Ill temper, the outbursts of wrath Paul lists among the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:20, is the vice opposite of patience. It is no small sin, for Paul says those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, and God will not allow these works of the flesh in His Kingdom. Uncontrolled anger is senseless and destructive: a man who beats his saw to pieces or throws pliers at a tractor punishes something that has done nothing wrong and only hurts himself. The same rage shows up as road rage, which has cost lives, and it makes people tiptoe around those who have it. Because ours is an impatient world in which everyone wants his own way right now, every believer is tested in this area, and knowing better is not easy to apply. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, and it is more than passive waiting; it takes work and often great self-control. Ultimately it is a gift from the God of patience (Romans 15:5). God models the opposite of a short temper. He is slow to anger and longsuffering, restraining His wrath toward Adam, Noah's generation, Babel, and Israel, even though His power could destroy the earth with a snap of His fingers. Charnock observed that God's patience is the greatest expression of His power. Since God will one day give believers power to rule the nations, they must learn that same self-control. Trials are designed to produce patience (James 1:3-4), and those who want to be perfect as God is perfect must work on it.

Temper, the family of ungodly anger that includes hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, dissensions, envy, and murder, is deadly serious, because Paul warns that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Anger need not be visible rage; even depression is anger without enthusiasm, and it remains a problem when its intensity is hidden. Unrighteous anger is contrary to every fruit of the spirit. It inhibits love, drains joy, opposes peace and longsuffering, erodes kindness, disagrees with goodness, despises gentleness, and resists self-control, so the fruit of the spirit cannot be found in a person while he practices ungodly anger. Anger itself is not always sinful. God created the emotion, and He is rightly angry at times, always in proper proportion and motivated by love. Man's so-called righteous indignation is often only a self-centered temper. To be in God's image is to be angry on the right grounds, in the right manner, at the right moment, for the right length of time, and with the right words and actions. Godly anger targets sin, not people, and seeks to destroy it utterly. Anger always seeks a target and does not dissipate until the target is destroyed, so the safest target is one's own sin. Anger kept inside, nursed, or secretly enjoyed eats away at a person, steals his joy, limits his potential, and injures others. It can even be hidden from the one who holds it, showing itself in subtle, indirect ways.