anger and anxiety: a puritan perspective timeless wisdom for today’s christians: an introduction...
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Anger and Anxiety:Anger and Anxiety:A Puritan PerspectiveA Puritan Perspective
Timeless Wisdom for Today’s Timeless Wisdom for Today’s Christians:Christians:
An Introduction to the PuritansAn Introduction to the Puritans
A BIBLICAL BACKGROUND FROM MY OWN STUDY
Anger in the Bible
The Anger of God
• Includes most uses of the term in the Bible• Tied to his righteousness
• Angered by ungodliness, suppression of truth, disdain of the Creator (Romans 1:18, 21ff)
• Jesus: • angered when Father’s house disgraced (Lk 19:45-6)• By hardhearted Pharisees• But not when crucified (Lk 23:34)
• Much to be learned from when Jesus NOT angry
Human Anger
• Toward God• Cain (Gen 4:5)• Samuel (I Sam 15)• David (2 Sam 6:8)• Job (10:2-3, etc.)• Jonah (4:1)• Righteous anger about the
prosperity of the wicked (Ps 37:1, 7-8; Pr 3:31-32)
• Toward Others (Justified)• Zebul (Judges 9:30) over a
military report• David with rich man in
Nathan’s parable (2 Sam 12:5)
• Nehemiah (5:6) over grievances
• Moses (Ex 32:19) at grumbling people
Most Anger Seen as Sin• Psalm 37:7ff – forsake wrath• Job 36:13 – the godless cherish
anger• Gen 49:6-7 – Jacob curses
Simeon and Levi for their anger• Prov 27:4 – Cruel• 1 Sam 20:30 – breaks unity• Prov 12:16, etc. – a mark of fools• Prov 30:33 – leads to quarreling• Prov 29:8 – a lack of wisdom
• Prov 6:34 – rash action• Col 3:8; Ep 4:31; 6:4 – a sin• James 1:20 – doesn’t produce
righteousness• Eph 6:4 – fathers not to anger
children• Mt 5: 21-22 – Murder!• James 1:19 – slow to anger• 1 Tim 2:8; Titus 1:7 – no place
in Christian service• Lk 15:28 – older brother of
prodigal not justified in anger
Key Text: Ephesians 4:26
• May quote Psalm 4:4: “be agitated”• Better trans: “Let not your anger be mixed with sin”• Angry with sin or sin of others, NOT with persons• Calvin: God will be angry with them, so we should pity• Knowing our own vices tempers our upset at others
Richard Baxter (1615-1691)• Raised with little education, but
compensated later• Active in politics and tried to stay
in Church of England• But ultimately prohibited from
preaching• Actually a 4 point Calvinist,
disagreeing with limited atonement
• Fought illness several times, influencing the themes of his work
• Much of what we’ll cover this week and in following weeks comes from him
Baxter’s Work
• The Christian Directory• http://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=3WcfCSj-i8AC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
• In many ways, the first Christian counseling manual
• Covers many practical aspects of living as a Christian
Baxter on Anger
• Definition:• The rising up of the heart in
passionate displacency [dislike] against an apprehended evil, which would cross or hinder us of some desired good
• It is good when…• It stirs us to resist things
within and without us that oppose God’s glory or our own or neighbor’s true good
• BUT it is sinful when…• It rises against God or any
good as if it were evil• When it hinders reason and
judgment• When it causes sinful words
or actions• When it is greater than the
cause deserves• When it makes us unfit for
our spiritual duties• When it stays too long• When it is selfish and carnal
Baxter on Anger• It is a hurting passion, inflaming
you to hurt those who angered you
• And leads to various other sins• Plus stirs others to respond in
kind• “It is the devil’s bellows to kindle
men’s corruptions”
• Even a choleric nature does not justify sinful anger
• And Paul said only unsinful anger to be resolved by sunset; sinful anger is never OK
• Immoderate anger is a rebel against reason• “Sinful anger is a short
madness or drunkenness”• It is also rebellion against
God• And an enemy to the body
itself• “It inflameth the blood, and
stirreth up diseases, and breedeth such a bitter displeasedness in the mind.”
