Ephesians 4:26 (GN)
If you become angry, don’t let
your anger lead you into sin.
After reading the previous four devotionals, your
conclusion should be that anger is a foolish and destructive emotion that you
should completely eliminate from your life.
However, you come across this verse in Ephesians that suggests that
anger is acceptable as long as it does not lead you into sin. Some translations state, “Be angry, but do
not sin; don’t let the sun go down on your anger”. In other words, don’t go to bed still being
angry.
Note that the Bible states that it is okay to be
angry. But, it is not okay if your anger
leads you to sin. What sins result from
anger? The previous devotionals point
these out. The greatest sin resulting
from anger is murder. Not only anger
leading to killing someone, but also murder that Jesus describes as calling
others names that will produce anger (Matthew 5:22). James 1:20 states that the anger of man does
not achieve the righteousness of God.
What are examples of being angry yet not committing
sin? Let’s look at examples of
Jesus. When Jesus cleared the temple of
the moneychangers and animal-sellers, He showed great emotion and anger (Matthew
21:12-13; Mark
11:15-18; John
2:13-22).
Jesus’ emotion was described as "zeal" for God’s house (John
2:17). His
anger was pure and completely justified because at its root was concern for God’s
holiness and worship.
Another time Jesus showed anger was in the synagogue of Capernaum. When the Pharisees refused to answer Jesus’ questions, “He looked around them in anger” (Mark 3:5). This verse goes on to give the reason for His anger: “the hardness of their hearts.” Here are a few other revelations about Jesus’ displays of anger[1]:
· His anger had the proper
motivation. In other words, He was angry for the right reasons. Jesus’ anger
did not arise from petty arguments or personal slights against Him. There was
no selfishness involved.
· His anger had the proper
focus. He was not angry at God or at the “weaknesses” of others. His anger
targeted sinful behavior and true injustice.
· His anger had the proper
supplement. Mark 3:5 says that His anger was
attended by grief over the Pharisees’ lack of faith. Jesus’ anger stemmed from
love for the Pharisees and concern for their spiritual condition. It had
nothing to do with hatred or ill will.
· His anger had the proper
control. Jesus was never “out of control,” even in His wrath. The temple
leaders did not like His cleansing of the temple (Luke
19:47), but
He had done nothing amiss. He controlled His emotions; His emotions did not
control Him.
· His anger had the proper
duration. He did not allow His anger to turn into bitterness; He did not hold
grudges. He dealt with each situation properly, and He handled anger in good
time. He did not go to bed angry..
· His anger had the proper
result. Jesus’ anger had the inevitable consequence of godly action. Jesus’ anger, as with all His emotions, was
held in check by the Word of God; thus, Jesus’ response was always to
accomplish God’s will.
You are to be angry when you see people sinning
around you. That should be your only
motivation to be angry. Yet you are to
control that anger as Jesus did with the proper focus, reason, control, and
duration with a positive end result.
When you look back on your life when you became angry, was your anger
generated for the right reasons, was your anger held in proper control and was
is quickly dissipated? Were you showing
the wrath of man (anger for the wrong reasons) or the wrath of God (anger for
the right reasons)?
Think about all the
situations in your life where you become angry.
Ask yourself the candid questions and give equally candid answers. Are these reasons for showing anger in your
life justifiable (seeing others commit sin, especially disrespect for God) or
are they a result of foolish habits and practices in your life that must be eradicated?
No comments:
Post a Comment