What does the Bible mean when it says in your anger do not sin (Ephesians 4:26)?

"Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath." (Ver. 26.) I take this to be a most important and holy intimation for our souls. There is a notion often that it is wrong for a Christian ever to feel displeased or angry; this and other Scriptures show it may be right. But we must take care what the source, as well as the character, of the anger is. If it is merely about something that affects self, and it therefore takes the form of vindictiveness, this is of course beyond a doubt contrary to all that is of Christ. We find in Him (Mark 3) that He looked round about upon certain persons with anger, showing clearly He had the strongest feeling about that which was contrary to God. It was not merely that He denounced the thing, but the people who were guilty of it. I find the same analogy in the epistles. We are told not only to cleave to that which is good, but to abhor that which is evil. Man's thought is that it is not for a Christian to judge and to be angry with what is wrong. The word of God tells us there are certain things we ought to judge and others we ought not. I am not to judge what is unseen; I am to judge positive, known evil. There we have plainly and clearly the line drawn by God. You will find that men say, if you speak strongly about the wrong of this thing or that, you are uncharitable. But not so; it is real charity to denounce it, not to let it pass. True love as to this consists in always having the feelings of God about what comes before us. That is the one question. What God has fellowship with, we can have fellowship with; and what God hates, we are not to love or allow. But we must take care that we are in the intelligence of God's mind. "Be ye angry and sin not." There is the greatest possible danger of sinning if you are angry, and therefore is this added. The simple emotion of anger toward one who has sinned may and ought to be a holy feeling; it is provided it rests there. Thus it is felt in God's presence. But how am I to know that I am not sinning in my anger? "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." If there is irritation kept up in the spirit, impatience, dislike, or scorn betrayed, who cannot see that it is not of God? When the sun goes down, it is a time either for your peaceful communion with God, or your indulgence of resentment away from Him. Therefore it is added, "Neither give place to the devil." (Ver. 27.) Where there is the nursing of wrath or the keeping up of grievances in the mind, Satan easily comes in and is not easily dislodged.

In these exhortations, as in the doctrine of the epistle, there is no notion of bettering the nature of man. A new nature is shown to belong to the Christian: Christ is his life. The practical aim follows that this should be exercised and manifested.

(V. 26). We are to beware of sinning through anger. There is such a thing as being rightly angry, but such anger is indignation against evil, not against the evil-doer, and behind such anger there is grief on account of the evil. Thus we read of the Lord that He looked on the wicked leaders of the synagogue “with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts” (Mark 3:5). The anger of the flesh ever has self in view; it is not grief on account of evil, but resentment against one that has been offensive. This fleshly anger against the evildoer will only lead to bitterness that occupies the soul with thoughts of revenge. The one entertaining such thoughts finds himself continually fretting, and in this sense lets the sun go down upon his wrath. Anger against evil will lead to grief that finds its resource in turning to God, where the soul finds rest.

Verse 26. We see here in the acting of the new man that there may be such a thing as being angry (for example, Christ in the case of the man who had the withered hand, Mark 3:5); it is then indignation against evil. (See 2 Cor. 7:11.) If it is the anger of the new man on account of evil, then, as soon as the evil is removed, the soul returns to its rest; but if anger lasts, then there is bitterness, and the soul not being able to return into its rest, evil is shewn to be there; for this reason it is said, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath."

Verse 26. "Be ye angry," etc. Anger is allowable in a believer, but must not be suffered to become a settled feeling. It rests only in the bosom of fools (Ecc. 7:9). But the wisdom which is of God is peaceable (James 3:17). There is a holy indignation, which may be excited by the spectacle of shameless evil, and which is far removed from private animosity. Jesus knew this feeling (Luke 13:15), and knew it as we cannot know it; for in Him it was excited by the contact of His own intrinsic holiness with those deep workings of human wickedness, the springs of which lay clearly open to His view, while hypocrisy threw over them her unavailing mask. But personal anger is a very different thing. Provocation may, no doubt, abound, and flesh is weak. And He who has borne unupbraiding witness to its weakness seems, by the limited toleration which His Spirit here allows to the feeling of anger in a Christian, to be rather making a merciful concession to our infirmity, than to approve the sentiment itself. As a rule, it is better to pacify it in another, than to yield to it ourselves (Matt. 5:9). When harboured as a lasting sentiment, it is sin; and in its results is nigher to cursing than to blessing (Gen. 49:6-7. Cp. Matt. 18:35). The grace in which we personally stand should be the law of our conduct towards others. Love is never angry long, and cannot work evil to his neighbour. It is not easily provoked (Rom. 13:10; 1 Cor. 13:5). While evil of every kind is to be perfectly abhorred, men are always to be loved in God (Matt. 5:44). Vengeance belongs to Him, and not to us (Rom. 12:19). Our anger, therefore, should be slowly kindled, and soon quenched; for the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God (James 1:20).

