6 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Isaiah 10:5-13:22
Ephesians 4:17-5:5

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (CSB): “Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

It’s interesting that the Bible never warns us: “Love and do not sin.” It never says: “Be humble and do not sin.” There are several Christlike traits that we can engage in without fear of our involvement ever becoming sinful.

However, when we reach Ephesians 4:26-27, we find a command and a warning. We are commanded to “be angry” (written in the imperative mood) and yet are warned that our anger could become sinful if we aren’t careful.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (CSB): “Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity.”

Anger is sometimes appropriate and righteous. After all, our completely holy and righteous God, who cannot sin, expressed anger multiple times.

The Lord became angry at Moses (Exodus 4:14), at the Israelites (Exodus 32:10, etc.), and at Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:7). These few instances are just a small sampling of the times that God became angry in the Old Testament.

When we get to the New Testament, we observe that God in the flesh (a.k.a. Jesus) became angry on at least a few occasions. Just for starters, read Matthew 23. As you read Jesus’ words, you can’t help but realize that the person who said those things was pretty angry when He said them. Also, check out Mark 3:5, 10:14, and John 2:13-17 where he cleared the Temple with a whip (“Can I get ‘Was Jesus Angry?’ for $1000, Alex?”)

Since our righteous God sometimes becomes angry, we should not be surprised when we are commanded in Ephesians 4:26 to “Be angry.”

Friend, imagine someone heard that an adult was sexually abusing a minor. Is anger appropriate? You betcha! In fact, I would argue that if someone did not get angry at such horrific evil, then something is wrong with their heart. Some things DEMAND that we respond with anger.

The problem is that anger can sometimes cross a line and become sin. So, when we are righteously indignant, we need to be sure that we steward that anger appropriately.

How can anger become sinful, which means, among other things, that it is harmful to us and others?

There are multiple ways! One way anger can become a sin is when we hold onto it for far too long. I’ve known some people who were appropriately angry at sin. However, they held onto it. They never let it go. Their anger fermented into bitterness. What is the difference between anger and bitterness? Anger is directed at one person or circumstance; bitterness is a reckless anger at the whole world.

That’s why Ephesians 4:26-27 provides a clear guideline for managing our anger.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (CSB): “Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity.”

God’s Holy Spirit, through Paul’s pen, told us clearly that we must not “let the sun go down on (our) anger.” That means that righteous anger, among other things, needs to be resolved before the sun goes down, at least an hour or two before we lay our head on our pillow.

Why?

First, we have all had the experience of going to bed angry. We wake up the next morning, after a restless night’s sleep, and at least momentarily forget why we were even angry. We search our memory for that reason to justify why we ruined a good night’s rest. And when we remember, we carry it tightly down the field like a football player who refuses to let anyone strip it from us. That anger is on its way to becoming bitterness.

Second, resolving anger before the sun goes down (at least an hour or so before we go to bed) takes into consideration that it may take a while for our emotions to calm down and for the neurotransmitters and hormones to get back to homeostasis. This is a must before we go to sleep, and our brain begins its work of filing and organizing our thoughts during our sleep. If we cherish a good night’s rest, we need to deal with things long before we hop into bed.

We are also told that anger can become wrong because it can “give the devil an opportunity.” Satan is looking for a way to get us stuck in anger and bitterness, or to torpedo relationships, or to harm our health (blood pressure, stroke, etc.), or to get us to act out our anger in a way that the unbelieving world will condemn. We MUST steward righteous anger in a way that keeps us from stumbling into sin and giving Satan and an unbelieving watching world a reason to condemn our actions (and us).

Pastor Adrian Rogers used to give the following general rule:

“The only way to be angry and not sin is to be angry at sin.” – Adrian Rogers

In the MacArthur Study Bible, John MacArthur painted the corners to define what righteous anger looks like in his comments on Ephesians 4:26-27:

“Paul may have been sanctioning righteous indignation, anger at evil. This type of anger hates injustice, immorality, ungodliness, and every other sin. When such anger is unselfish and based on love for God and others, it not only is permissible but commanded.” – The MacArthur Study Bible

Friend, it is right to get angry sometimes. In fact, it is wrong NOT to get angry on certain occasions. But even righteous anger can quickly become sin if we are not careful. So, be angry … but don’t sin.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you cultivate a mind and heart that responds appropriately to the things that deserve anger.
  • Ask God to help you steward your anger, never to allow it to cross the line and become sinful.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what it looks like to be angry and not sin, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean to ‘be angry and do not sin’ (Psalm 4:4)?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)