Ephesians

Be Angry—But Do Not Sin!

Next, Paul moves to another issue that touches us all—the problem of anger. In Ephesians 4:26-27, Paul writes: “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” The New Revised Standard Version puts that opening phrase in very strong terms: “Be angry but do not sin.” That is not a misprint! It really does say, “Be angry.”

How can that be? Simply, this means that God understands our capacity for anger. Anger can be expressed in sinful ways, but anger is not sin as such. In fact, our human capacity for anger is part of the image of God in us! God gets angry—and rightfully so. If you do not get angry from time to time, there is something wrong with you. There are unjust, unrighteous things that happen in the world that should make our blood boil! So Paul says, “In your anger do not sin.”

Yes, there is a sinful kind of anger. How do we know when anger is righteous and when anger is sinful? Well, selfish anger is sinful anger. If we lash out in anger because our pride has been wounded, because we feel slighted or insulted, that is sinful. This doesn’t mean we are to be doormats for others to wipe their feet on. Sometimes, when rude, abrasive, or abusive people try to push us around, it is in their own best interests that we stand up to them and tell them that what they are doing is sinful and destructive—that is speaking the truth! But before we unleash our anger, we need to make sure that our anger is not merely rooted in our own pride and selfishness.

Justifiable anger is that which is concerned with the wounds and hurts of others. We should be angry with injustice, hatred, crime, racism, immorality, blasphemy, and other sins against the innocent or against God. You see this kind of righteous indignation in the life of the Lord Jesus. He was angry with the Pharisees who opposed His healings on the Sabbath (see Mark 3:5). He was angry when the disciples kept the children away from Him (see Mark 10:14). He was angry with the money-changers who had dishonored the Temple, His Father’s house (see Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:15).

Yet we also see that when Jesus was reviled, when He was personally attacked, He did not respond with self-defensive anger. “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate,” says 1 Peter 2:23, “When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” And Paul teaches us in Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” So we are to put off selfish, self-defensive anger that arises from a deceitful urge.

Yet, Paul makes it clear that even righteous anger must be managed in a righteous way or it becomes sin. “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,” he writes, “and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:26-27). Paul is saying, “Do not hold a grudge; do not let your anger carry over to another day.” And let’s not be slavishly literal about this advice. Let’s not take it to mean that we can explode in anger at 6 a.m., and think, “Well, I’ve got twelve hours till sundown, so I’ve got a whole day to nurse this grudge before I have to resolve it.” Paul is saying that after the first flush of anger subsides, let reason and righteousness prevail and resolve the matter quickly.

Anger can be a useful motivator at times. It is occasionally needed to prod us into action, to get us moving as we should. When we hear of some gross injustice, it is right that we become angry and that we act to remove that injustice. So don’t condemn yourself for your righteous indignation—but at the same time, don’t let righteous anger fester and turn to sinful, destructive bitterness, which only poisons your life and your relationships. The holiest, most righteous anger is that which arises not out of hatred toward your enemy, but out of love toward someone who is being unjustly treated.

Paul adds a final word of warning regarding anger: If you do not deal with anger promptly and righteously, you give the devil an opportunity. An opportunity for what? To create bitterness in your own life and the lives of others. The writer to the Hebrews puts it this way: “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hebrews 12:15). Unresolved, unrighteous anger can give Satan a foothold in our lives, which can metastasize and spread like cancer throughout a family and throughout a church. We need to make sure that Satan has no opportunity to move into our lives and set up housekeeping.