Keys to Overcoming Anger
• Live under the government of God
• Stay humble• Pride often incites anger
• Stop the anger early• Be quiet until reason can
be heard
• Don’t meditate on injuries or provocations
• Keep the meekness of Christ in mind
• If can’t control the passion, control behavior• Have a plan
• If angry, quickly confess it to God and another person
• Covenant with someone to watch and rebuke you
ANXIETYANXIETY
SOME BACKGROUND
The issue: We are anxious…but ought not to be
• I’ve to prostitute myself to live comfortably and I see no point in money except to buy off anxiety. I don’t want to be rich. I want to be unanxious. • Sir John Betjeman
• Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. – Ph 4:6
The Basic Dilemma
• Anxiety the most common group of psychological problems for children and adults in US
• 1/8 of US adults has an anxiety disorder
• That is , 40 million!• Often leads to depression• Christians overall have lower rates
• Why?• Speed of Life• Lack of Roots• “Christianity lite”
• The “weightlessness of God” (Wells)
• Inadequate view of God• Christian life as experience, not
living out our theology
• Yet, also the most common command in the Bible is “Be not afraid” and its variants
• So, God knew:• We’d be afraid• But usually don’t need
to be
Background Doctrines
• Humans are valued as made in God’s image
• Yet, sinful by nature since the Fall• The first sin prompted by
idea that God did not have our best in mind
• And immediately they were anxious about being near God
• And about their future
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Theology of Anxiety: Healthy Anxiety
• “Fearing God” is different than anxiety and is commended in Scripture. A “reverential awe”
• God gave us healthy fear responses and the “fight or flight response”
• Issue is when this is triggered when no realistic danger
• E.g., one might argue that all should fear death, as is inevitable: a bleak prospect for those outside of Christ
• Strangely, we often don’t fear the things we should (sin) and fear the things we shouldn’t (people, etc.)
• While various emotions were attributed to Jesus, he is never said to have been afraid
Unhealthy Anxiety: Is it Sin?• Often, but just saying so does
nothing to overcome it!• It IS an issue of faith very
often• Compare a jealous husband
who has a faithful wife, yet is anxious about her dependability
• Such worrying dishonors the wife
• Just as our anxiety can dishonor a faithful God
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Antidote: Trusting in a Provident God• Many Christians are ill-
equipped for this, having rather small views of God• God as “Santa Claus” to
give us whatever we want• The “God who risks” who
doesn’t really control the future in particular ways
• God as severely limited by human free will
• In contrast, if God is sovereign over all• We have absolute hope for
all future contingencies• And have reason to trust
our Heavenly Father to take care of us
• We need not try to wrest control from the One who has it and promises to use it for our good
• Let’s break this down a bit
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Five Implications from Providence• Humility:
• we are not in control and do well not to imagine we are or work things to garner control inappropriately
• Courage: • we look to future knowing our “team” wins and all in our live serves this
lofty goal• Hope:
• God is faithful and will fulfill his promises• Patience:
• biblical virtue of “waiting for the Lord”• Faith:
• Letting God be in control knowing He will work it out• Even though He will “work us out” through trials, they should bring joy
(James 1:2-4)
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SOME THOUGHTS FROM BAXTER
Directions Against Sinful Fear
• We tend not to fear ourselves because of self-love, but we have much cause to fear our “folly, weakness, and wilfulness in sin”
• Fear is sinful when• It stems from distrust of
God• Or ascribes more to the
creature than is due
Directions Against Sinful Fear
• Know and believe more of the nature of God • E.g. his providence
• Be active in love and praise
• Notice how fear drives you from God
• If we fear God in the wrong way, it deprives us of his comforts
• Do you fear the devil?• “Wilt thou fear a conquered
foe?”• We are delivered from his power• You honor the devil by fearing
him• Do you fear men?
• They can hurt your worldly estates only
• This shows our earthly mindedness
• Fear the displeasure of God more than of men
• Your fear is a more dangerous enemy than those that you fear
Expect to Suffer
• Much anxiety is a vain effort to avoid suffering• “Experience telleth us that men have never so much
joy on earth as in suffering for the cause of Christ”• “Who findeth not that adversity is more safe and
profitable to the soul than prosperity?”• “Gensericus commanded that when Maculinus came to die, if he
were fearful, they should execute him, that he might die with shame, but if were constant, they should forbear, lest he should have the honor of a glorious martyrdom.”
• So trust God’s providence
In Conclusion: Keeping Calm• Know and trust God’s
providence• Be heavenly-minded, not
earthly-minded• Be angry at your own sin
more than others’• See the good in suffering
• Even insults and provocations• Consider Jesus• What do I need to change or
work on???• Next week: Death and dying