Angry Chair

Ephesians 4:25 - 27

Be Angry and Do Not Sin

Today we pick up in Ephesians 4:25 – 27 and begin to look at what the new life in Christ looks like. If indeed the old man is shed and the new man is put on; what does this really mean for us? In the passage today Paul gives us sort of a primer of what the new life in Christ looks like.

Vs 25:  “Therefore” (What is it there for?) Since you are now alive in Christ, brought near to God by the blood of Jesus, you have renewed your mind in the spirit and shed the old nature (no longer walking in the former ways) and put on the new self you are now called to put aside falsehood and speak the truth to one another. We are now (in Christ) people of the truth so we must speak it to one another. This includes refraining from speaking lies and living in lies because we are one body and should not deceive one another. You must be upright, have integrity, be open and honest with one another and not hide behind the mask of deceit and deception. This is hard for many of us to do. On one hand it requires us to be sort of transparent and vulnerable with one another (and this does not come easy for many) and on the other hand there should be genuine concern and care for each other regardless of our life situations.

Vs 26, 27:  Not only are we to be truthful and transparent but also angry yet not sinful in our anger. That statement seems like a paradox. Can one be angry and still not sin? Or better yet what is Paul implying we do here? Some have suggested that this statement is more of a warning from Paul than it is a command. D.A. Carson writes, “It is not an encouragement to righteous anger (indeed all anger is condemned in 5:31); it is a warning, ‘If you become angry, beware! You are at sin’s door!’[1]

On the other hand though as followers of Jesus we must hate sin; it should in fact anger us because it is the one thing that separates us from God. Sin is the wedge that has been driven between God and man and when we see others enslaved to sin it should anger us.

If indeed we are to be angry and sin not what does this look like? I think the best example would be found in John 2:14 – 16 when Jesus cleanses the Temple of God. He was angered by what was going on in the synagogue because sin was happening in the house of God and this would not be tolerated. We see the divisive nature sin has on our unbelieving loved ones and it should anger us that their sin is what is keeping them from becoming alive in Christ and drawing them near to God.

Being angry and not sinning is definitely a fine line to walk. Anger can be and usually is unhealthy and unrighteous because it is directly related to the old self and should not rule the true believer’s life. I like how John Walvoord writes, “The way to prevent such sin is to “keep short accounts,” dealing with the anger before the sun goes down. The reason is that the devil would like to intensify a Christian’s righteous anger against sin, causing it to become sin itself. This then gives the devil a foothold (lit., “a place”), an opportunity for leading that Christian into further sin. Then anger begins to control the believer rather than the believer controlling his anger.”[2] We all know that unchecked or unresolved anger is dangerous and can lead to full blown bitterness and eventual hatred. We must control our anger and this is done through the power of the Holy Spirit in us.




[1] New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.) (Eph 4:25–5:2). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.


[2] Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Eph 4:26–27). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.