EPHESIANS 4
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:25-32
EPHESIANS 4 EXPRESS ANGER WITHOUT SINNING
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you are wronged and abused, be angry but do not sin
Remember that God is your vindicator; be quiet and be still
Look inside your own heart and examine if there is any bitterness
All forms of bitterness can make you react unrighteously
Anger is to be used to expose injustice and oppression
It is never just a form of venting or outward expression
Be on guard and don’t let anyone stir up malice in you
Respond instead of react so you don’t give Satan a foothold.
It seems impossible to be angry and not blow up. We all have a propensity to anger. Because of our inherited sins from Adam and Eve, we became self-centered and pleasure-seeking humans. Being able to calmly say that you are angry is not an easy thing to do, especially if one doesn’t know Christ. Without the fear of the Lord, we will always follow our human tendencies.
What is the cause of human anger? The root of most anger is pride. We look up at ourselves as the center of the universe and get mad when we don’t get the full attention of those around us. If we were humble like Jesus, we wouldn’t have the inclination to give in to sinful anger. This is why Jesus became human. Even though he is divine, he gave it up to become human to serve as an example for us to imitate. According to gotquestions.org this act, often called the kenosis (Greek for “emptying”), demonstrates Jesus’ obedience to God and his role as a servant to humanity, culminating in his death on the cross.
In this letter of Paul to the church in Ephesus, he reminds the believers to get rid of all falsehood and speak only what is true. Even if the truth would anger us or the one we are telling it to, we must be honest about what our convictions are and align it to God’s truth. If we speak of our anger in a gracious manner, we will avoid exploding in rage that may hurt someone else. Even as we confront lies and evil, we still need to follow the humble example of Jesus who was silent all throughout the abuses he received during his passion at Calvary. He was like a lamb, quiet even to the point of being slaughtered.
REFLECTION
- Why is it important not to hold back anger and express it graciously?
