Wrath

 Righteous Indignation. What is it really? I’ve heard it a few times from theologians and everyday people but I don’t see much of it anymore. I did a quick search on the internet and majority, if not all, have a negative connotation of what it means. Pema Chodron says “it’s very dangerous — the finger of righteous indignation pointing at someone who is identified as bad or wrong” as though that’s not the point of being spiritually angered on God’s behalf.

Righteous indignation is essentially the internal discomfort when we see or hear someone insulting Christ or the gospel. It’s the inexplicable anger I get when I read about or watch illustrations of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It’s a feeling of displeasure when we see wrongdoing or sin. An anger that’s in alignment with God's moral standards for us, directed at things and people that contradict His will and commands.

Yes, indeed, righteous indignation is very dangerous and so we do it with great conviction. To exhort anyone who continues in sin with blasphemous disregard for our Creator. In a culture that incentivizes and encourages double mindedness and false teachers misinterpreting and bending scripture to console sinners, righteous indignation is necessary. We have an increase in false teaching and a diluted version of Christianity with no doctrine to equip ourselves with. We lay bare, never putting on the armor of God because it feels too heavy. Instead, we arm ourselves with social and cultural paddings that give us a licensure to sin. 

God is a loving and forgiving God, allowing us to exist in the confines of His grace and mercy. He came to us first on a donkey, symbolic of peace and humility. In His second coming, He will be on a horse, symbolizing war and power. Do not take for granted His love and mercy. Turn from your wicked ways and like Jesus told the man he healed at the pool of Bethesda, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”