Is God’s anger influenced by Satan?

Question

 

Gramps,

When God becomes jealous and angry at His disobedient children, is He under the influence of Satan? Thanks.

Erl

 

Answer

 

Erl,

According to Latter-day Saint doctrine, the answer is no. God is not under Satan’s influence when He expresses righteous anger or divine jealousy. However, understanding why God experiences these emotions requires us to look at what the scriptures mean when they describe God this way.

One of the best-known scriptures about divine jealousy is found in the Old Testament. In Exodus 20:5, the Lord declares that He is a jealous God when giving Israel the Ten Commandments.

At first glance, that might sound like God is insecure or afraid of losing His position. After all, human jealousy often comes from insecurity, envy, or a desire to control another person.

But the jealousy described in scripture is not necessarily the same thing as the jealousy we experience as human beings.

In the context of the Ten Commandments, God was warning Israel against worshipping other gods. He had delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, established a covenant with them, and called them to worship Him alone.

His jealousy was connected to that covenant relationship. Israel had promised to follow Him, and turning to idols represented a rejection of that commitment.

We can compare this, in a limited way, to the faithfulness expected in a marriage. A husband or wife who expects fidelity is not necessarily acting out of insecurity or selfishness. A commitment has been made, and breaking that commitment damages the relationship.

Of course, God’s relationship with His children is not identical to a marriage, but the comparison helps us understand the idea of covenant faithfulness.

In Latter-day Saint belief, God is perfect in knowledge, power, and love. His jealousy is not evidence that He is threatened by Satan or that He fears losing control. Rather, it reflects His insistence that His children remain faithful to the covenants and commandments that lead them toward eternal life.

To answer whether God’s anger means He has given in to Satan, we need to distinguish between righteous anger and unrighteous anger.

In everyday life, anger can lead us to say things we regret, hurt people we love, or act selfishly. Sometimes Satan can use our anger to encourage hatred, division, revenge, and destructive behavior.

Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy addressed this subject in his April 1998 general conference talk, “Agency and Anger.” He taught,

“Anger is a yielding to Satan’s influence by surrendering our self-control.”

Elder Robbins was explaining the danger of allowing our anger to control our actions. When we surrender our self-control and allow anger to lead us toward contention, cruelty, or abuse, we open ourselves to Satan’s influence.

However, this does not mean that every expression of anger is automatically sinful or that every reference to God’s anger means He has yielded to Satan. We must distinguish between God’s divine judgment and the anger that arises from our own pride, resentment, or selfishness.

Brigham Young taught this distinction in the Church’s published collection of his teachings:

“There is a wicked anger, and there is a righteous anger.”

This is a helpful distinction when reading about God in the scriptures. His anger against wickedness is not evidence that He has lost control or become subject to Satan. Rather, the scriptures describe Him as opposing evil and administering justice.

At the same time, we should be cautious about calling our own anger righteous simply because we believe someone has done something wrong. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf addressed this tendency in his April 2012 general conference talk, “The Merciful Obtain Mercy.” He warned,

“We too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate.”

President Uchtdorf’s counsel reminds us that we do not always see situations clearly. We can misunderstand other people’s motives, and our pride can convince us that our anger is justified when it is not. Unlike God, we do not possess perfect knowledge or judgment.

One of the most remarkable passages in Latter-day Saint scripture appears in Moses 7 of the Pearl of Great Price.

Enoch sees the wickedness of the people living on the earth. The Lord explains that the people have rejected His commandments and turned against one another. The Lord’s anger is described in strong language. Yet something unexpected happens. Enoch sees God weeping.

In Moses 7:28–40, Enoch asks why the heavens are weeping. The Lord explains that He has given His children commandments to love one another, but they have become hateful and violent. Although the Lord expresses indignation, He also grieves over what His children have become.

Think about what that teaches us. God is not described as delighting in the suffering of His disobedient children. He is sorrowful over their choices and the misery those choices bring. This is an important distinction. God can oppose wickedness without ceasing to love the people who commit it.

A parent may be deeply disappointed and even angry when a child makes a dangerous decision. That does not necessarily mean the parent has stopped loving the child. Sometimes the parent is upset precisely because they understand the harm the child’s choices can cause.

The comparison is imperfect because God possesses knowledge and perfection that mortal parents do not. Nevertheless, it helps us understand how love, sorrow, justice, and anger can exist together.

Someone might point to Moses 7:37, where the Lord says of the wicked,

“Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom.”

Does this mean Satan has influenced God to become angry with them?

No. In this passage, the Lord describes the consequences of choosing wickedness and following Satan rather than God. It is not saying that Satan has gained influence over God Himself.

Latter-day Saint doctrine teaches that Satan seeks to lead God’s children away from truth and righteousness. God, on the other hand, seeks to bring His children to repentance and eternal life through Jesus Christ. The two are working in opposite directions. Satan encourages sin and misery, while God offers redemption and the opportunity to change.

Even when God warns of judgment, His warnings should be understood alongside the scriptures that teach of His mercy and willingness to forgive those who repent. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, redemption is possible, and God’s judgments do not mean that He has abandoned His desire to save His children.

Doctrine and Covenants 121:41–43 provides another important principle. The Lord teaches that influence should be exercised through persuasion, patience, gentleness, meekness, love, kindness, and appropriate correction. Even when someone needs to be reproved, the Lord teaches that it should be followed by an increase of love.

This passage reminds us that we should never use the fact that God expresses anger in Scripture to justify our own uncontrolled anger, cruelty, or desire for revenge. God’s example is not an excuse to mistreat others. Instead, the scriptures call us to become more like Jesus Christ, who taught us to love our enemies, forgive others, and seek reconciliation.

So, is God under Satan’s influence when He becomes angry?

According to Latter-day Saint doctrine, no. God does not become jealous or angry because Satan has influenced Him. His divine jealousy reflects His covenant relationship with His children, and His anger against wickedness reflects His opposition to sin and injustice.

The account of Enoch in Moses 7 is especially helpful because it shows us that God’s anger does not cancel out His love. He is grieved by the wickedness of His children, and He sees the misery that their choices bring upon themselves and others.

We should also avoid assuming that every feeling of anger we experience is righteous simply because God expresses anger in Scripture. We are not God, and we do not possess His perfect knowledge or judgment.

Perhaps the most comforting lesson is this: God’s anger is not evidence that Satan has gained power over Him, nor does it mean that God has stopped loving His children.

The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that God wants His children to repent, change, and return to Him. His commandments are intended to lead us toward eternal life, and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, forgiveness and spiritual renewal are possible.

God can oppose our sins while still loving us. He can hold us accountable while still offering mercy. And He can express displeasure with our choices without becoming anything like Satan.

That is an important distinction to remember whenever we read about God’s jealousy, anger, or judgments in the scriptures.

 

Gramps