For the understanding of this scripture it is important to remind ourselves of the true rendering of verses 22 and 24. They should read, "Your having put off," and "Your having put on," etc. The truth as it is in Jesus then is, that, in the death of Christ, we have put off the old man, and that, in the resurrection of Christ, we have put on the new man. All the following exhortations are based upon this twofold fact. In other words, it is because of our having put off the old man, through our association with the death of Christ, that the apostle urges us in verse 25 to put away lying, and, because of our having put on the new man in the resurrection of Christ, to speak every man truth with his neighbour (although here, in accordance with the distinctive truth of the epistle, the additional thought of union with Christ, and with one another - "for we are members one of another "is introduced); for lying could only proceed from the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts (v. 22); and truth could only come from the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (or, holiness of the truth). (v. 24.) So far all is plain; but the exhortation, "Be ye angry, and sin not" (v. 26), is not so simple, because anger is generally associated, as in verse 31, with the works of the flesh. It is evident therefore that, inasmuch as it is a precept, the anger here intended is of wholly another kind; and, moreover, it is to be observed, that even in this anger there is danger, or the words, "and sin not," would not have been added. The fact is, there is such a thing, as frequently seen in the Old Testament, and once in the life of our blessed Lord (Mark 3:5), as divine anger, holy indignation, and in this sense it is possible to be angry in communion with the mind of God. But so easily might this pass over into human, natural anger or indignation, that the caution against sinning is appended. For the same reason the apostle proceeds, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath," for if it is cherished it will take possession of the soul, and afford an opportunity to the flesh to assert itself, and thus be the means of sinning. E. D.

For the understanding of this scripture it is important to remind ourselves of the true rendering of verses 22 and 24. They should read, "Your having put off," and "Your having put on," etc. The truth as it is in Jesus then is, that, in the death of Christ, we have put off the old man, and that, in the resurrection of Christ, we have put on the new man. All the following exhortations are based upon this twofold fact. In other words, it is because of our having put off the old man, through our association with the death of Christ, that the apostle urges us in verse 25 to put away lying, and, because of our having put on the new man in the resurrection of Christ, to speak every man truth with his neighbour (although here, in accordance with the distinctive truth of the epistle, the additional thought of union with Christ, and with one another — "for we are members one of another "is introduced); for lying could only proceed from the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts (v. 22); and truth could only come from the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (or, holiness of the truth). (v. 24.) So far all is plain; but the exhortation, "Be ye angry, and sin not" (v. 26), is not so simple, because anger is generally associated, as in verse 31, with the works of the flesh. It is evident therefore that, inasmuch as it is a precept, the anger here intended is of wholly another kind; and, moreover, it is to be observed, that even in this anger there is danger, or the words, "and sin not," would not have been added. The fact is, there is such a thing, as frequently seen in the Old Testament, and once in the life of our blessed Lord (Mark 3:5), as divine anger, holy indignation, and in this sense it is possible to be angry in communion with the mind of God. But so easily might this pass over into human, natural anger or indignation, that the caution against sinning is appended. For the same reason the apostle proceeds, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath," for if it is cherished it will take possession of the soul, and afford an opportunity to the flesh to assert itself, and thus be the means of sinning. E. D.

Another result is seen in the next admonition, "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil." (vv. 26, 27.) Our Lord was angry with certain persons, "being grieved for the hardness of their hearts." (Mark 3:5.) There is therefore an anger which is of God, but the abiding wrath which springs from vindictive feeling is not of God. Even the anger kindled by godly indignation against evil may too readily degenerate into fleshly passion. We must beware therefore that in anger we "sin not," and guard against vindictive feelings by watching that the sun does not go down on our wrath. Otherwise the tempter may come in, and we are not to "give place to the devil."

Another result is seen in the next admonition, "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil." (vv. 26, 27.) Our Lord was angry with certain persons, "being grieved for the hardness of their hearts." (Mark 3:5.) There is therefore an anger which is of God, but the abiding wrath which springs from vindictive feeling is not of God. Even the anger kindled by godly indignation against evil may too readily degenerate into fleshly passion. We must beware therefore that in anger we "sin not," and guard against vindictive feelings by watching that the sun does not go down on our wrath. Otherwise the tempter may come in, and we are not to "give place to the devil."

Another result is seen in the next admonition, "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil." (v. 26, 27.) Our Lord was angry with certain persons, "being grieved for the hardness of their hearts." (Mark 3:5.) There is therefore an anger which is of God, but the abiding wrath which springs from vindictive feeling is not of God. Even the anger kindled by godly indignation against evil may too readily degenerate into fleshly passion. We must beware therefore that in anger we "sin not," and guard against vindictive feelings by watching that the sun does not go down on our wrath. Otherwise the tempter may come in, and we are not to "give place to the devil."

I see that I was forgetting your brother's question. Perhaps the word "wrath" is a difficulty to him. But it is the same word as is used of the Lord in Mark 3:5, and as a verb in Ephesians 4:26. "Be ye angry and sin not" (the word "wrath" in that verse is a still stronger one). There are times when the absence of it would indicate mere indifference, only it must not be allowed to last. With the heart that knows the grace of God, it would quickly give way to other considerations, such as what we had proved Him to be to ourselves. The sun must not go down upon it, lest if it lasts it degenerates into mere fleshly activity. It has no place in going into God's presence. We never could rightly look for His wrath upon His enemies. It is not the time for it. The imprecation of it in the Psalms and Prophets belongs to the time of His judgment. The other word in 1 Timothy 2 is "reasoning" really.