Be Ye Angry

We have learned to conceal our biological reactions called emotions, but at times we have no control. Maybe spontaneous laughter in response to a room full of laughter, weeping when someone’s heart is broken in tears, or heaving when others have lost control of themselves. This is what anger is, an emotion that God gave to us that we can function properly and survive this physical and spiritual world.

Paul instructs us in Ephesians 4:26-27 to “be ye angry, and sin not,” which tells us anger is not a sin. There are times we must have holy anger towards others and ourselves, toward sin and even Satan himself. But Paul goes on to warn us, “let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” While anger is a God given emotion, wrath is anger’s sinful action. As with all of God’s creation, emotions were tainted by the curse of sin in the Garden of Eden, requiring us to put a hedge of protection around them.

How do we allow anger or any emotion to have its godly way while controlling the curse of sin? Through longsuffering, which is anger under control. This is learning to be slow to anger by controlling our spirit (Proverbs 16:32).

So, don’t feel that you are sinning just because you get angry. Like all emotions, anger must have its way, or we could turn and sin against God. It is a sin to allow our anger to be released in sinful wrath, where Paul said we “give place to the devil.” Paul reminds us in these verses that just as the sun goes down daily, we are to get right with God daily. We are sinners, we will fail, our anger will turn to wrath. We are then to run to 1 John 1:9 and “let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”