In Your Anger Do Not Sin
Anger is natural, but the way we respond may be sin.
This is the verse the Lord impressed upon my heart as I was asking for a topic for this article. It’s familiar to anyone who has ever experienced any Christian counseling, and like many Bible verses bears closer examination. The complete verse reads, “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 NIV).”
Translations differ slightly in interpreting this passage and the Greek contains some interesting insights, but Paul was quoting from Psalm 4 where the context of the passage was established. Let’s begin there.
Contained in the Old, Explained in the New
David was distressed by the Israelites’ continuing unfaithfulness to God (Ps. 4:1). They were turning His glory to shame and seeking after false gods (vs. 2). It is the same frustration we feel today in viewing the state of the world, and David was apparently praying on behalf of all who share his feelings. The Lord’s response in vs. 4 was a warning to all of us not to let that frustration turn to sin, but to search our own hearts and be still. I believe the Lord had David explain that we’re to stop worrying so much about other people’s sins and focus on our own, because the next bit of advice is to “offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord (vs. 5).” In other words make our own peace with God and trust Him to deal with those who’ve aroused our anger. Vs. 7 implies that in obeying, David was given greater joy than those others experience even after a bountiful harvest, and he was then able to sleep in peace, his anger gone.
So back to Ephesians 4:26. In quoting Psalm 4 Paul used two different Greek words translated anger by both the NIV and NASB. The first one, at the beginning of vs. 26, means to be provoked to anger. It’s a passive word, indicating the anger is the effect of an outside action. The other, at the end of the verse, means rage or wrath and is used only here in scripture. The KJV translates the first as anger and the second as wrath. In the preceding verses we’re told to “put on the new self.” This warning about letting anger become sin is an example of behavior unsuitable to our new selves.
It Feels So Natural
It’s natural to feel anger over the flagrant violation of God’s laws in the world, both inside and outside the church. It’s bad enough when this hurts others, and when it’s directed at us personally, it’s even worse. But when that anger turns to resentment (anger stored for future use), or causes us to respond in kind toward each other it becomes sin for two reasons. One, it puts us in God’s role of judgement, and two it causes us to presume that we’re better than the object of our resentment. That’s called pride.
Using the context from Psalm 4 then, the lesson becomes clear. Feeling anger is natural, but harboring it or acting upon it is sin, even if we convince ourselves we’re justified because the Lord’s on our side. Before we go to sleep at night we’re to realize that we’re quite capable of the very behavior that has angered us, perhaps having considered or even manifested it. Remember the Sermon on the Mount; anger is as bad as murder, lust as bad as adultery, and so on. It’s the thought that counts, not just the deed. Let our hearts be convicted so we can confess and be forgiven our own sins (1 John 1:9). This is the sacrifice of righteousness counseled in Psalm 4:5. Trust the Lord, who judges the intent of every heart, to handle the rest and we’ll lose the anger and sleep peacefully. By the way, the New Testament promise equivalent to Psalm 4:7 is found in Philippians 4:6-7. Pray about everything be anxious for nothing and thankful for anything, and receive the peace of God that transcends all understanding (my paraphrase).
Against You and You Only Have I Sinned, O Lord
If the object of our wrath is a friend or neighbor, or even someone lying in the bed next to us, it’s also good to patch things up with them, but remember the sin is against God. By judging motives and meting out punishment we’ve tried to make ourselves like Him. It’s the sin that caused Satan’s fall (Isaiah 14:12-14) and it’s also the one that gives the devil a foothold (location or space) in our life.
