“VIRTUOUS ANGER”

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,”

Ephesians 4:26

Anger is a human emotion aroused by something we do not like. We all have different triggers and tolerances, but it is typical for all of us to feel angry when there’s a valid reason. Of course, some seem to be angry all the time. But as a Christian, how should you deal with anger?

Today’s verse is an instruction from the Apostle Paul to the believers in Ephesus. He tackles the subject of anger and relates it to sin. As it appears, anger isn’t necessarily a sin; otherwise, Paul would have said so and told the Ephesians to avoid it altogether.

The writer quotes Psalm 4:4, which is a commandment to not sin in the midst of anger. There is righteous, justifiable indignation, which the Bible ascribes to God and to Jesus. With that in mind, Christians can express their anger without necessarily sinning. However, it can also get worse and turn into bitterness.

Scripture tells us that even God gets angry (Deuteronomy 9:8; Numbers 25:4). But His anger isn’t the same as ours; it is holy, righteous anger. It is a part of His judgment against sin, which is consistent with His character. God is holy and therefore hates sin.

Jesus demonstrated righteous anger when He turned over the tables of merchants and moneychangers, who set exorbitant rates, which burdened people so much. People also desecrated the Temple and the Gentiles were kept from worshiping God silently. This was the Lord’s indignation against those who took advantage of others and used the temple as a place to conduct such sinful activities. In so doing, Jesus showed how we should be indignant about injustice, whether it’s personal, commercial, or spiritual.

Anger can be productive, but it has to be wisely expressed. We can’t be mad at anything or anyone for any reason. Curiously, Paul used the term “before the sun goes down.” I do not think the Apostle suggests that all anger should be dismissed by sundown. Instead, the term implies that we should not let our anger sit longer than it should. Jesus said that we should come to terms with our adversary quickly (Matthew 5:25). Anger should be dealt with in a timely and righteous manner; otherwise, it will fester our minds and cause us to sin.

Failure to control our temper will cause us to do things we will regret later. How many relationships were destroyed because people failed to withhold their emotions and extend grace? How many accidents or deaths were caused by someone who could not keep their temper in check?

Anger is a God-given emotion that needs to be exercised with wisdom. Following the example of Jesus and yielding to the Holy Spirit enables us to communicate our feelings without sinning and running the risk of damaging our testimony.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Philip Graves on Unsplash