Anger is a tricky emotion. It can be difficult to know what to do with it, especially if you are a Christian. We want to be obedient to God and we don’t want to sin. So can we be angry and not sin? Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say about this topic!
Can I Be Angry and Not Sin?
In Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, he writes “And don’t sin by letting anger control you” (NLT). Other translations say “Be angry and do not sin” (ESV). So, this gives a fairly good viewpoint that there is the possibility of being angry without sinning. We can have a “righteous anger” at unjust people or unjustice circumstances that are standing against the principles of God. Plus, the Bible seems to indicate that when we experience an emotion of anger about other issues, we should deal with it quickly and not allow it to make us sin. So, yes, we should be careful about anger, but there are times that you can be angry and not sin.
Can I Be Angry and Not Sin? Anger Can Be a Big Problem.
Human beings deal with many issues related to anger. Some counselors will tell you that quite a large percentage of people who come in for counseling are dealing with anger issues. People can become deeply distressed especially when can’t forgive someone or they continue to harbor bitterness or continue to want revenge for the offense.
It may be that someone was hurt as a child and has painful memories that bring on the anger. It also may be more recent events that cause anger to keep boiling below the surface.
Things are going to happen in this life that causes us to be angry. Sometimes it is justified to be angry. When a school shooting recently took the lives of innocent children, many of us had such angry feelings. I consider anger for evil like that to be a type of righteous indignation that we may have and, when properly guided, it can motivate us in the proper way against evil.
So, righteous anger at outright evil forces can be very acceptable. However, if we allow that righteous anger to brew and fester without handling it properly, we can let it becomes sinful anger. I think that is possible.
Be Angry and Not Sin? – Righteous and Unrighteous Anger
Let’s stay with the mass murder illustration because I think we could all agree that this would cause righteous anger if anything would.
So, let’s say that you become angry at the case of a mad man killing innocent people. It would seem that the Apostle, Paul, would be angry at that as well. For any of us to want justice to be done – for the proper punishment to be carried out for the killer – we would be considered “righteous” in these stances.
However, let’s take it a step further. What if you become so enraged and bitter that you somehow managed to disobey the law, be a vigilante, take the law into your own hands and punish the murderer yourself? Well, that would be allowing the anger to go into a sinful state.
Now, using mass murder of children is an extreme example, but I use that because of many issues that might cause anger in us that aren’t so black and white. That’s why Christians must allow the Holy Spirit to work through us to check our motives and actions when we feel angry about any situation.
Be Angry and Not Sin – Anger in God’s Word
We want to make sure that we don’t simply make conjectures and rely on spiritual platitudes to understand how we can be angry and not sin. Let’s take a closer look into scripture to get our bearing on this anger issue. For a moment let’s go back to the book of Ephesians and look at a larger passage of scripture that surrounds the “be angry and do not sin” verse. This time we will look at it in the New Living Translation of the Bible.
“So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Ephesians 4:25-32
I think that the NLT translation covers this fairly well. In the above passage, Paul instructs the Christians at Ephesus about what should be common Christian behavior. Obviously, lying was off the table. And, we need to tell our neighbor the truth, etc., etc. But look at how the issue of anger is translated in this version. “Don’t sin by letting anger control you.”
It would appear that this is a big part of the answer to our question. How can you be angry and not sin? You allow God to work through you to deal with the anger. Let’s say that a family member or friend offends you and immediately you feel angry. Will you let that anger seeth and simmer for a long time and allow the devil to make you eventually lash out at the person with harsh words or rhetoric? Or, will you, by the power of Jesus Christ, forgive that person by an act of your will?
It’s no accident that this wonderful passage in Ephesians about Christian living contains two statements about anger. Notice there is a second part. “Don’t let the sun go down while you are angry.” That is an extremely important part of the answer to our question. God wants us to deal with anger appropriately…and as quickly as possible. Try not to give it long enough to fester before you submit it to God.
So, when the emotion of anger pops up does that necessarily mean that you have sinned.
However, if it’s not righteous anger (something that would make God angry), then we need to put it aside as quickly as possible. Paul says to do that before bedtime. Is that always possible? Well, I don’t think it’s always possible for our emotions to totally calm down before it’s bedtime – especially if the incident that caused the anger is very fresh.
However, you can call on God in prayer and submit that anger to Him, asking Him to begin the process for you to be completely restored from whatever hurt has caused the anger. As you well know, some things take quite a long time to get over. Hurt and “FEELINGS” of anger can last longer than we want.
