Ephesians 4:26 (ESV)
²⁶ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Everyone gets angry sometimes.  The key is to get angry without sinning.  This great verse reminds us that anger in itself is not sinful.  When Jesus saw money changers in the temple area, it made Him mad.

John 2:14–17 (ESV)
¹⁴ In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting there. ¹⁵ And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

We call this righteous indignation.  Sometimes anger is not only okay, but it is necessary.   We should all be a little more than bothered by sin.  We should abhor it (Romans 12:9).

While anger is not itself sinful, it can cause us to sin.  This is almost certain to happen when we allow it to linger in our hearts.  It can, over time, turn a few bad thoughts into hostility, and even full-blown hatred.  Friends can become enemies when anger goes unchecked.  Anger has quite the imagination, causing its recipients to imagine the worst in those toward whom it is directed.  This leads to unjust judgments, gossip, and other sins.  We can see why Paul admonishes us not to allow the sun to go down on our anger.

Anger itself is sinful when there is no cause for it.

Matthew 5:22 (KJV)
²² But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment…

Anger, without cause, is a sure sign of hatred.  There are situations where we can trace anger to a certain action or event that has transpired.  Even then, anger has to be handled correctly, but, at least, we can understand why it exists.  When anger is triggered by something, it is easier to take care of it because we know the problem and can determine the appropriate solution.  When there is no cause, the only explanation for it is ongoing hate, and that is condemned by God.

Jesus said what He did in Matthew 5:22 because some of the Jews were thinking that hatred was alright as long as it did not result in killing someone.  That was their misunderstanding of the sixth commandment, “thou shall not kill.”  In Matthew 5, Jesus was correcting them.  God has always been concerned not just with the result of hatred, but with hatred itself.  In fact, in many cases, the only thing that prevents one who hates from killing is opportunity.  John wrote, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murder has eternal life” (1 John 315).

What is the practical application, then, of Ephesians 4:26?  We all get angry once in a while, but we must make sure that we properly manage our anger.  First, we must not allow it to linger.  But, we must also be careful that we do not let it control us, even if it is short-lived.  Being able to control our emotions is an important part of maintaining our Christianity.  Outbursts of anger are demonstrations of a lack of self-control and proper respect for others.  Getting mad is no excuse for misbehaving.  So, while we all get angry, let us be sure that we get angry and do not sin.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.