:17-21

Today, we come to the sin of wrath…not be confused with mere anger. We all get angry from time to time. Jesus got angry. Paul got angry. Anger is a normal human emotion, and we’re told that anger grows out of our fears or our sense of injustice. When our child runs out in the street, we yell, we grab their arm…we’re angry…and we’re angry because we are afraid for our child’s life. When we see people robbed of basic services and rights, we get angry; when we see people taking advantage of the system, we get angry—both of these cause anger because a sense of justice is challenged.

But, wrath—in the context of these deadly sins—takes anger to the next level. Wrath means two things: 1) I have taken the offense personally, and 2) I want to get even; I want vengeance. On a national level, when we discovered that Osama Bin-Laden and al-Qaeda were responsible for the 9/11 attack on our country, we wanted vengeance. We began the “war on terror”…a war that continues to this day. On a personal level, we feel attacked or offended daily as we drive—especially if one lives in the Rio Grande Valley. People pull out in front of us, make incredibly dangerous U-turns, and cross three lanes of traffic at the last minute to make a sudden exit. And, of course, at work, in our communities, and even in our own families—we are offended, challenged, endangered…and we want revenge.

Paul’s letter to Romans tells us, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (12:19). We can be angry, but we can’t allow our anger to grow into wrath…something that moves us towards revenge. Paul simply echoes Jesus: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matt. 5:38-39). So, our Christian ancestors are right when they call this a ‘deadly sin’—it destroys relationships and robs us of life. We have got to abandon the attitudes and behaviors of wrath. How?

First, we accept and trust that what God says in Scripture is true. We believe it…and allow belief to impact our actions. God’s Word says God will get the revenge, God will set things right. Then, we stop planning revenge (for some of you, you’re not going to know what to do with all that spare time!) But, now that we know, we stop. Maya Angelou says, “When we know better, we do better.” Finally, we replace wrath with kindness. Paul writes, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21)

Besides, when has vengeance ever fixed a situation? When has revenge ever made things right? Never. When US Special Forces killed Bin-Laden in 2011, did it make things right, did we regain a sense of safety in America? When we jump in front of the bad driver and slow down just to "show them," does it really fix anything? So, we put aside wrath, and we respond with goodness and kindness—we pray for others, we allow others to go first, we presume they need something we don’t see. And, if there has been any injustice, we trust God to make things right--in God's way, at God's time. When we do, we let go of life-robbing attitudes and behaviors and embrace the life-giving way of Jesus.

Sunday, July 13, 2025
“Seven Deadly Sins Life-Giving Virtues”
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