2009
Anger: The Image of Satan
I struggled mightily with my anger towards Julie for the first few years of our marriage. It was sinful and wrong and I repented of it. With God’s grace and help I have managed to control my anger and our marriage is stronger and more intimate for it. Here’s a great article by Jonathan Dodson about this topic entitled Anger: The Image of Satan
It is horrifying to think of bearing the image of Satan, but that’s exactly what we do when we insist on our own way instead of submitting to God’s way. Our complaining, aggressive, demanding spirit has more in common with Satan than it does with Christ.
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Powlison points out that we express our anger towards God in three main ways. First, anger either ignores or rejects the sovereign freedom of God. Second, it’s a refusal to believe God’s promise to work for our good in all things, even drastic changes in climate. Third, it enthrones our will for comfort over God’s will, effectively assuming personal supremacy over God. It puts God in the dock.
We’ve seen these three elements from my personal struggles with anger, noting their Satanic, not Christlike character. At the root of anger is an enthronement of our will, an idolatry of our way, and a refusal to exercise acontented trust in God’s providence.
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The gospel confronts the idol beneath our anger, calls us to soul-sweetening repentance and faith in God’s unwavering commitment to love us and make us new. The gospel of Christ reminds us that Jesus is sufficient for our failures and strong for our successes, promising us the power to change, to bear the image of Christ not the image of Satan.
