Be angry

“Be angry, and do not sin” : do not let the sun go down on your wrath, (Ephesians 4:26 NKJV)

I was reading in Ephesians and this verse is
confusing me just a bit. I always thought
being angry was sinful? Later in this chapter
we are told to turn away from anger. Anyone have
any thought that might help me understand better.

God bless
Mj

Did not Jesus get angry?

No emotion is wrong in and of itself, they are God-given. Unsanctified emotions are simply out of proportion and degree of their intended use in creation. Part of the deeper work of the Holy Spirit is to re-adjust our emotions along with other propensities, desires and affections.

Ray Stedman has a wonderful sermon concerning "anger", I think the title is either "Right and Wrong Anger" or "Anger: Right and Wrong", or something along those lines. It certainly clears up the popular teaching that anger is wrong. Perhaps if a moderator reads this they may add the link to it, as I don't know how to do that.

Be blessed and be a blessing!

"“Be angry, and do not sin” : do not let the sun go down on your wrath, (Ephesians 4:26 NKJV)"

Dear Mary Jane,

I always understood that as saying (paraphrased) 'If you are angry and do not sin. . . .'

Kind regards,
WS

Injustice has a way of angering people who love holiness. Jesus got angry when he saw how the temple was used as a marketplace. He responded by taking whips and driving out people and animals. Imagine that for a moment, if you can!

As I would understand this verse it is where you keep the emotion in check and not allow it to control you. Sometimes it takes anger to provoke a reaction from us to do what needs to be done, however, in doing so do not sin.

"do not let the sun go down on your wrath": I would understand this to not allow the emotion to fester overnight. Take care of it before you go to bed at night. A prime example is when your spouse does something that makes you mad. Take care of it before the sun goes down. It says "before the sun goes down" not after you get to bed.

This verse comes back to challenge me a lot. Right now I am dealing with a situation where there is child abuse - a foster daughter is subject to emotional and verbal abuse. Fortunately, she will be moving out of this situation but I am left grappling with my attitude towards the perpetrators. And these are religious folks... It just ain't right!

“Be angry, and do not sin”

Example:

I am angry over the murder of infants in the womb (aka abortion), but you will not find me going from one murder chamber to another and blowing them to smitherines.

Indignation at dishonor done to God, and wrong to man, is justifiable anger. Should circumstances arise to call for anger on your part, let it be as Christ’s “anger” (Mark 3:5),without sin. - JFB

Righteous anger is commanded, not merely permitted.

The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil; Pride and arrogance and the way of evil, and perverted [deceitful] speech I hate. Proverbs 8:13

The virtue of all virtues is humility; therefore Wisdom hates, above all, self-exaltation in all its forms. - K&D

Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts. I think what I felt most confused about what was the wording in the verse. IT almost sounding like a commend to be angry but not sin. (someone else mentioned that to I think)

God bless
mj

Kenneth Wuest's expanded translation is helpful here, and affirms what others have said.

"Be constantly angry with a righteous indignation, and stop sinning. Do not allow the sun to go down upon your irritated, exasperated, embittered anger."

In the context there is a series of comparison/contrast.

Petty anger is replaced with righteous indignation.
Theft is replaced with labor.
Rotten speech with edification that imparts grace.
Eradicate malice for the sake of tenderheartedness.

Each contrast shows a sinful tendency which is a warpage of God's intended design for our desires. As others stated, anger, in and of itself…cannot be sinful, as God is depicted as angry in scripture, so it would be rather odd if He called something a sin that he tells us not to commit, while committing it himself. Anger is sinful when it is self-centered and peevish, not when it motivates you toward a righteous action, such as justice. God created anger.

The way I see this is don't be mastered or motivated by anger. Anger is a motivating force in the world. Sports stars like to get mad before a game. Special interest groups appeal to your 'righteous indignation' to try and make you angry about something they want to change. But you must be the master of your anger because it does not work the righteousness of God, it only leads to sin.l

hi, i have given away a lot of money in the building where i live but if you ask me for a loan than i expect it to be paid back as stated. 2 people borrowed money and then became invisable avoiding me at all cost. 1 of these loans was nly 10 bucks. i started to be angry with the lack of character displayedby both and Jesus told me to pray for those who despitefully use me and i had to obey . it delivered me from the anger and made me realize how dumb anger is to carry with you.it opened my heart up to receive blessings from the Lord.jimp

Jimp is right on the money, it is very much worth noting that the anger at injustice that Jesus had was only anger at the disenfranchisement of His Father's week and poor sheep, Jesus never demonstrated anger when he was personally afflicted by another, only when he was concerned for others and their inability to approach the Father because of the selfishness of the religious thieves. We could very easily misunderstand that. To forgive everyone of offenses against us personally is our calling. I have never found justification for being angry when personally slighted by others. I have almost only found excuses in those cases, which are justifying my own sin. In which case…I need to repent.