Be Angry. But Do Not Sin.

Ephesians 4:17-5:2 

17 Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. 19 They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 That is not the way you learned Christ! 21 For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

25 So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not make room for the devil. 28 Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. 29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, 32 and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
 

It had been a long day already: a baby at home making a fuss, my wife and me trying to navigate parenthood and finances, me a seminary student, Lisa a stay-at-home-mom. I left my wife and daughter at home in the seminary townhouse apartment across the street from the seminary and made my way to the library to meet classmates for a study session.

I was having a bad day. I don’t remember all the details, but I was mad, bitter, upset. If someone would have said to me, “Have a nice day!” I would have probably responded by saying, “I’ve made other plans!”

And so, I showed up for the study session. Our group met weekly to study for our Old Testament class. We took turns providing materials for the group, and another in the group took a turn at beginning the session with a Bible reading and a prayer.

I was late. As I sat down and pulled the books and Bible out of my bag, someone reminded me I was in charge of devotions for the group. In frustration, I threw down my book bag, dug out my bible, opened it up and read the first verse I saw.

It was Ephesians 4:26. I kept it short – “BE ANGRY, but do not sin!” Let us pray…

True story!

There’s a lot of good stuff in these verses above, but let me focus on verse 26.
 

Be Angry. It’s not a call to rebellion, but rather an invitation to be honest with who you are and what you feel! Be Angry, but do not sin!  Sometimes we get a bad rap as Christians – nice, quiet, pushovers – goody two-shoes! Right? But that is not always the case! We can get angry, or mad, or bitter, or – well there are several other words you could use.

The key here is to let those emotions happen, but do not sin! Sin is that which comes between us and God, that causes a chasm between you and others. We are called to love our neighbor AND love ourselves. It’s okay to get angry! But don’t let it get in the way of your relationship with God and others. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger – deal with it and move on!

It’s okay to be angry. No one can tell you how you feel. If you’re feeling it, it is alright. What you DO with it is your decision.

BE ANGRY. Be Happy. Be inquisitive. Be Loud. Be Quiet. BE WHAT GOD CREATED YOU TO BE! 

Let us Pray:  

Almighty God, there are days we are filled with joy and peace. There are days when we are bitter and angry. You know this. For whatever the emotion we experience, may we remember who we are and whose we are. For you are with us on the mountaintops and in the valleys, in the good days and the days that have made other plans. Surround us with your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
 

Leave a Reply

^