28/08/2026
๐๐ข๐ช ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฌ
Campus Bible Fellowship - SUNN
Ephesians 4:17-32 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
I call your attention to verse 26 where Paul tells the Christians at Ephesus to "๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง ๐ง๐จ๐ญ: ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ง ๐ ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ก." He does not tell them to never allow themselves to become angry, but rather to BE angry, yet without sinning.
We opened with the entire passage in order to provide context and show that Paul is saying that believers have a higher code of ethics than unbelievers because we have been renewed as new creatures in Christ. That being the case, when we are angered by someone, we are to manage that anger after the will of God and not after the will of the devil, as do many unbelievers. That's the general spirit of the passage.
Now, some Christians have the idea that becoming angry at all is a sin. โThe New International Version, for instance, in Matthew 5:22, says, "๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ . . ." Obviously, that's not true in the King James Bible. Jesus himself was angry with his own brethren in Mark 3:5, where it says, "๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ, ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ . . ." In and of itself, anger is not a sin. It is a normal emotion just like gladness, surprise, fear, excitement or compassion. Anger is only a sin when we "๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ," as Paul stated in Ephesians 4:27.
Moses and Aaron when out from Pharoah "๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ" in Exodus 11:8. "๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐'๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐" in II Samuel 12:5, and the phrase "๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐" is found over thirty times in the Bible. Obviously, there's more to this anger issue than it simply being a sin from which all believers should abstain. Sure, Paul said in Ephesians 4:31 to put away anger, but he said it in the context of one having the WRONG KIND of anger, the kind that had given place to the devil (vs. 27). After all, why even say "๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ" in verse 26, if verse 31 means to never experience any anger at all? Paul is basically saying to not allow your RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION to play into the hands of Satan and become a sin. The "๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ" of Ephesians 4:32 obviously indicates that one person can transgress and give another person good reason to be angry. But that anger must be managed and not allowed to become a sin.
Let me pass on to you four ways to do that, four ways to get angry, to experience righteous indignation without giving place to the devil and sinning against God.
๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
Proverbs 16:32 says, "๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฒ; ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ." That phrase, "๐ฌ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ," is found eight times in scripture, and most of the occurrences refer to God himself. God is slow to anger, yet we know that God is not a sinner.
Proverbs 14:17 says, "๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ฅ๐ฒ: ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐๐ค๐๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ญ๐๐." See that? The sin is not in being angered, but in being angered too soon, or as we will see in our next point, being angered without just cause.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 says, "๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ: ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฌ." In other words, there's a difference between BECOMING angry and BEING an angry person. To become angry means that anger was not resting in you, but rather entered you righteously because of some wrongdoing. To BE an angry person means to allow bitterness and anger to rest in your heart so that you have a short fuse that the devil can ignite at will. Jesus BECAME angry at times, but he was not an angry man.
๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐
๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
Look at Matthew 5:22: "๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ: ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ, ๐๐๐๐, ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ฅ: ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฅ, ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐." The sin is not in becoming angry, but rather in becoming angry WITHOUT A CAUSE. That is, without a JUST cause. Obviously, anyone can claim a cause for being angry, but is it a JUST cause? Does the word of God justify the anger? Sometimes it does, and sometimes it does not.
One of the most soul-searching questions in the Bible is when God spoke to Jonah and said, "๐๐จ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ?" (Jon. 4:4) That is, are you angry for a JUST cause, or is it an UNJUST cause? Being angered because someone has hurt someone else in some way is a just cause, but being angered because someone is better looking than you, has a prettier dress than you, or has more money than you is an unjust cause. We should regularly ask ourselves, "๐๐จ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฒ?"
๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
This is where it gets tricky. Anger usually produces an action, and we get to decide what the action will be. Look at Psalms 78:36-38:
"๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ. ๐
๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ, ๐ง๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ก๐, ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ: ๐ฒ๐๐, ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ซ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ก."
Now, we know that God's anger never constitutes sin, so we can look to his example and get some help with our anger management. The text says that God had good cause to become angry, yet he chose compassion and forgiveness instead of stirring up ALL of his wrath. When you read the Old Testament, time and time again you see God being moved to discipline his people, the children of Israel, but he was never moved to totally destroy them. He came pretty close in the days of Moses, but he did not allow his wrath to boil over and cause an OVER-reaction. He managed his anger well and drew the line on its action.
That's where we fall short. We react too soon and we react too MUCH. A man might be right to disagree and argue with his wife, but he's never right to hit her. A woman might be right to tell her husband that they don't have the money to buy a new shotgun, but she's never right to pick that gun up and point it at him. Anger must be managed, and it must have a righteous, proportional reaction. As Will Rogers used to say, "๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ."
๐๐. ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐
Hosea 14:4 says, "๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ฌ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฒ: ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ." God had anger toward his people for a time, but then he turned it away. Micah 7:18 says, "๐๐ก๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐? ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ, ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ." See that? It's a CHOICE. There is a time for anger, and then there is a time for mercy and forgiveness. Ecclesiastes 3:8 says that there is "๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐." Some people seem to enjoy war all the time, but God doesn't, and that's what Paul was talking about in Ephesians 4. There are times when we are moved to anger, and maybe it is even righteous anger, but it must be well managed and not allowed to be used of the devil.
There's a saying out in the world that gets a lot a milage, usually humorously, but at its core it reveals a serious issue that involves many ladies. The saying is, "If mamma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." That's usually true, but WHY is it true? They say it's because women are more emotional and have more of a tendency to show their emotions, so everyone just plays along and treats it as a normal condition. I haven't seen any scripture that says or indicates that God is playing along. Paul's words about anger management in Ephesians 4 are not written just to men. God said that the woman is the weaker vessel (I Pet. 3:7), so she is less likely to manage her anger when it comes. If nobody's happy until mamma is happy, it's because mamma has given place to the devil and mismanaged her anger by spreading misery around for everyone. That is NOT the will of God.
Likewise, if the whole family lives in fear that dad might go into a rage when he hears about such and such, then he too has mismanaged his anger by allowing it to live in his heart and be stirred into a rage at the devil's will.
So let's learn from this. Let's apply our hearts to wisdom and better ourselves. God help us to remember that anger is a normal emotion and even a good thing at times, but it can become a bad thing very quickly when we fail to manage it in accordance with God's word and God's will.
AMEN๐ GodBless๐ฉต๐
