Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:25-27)

When Anger Becomes Sin

It has been rightly said that the emptier the pot, the quicker it boils, so watch your temper. Anger is an emotion that can bring about great harm when left unchecked. When the tongue works faster than the mind, boiling over into a tirade of emotional outbursts, the results can be devastating for everyone. Cain killed his brother Abel because he became angry. Because of Moses’ anger toward the people of Israel, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Saul hated David because he got angry when the people loved David more than him. When the wise men deceived Herod about where to find the Christ, he was exceedingly angry and sent his soldiers into Bethlehem, killing all the males two years old and under. Anger comes with a high cost.

It is possible to be angry without sinning, but it takes the power of the Lord to calm the spirit. Having a temper is not an excuse; it is folly. Anger comes when the heart is empty of the word of God. Faith comes from hearing the word of God and spending time in the word, and through prayer, anger can be controlled. Fire is good for many things, but left unchecked, it can destroy everything in its path. Following the path of anger is a fool’s errand that stirs up strife and brings about sin. In our modern world, road rage is a common problem that sometimes ends in death. People have been killed by angry drivers enraged against others. Uncontrolled anger leads to chaos.

The disciple of Christ experiences anger. What the Lord teaches is to tame the emotion of anger to be like the Father, who is slow to anger. Paul reminded the saints at Ephesus to be angry, not to sin, and not to allow the sun to go down until they dealt with it. Having a quick temper leads to outbursts of anger, and the Lord said that anger rests in the bosom of fools. Coping with anger takes calming the spirit, finding ways to meditate within the heart to calm the emotions, and, many times, simply walking away to talk to the Lord.

Jesus got angry, but He never allowed His emotions to control Him. To be like Jesus is to learn to control anger because it can be done. Angry people cannot find happiness and peace. A clenched fist cannot be productive. Sam Ewing correctly observed that anger is just one letter short of danger. Although Alexander the Great conquered the known world, he couldn’t conquer his own temper. On one occasion, Cletus, a childhood friend and a general in Alexander’s army, became drunk and insulted the leader in front of his men. Alexander became enraged and hurled a spear at Cletus, intending merely to scare him. Instead, the spear killed Alexander’s lifelong friend. Remorse engulfed Alexander as he assessed the destruction of his uncontrollable anger. If anger is not controlled, it will control its victim.

A child of God exercising self-control to temper his anger will speak with grace, seasoned with language that is wholesome and palatable. The admonition is to speak truth to one another. Everyone is known by their speech, and Christians, above all others, should be examples of gracious speaking without the dangers of anger. The Lord does not accept uncontrolled outbursts of anger, wrath, and malice. This is not keeping with the spirit of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught His disciples that what comes from the mouth begins in the heart. Anger is calmed when the word of God and prayer soften the heart. Be angry – but don’t sin. A person who cannot control his anger is doing exactly what the devil wants him to do.