This may sound odd coming from an anointed man of God whose heart is set on spreading the Gospel, but in the heat of my preaching, you’ll often hear me express a certain righteous indignation in strong language, such as, “I want to punch them in the throat!” My congregation, knowing my heart, always laughs aloud, as do I. But in fairness to the emotion itself, I recognize that there is substance behind it. Truly...and a lot of it. For a split second, my anger spikes so high that I physically clench my fists. I never carry out such a thing, but the question always arises in my soul, am I being ungodly in this moment? This is a fair question, so I thought I’d ponder it a little while I’ve got your attention. I hope you don’t mind.

On the one hand, Holy Scripture demands specific characteristics of pastors. For example, in both 1 Timothy 3:3 and Titus 1:7, the Bible clearly states that a pastor “must not be pugnacious”, which means they must not be eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight. There’s a real boundary condition set on the election of true pastors of Christ. A person like me must be intimately, ever aware of such things. If I ever begin breeching such a boundary, I need to make immediate corrections and/or walk away from the office in humility, for the love of others. You see, the Greek word translated “must” here is in the present tense, active voice, and indicative mood. This means that a pastor must be personally responsible to such demands on his life at all times, without question. This is serious business, my friends.

God holds those who have been given much to a higher standard. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). The office of pastor is given a lot of responsibility. Therefore, when the owner of said office reads the requirements set forth in Holy Scripture, he must abide in them - remember, present-active-indicative!

So, back to my threats about punching others in the throat. Should I be concerned about my own qualifications as a pastor? If I’m humble, I must at least give this question fair consideration. And, for the record, I do. And just so you know, my primary concern is not the loss of my office, but that I don’t want to cause any of the sheep under my care to stumble...ever! To me, that’s the most painful thought of all.

I want those who learn from me to understand my heart on the matter. It’s true, I have spikes of anger that boil over into words that seem a bit over the top. But am I the only viable pastor that has ever done such a thing? May I find encouragement somewhere in the Bible? The answer, thank God, is “yes”. Paul seems to have had similar sentiments towards those who were disturbing his sheep in the church at Galatia.

You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.

I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
— Galatians 5:7-13

The Greek word that Paul uses in Galatians 5:12 translated “mutilate” means to cut off, to castrate. Ouch! Ummm...need I say more? Will you agree with me that such an act is more extreme than being punched in the throat? Yowza!

So, this begs the question, how could the apostle Paul have even suggested such a thing? I mean, wasn’t he the same guy who wrote the aforementioned letters to Timothy and Titus regarding “not being pugnacious”? Then what gives??? The answer to these questions is simple.

Paul’s response to violence against the Gospel is proportionate in his heart to the magnitude of said violence.

In the case described at Galatia, the Judaizers where attacking the substance of the Gospel, adding works to it, leading some astray. Nothing would have irritated Paul’s soul more than seeing those he loved being led back into slavery after they had already been redeemed by the blood of Christ. Same goes with a guy like me, whose life is dedicated to the same cause. It’s wildly agitating to witness such things. It makes me go bonkers (there’s a technical term for you - LOL). As Paul wrote to that church, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh” (Galatians 3:3)?

I’m hoping by now that you see the point of this blog. This isn’t about me, or even the apostle Paul, it’s about you! It’s about understanding what righteous indignation looks like, and how it might manifest itself in your own soul and then spill out of your mouth from time to time. It doesn’t mean you’re going to actually wound someone’s throat, it just means that if someone’s attacking something that you hold so near and dear to your heart, namely the Gospel, your immediate desire is that they get what they deserve, even though your self-control prohibits any violence.

Wrath is God’s work.

A jealous and avenging God is the LORD;
The LORD is avenging and wrathful.
The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies.
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
— Nahum 1:2-3a

Be encouraged, my friends. There’s nothing wrong with a visceral response to an attack on our Lord or His Gospel. This is a godly emotion, for even the Lord God expresses Himself similarly throughout the Bible. While it remains solely His place to enact actual punishment, it’s absolutely normal, and expected, of someone abiding in His love to share in His disgust for unrighteousness and evil, for these things are antithetical to His essence and therefore grossly objectionable.

I suppose one would have to question their own heart if they aren’t offended by the sheer audacity of God’s opposition in this world.

So, while it’s a healthy exercise to ponder our gut reactions to ungodliness, the truth is that for as long as our indignation rests on the pillars of faith, hope, and love (ala 1 Corinthians 13), we’re well within the boundaries of righteousness. In fact, it’s proof that such things exist in our lives. By this, we may be encouraged.

Love in Christ,

Ed Collins