Good and Mad

“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.” - Ephesians 4:26-27

Anger is a problem, not only in our world but also in the Christian Church. Acting out of anger has ruined countless marriages and friendships. It has caused churches to split, jobs to be lost, and spirits to be broken and scarred. Most of us learned early in life that the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me” couldn’t be further from the truth. Words hurt, crush, and wound…especially words spewed in anger.

In light of the seriousness of this problem, Paul’s command in Ephesians 4:26 seems puzzling, “In your anger do not sin.”  In the original text, it reads, “Be angry, and do not sin.” Why is Paul telling believers to be angry? This is a literal command, quoted from Psalm 4:4. Paul uses the reference to Psalm 4 to say that as Christians we should be angry about some things, but even then we must be careful that it does not become sinful anger. There is a fine line between being so passive that we ignore sin and allowing our anger to boil over into an excessive reaction.

It’s helpful to keep in mind that in this letter, Paul is telling us specific ways to put off our old way of life and put on the newness of Christ Jesus. One characteristic of the world is not getting angry about the right things. The carnal man sees sin that destroys people and does nothing. This apathy is not of God.

God hates sin and He displays His wrath against it. Because sin destroys people, God would not be loving or righteous if He did not hate it. Therefore, if we want to be godly people, we must also hate sin. This begins with the sin in our own lives and extends to the sin and injustice we see in the world. But, as Paul reminds us, in our righteous anger, we must be careful not to fall into sin and give Satan an opportunity.

Gracious Father, I know that You hate sin. I also know that You love people. Help me to have Your righteous anger towards all sin, as well as Your deep love and compassion for people. In Jesus’ name, amen.