My tendency to be angry at people I love most and people who happen to be sharing the road with me is not righteous. This is certainly a sinful habit, and it is within my ability and God’s grace to reel those emotions in. I have also learned over the years that this kind of sinful anger tends to dissipate quickly when my heart is focused on the Holy Spirit. So where is the line? Where does anger become sin? Is our righteous anger the same as God’s?
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27
I am a member of the generation raised primarily by Bob Ross, Mister Rogers, and those nice adults who lived on Sesame Street. As this indicates, I am generally a pretty easygoing person who does not get rattled easily. Regardless, I hate to admit that I can, and often do, get angry about something insignificant every day.
I get angry at home.
I get angry at work.
I get angry at finances and politics, and I certainly get angry with other drivers.
There is not much redeeming goodness in this kind of anger. Yet ‘be angry and do not sin’ gives the impression that it is possible to be angry in a way that is not sinful. But how? And why?
We see examples in Scripture of God showing anger, such as Romans 1:18, which tells us, “the wrath (anger) of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who...suppress the truth.” Jesus was famously angry when he started pushing over tables of merchants who mocked God’s holiness in the temple.
As for me, my tendency to be angry at people I love most and people who happen to be sharing the road with me is not righteous. This is certainly a sinful habit, and it is within my ability and God’s grace to reel those emotions in. I have also learned over the years that this kind of sinful anger tends to dissipate quickly when my heart is focused on the Holy Spirit.
So where is the line? Where does anger become sin? Is our righteous anger the same as God’s?
Give No Opportunity to the Devil
First, our anger is not the same as God’s - He is perfect, and we are not! Our anger is always tinted with at least a bit of our sinful nature, no matter how just our cause.
It is not in itself sinful to be angry about the things God is angry about, yet it becomes sin when we act upon that anger in a hateful way.
Unrighteousness, pain, and evil in the world make me angry.
That’s okay because in these things, I am recognizing what God recognizes. But this recognition and a desire to act cannot fester into hatred and vengeance. It must lead to loving my enemies, humility in service, and an ability to share joy and peace in the darkest situations – not hatred, revenge, or haughtiness.
Paul calls us to ‘not let the sun go down on anger’ as an assurance that all our anger is dealt with swiftly, not carried forward indefinitely, and not allowed to become a foothold for satan to ferment hateful feelings that grow and control us. That is a sure stronghold for satan to wreak havoc on us and those around us.
Our sinful anger will be subdued as we submit to the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Let Sinful Anger Be Put Away
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. - Ephesians 4:30-31
As believers, our sinful actions cause the Holy Spirit to experience grief. It should come as no surprise that our sin causes pain to ourselves and to those around us, but it may surprise us to consider that our ongoing sin also causes pain and grief to God himself.
We don’t know exactly what this grief is like, but Paul clearly expresses that our actions can ‘grieve’ the Holy Spirit. This echoes what we see in Luke 19:41, as Jesus weeps over the city of Jerusalem because of their sin and failure to recognize him as Savior. God does not simply save us and then walk away; he is actively invested in our daily actions and desires relationship with us. When we habitually turn our backs on Him, we are choosing to deny His guidance and His relationship.
In this same passage, Paul goes on to say that the Holy Spirit has ‘sealed’ us for ‘the day of redemption.’ This is a reminder that although our sin causes grief to God, it does not cause him to cast us away or to revoke our salvation.
God has saved us despite our sin, and we cannot sin ‘bigger’ than his grace. Why would we ever want to?
This does not give us a license to sin, but rather a very important motivation not to: we are saved from sin by a God whose love is bigger than our sin, although this salvation will bring him grief. Why would we want to bring God grief when any behavior that does so will ultimately bring us grief as well?
It should not come as a surprise that the list of behaviors that are to be ‘put away’ are behaviors that we are regularly drawn towards in our sinful nature. A quick glance around at our society will show that not only is it filled with these behaviors, but they are often rewarded. It is not unusual for us to see the loudest, meanest, angriest, pushiest people getting whatever they want. Yet the cost for getting it is higher than they or others may realize.
When we are walking in the Spirit, it is difficult to embrace any of these emotions or put them into action to step on others in the name of greed. In the Spirit, we will find ourselves seeking the good of others through the grace and mercy of Christ. Paul himself displayed this as he was beaten, imprisoned, and ignored by the members of churches he himself planted. He chose to follow the example of Christ, who blessed his enemies and asked forgiveness for those who caused him pain.
Let us seek to ‘put away’ these sinful behaviors daily, focus on bringing joy to the Spirit (and, by default, ourselves and everyone around us), and rest in knowing that our salvation is certain and worth living for!
Related Resource: A Better Way to View Our Anger & Resentment
We all get angry, although maybe some of us do not recognize it or feel the need to deny it. In this episode of Therapy & Theology, Carley tackles how we can become a people shaped by righteous anger that reflects God’s character. Listen in to learn how to better understand your anger!
Photo credit: ©SWN
Jason Soroski is a homeschool dad and member of the worship team at matthias lot church in St. Charles, MO. He spends his free time hanging out with his family, exploring new places, and writing about the experiences. Connect on Facebook or at JasonSoroski.net.