So, we need to submit those feelings to Jesus Christ on a daily basis, asking for His peace within us. By an act of our will (not necessarily our emotions), we can begin to forgive, and God will honor that. In other words, a reaction to an offense from someone that causes you great anger can immediately be given over to God. However, it may take our emotions a bit longer to settle.
Jesus Got Angry
This story has always been comforting to me somehow. It would be hard to make the case that Jesus wasn’t angry when he threw the money changers out of the temple. I think He clearly demonstrates that you can be angry and not sin. The Bible says that Jesus lived without sin, so we know that this episode exhibited righteous anger or God’s anger.
“It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
John 2:13-16
Jesus was in control of His emotions more than anyone has ever been and he got angry at the sight of those who were taking advantage of and stealing from people in the temple area. The temple was a place where people should have been able to worship a loving God without the fear of being done wrong or being manipulated.
The worshippers who came to the temple with their sacrifice needed whatever animal they were to sacrifice and coins that were accepted. It appears that the money changers were charging exorbitant prices and cheating people in the very place where they come for prayer, to confess their sins to God, and to worship God – under the Old Covenant.
You can see why Jesus (who was God in the flesh) reacted as He did. Who better to have righteous anger about the abuse of God’s people and His temple? What those money changers were doing definitely falls under the category of something that makes God angry. Jesus demonstrated that clearly and effectively, and He did so without doing wrong or violating the righteousness that He personified.
One last thing that I think we should mention about this illustration of when Jesus got angry. We know that the wrath of God will eventually come upon evil-doers who reject Jesus Christ. However, in terms of a daily walk in life, interacting with people, and displaying Godly character – it seems that Jesus’ anger He displayed on this earth was the exception and not the rule.
How To Know If My Anger Is Righteous or Not
So, we see that we can be angry without sin, but easily we can be angry AND sin. But, how can we distinguish whether or not our anger is righteous or not? Sometimes it doesn’t seem like that question is as black and white as we would like it.
Let’s take a look at some other scripture passages that relate to anger and see if we can get some clues.
“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”
James 1: 19-20
Some may say that this verse is about self-control. However, that is the incorrect way to look at it. If we want to be able to be angry and not sin, we need to have control over our emotions. However, if we rely on “self” then our emotions will get the best of us and we may allow ungodly wrath to take over. It takes regular time spent in prayer, a meditation on scripture, and an understanding of who we are in Christ Jesus to become slow to get angry. The natural man will be quicker to anger than Christians who are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to work in their lives daily.
The book of Proverbs in the Old Testament portion of the Bible gives us so many gems of wisdom. The topic of anger is mentioned several times and it gives us encouragement to control the anger that may arise.
“Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.”
Proverbs 29:11
I think it’s notable in the scripture above from Proverbs that it does not say, “Fools get angry.” However, it says they “vent their anger.” As a Christian, has someone done or said something harsh to you that immediately brought emotions of anger.? I’m certain that has happened. However, you had the choice of exploding and reacting according to the situation.
In situations like this, when it’s about being personally offended, we need to be careful. The Bible instructs us to be meek not sinfully proud and not haughty, but meek. Meekness doesn’t mean weakness; it means strength under control. When we are meek, we submit our anger to God. We let Him have the final say in the matter.
Here’s another verse from Proverbs that we may find helpful.
“People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.”
Proverbs 17:27
It appears that we are beginning to see that it’s not so much about the anger occurring, but how we respond to that emotion in our own hearts and how we deal with it.
3 Ways To Spot Righteous Anger
As we said, it may not always be obvious to define if your anger is righteous or not in a particular situation. So, here I will offer three questions you can ask that can help you determine quite a few of those times.
1- Is this event something that makes God angry?
Would Jesus (God in the flesh) show anger at the situation if He were physically here on earth? I think that is a good way to look at it.
2- Am I angry about the situation just because it hurts my pride or offends me personally somehow?
As Christians, there is a degree to which we need to have the ability to be offended without lashing out. Although Jesus responded when others were being taken advantage of. However, when He was greatly persecuted by others He displayed an incredible amount of grace. So should we.
3- Was the event or situation that made you angry something where innocent people are being hurt?
Jesus’ reaction in the Temple makes me think that many times anger can be righteous when it comes out of love and protection of others. It’s not that we can never become angry when we have been personally hurt. However, since the Bible is clear on putting others first, you are more likely to have sincere righteous anger when it comes to you defending injustices happening to others.
Conclusion
So, can I be angry and not sin? It looks like the answer is yes. We can be angry and not sin if we follow biblical guidelines. We should be quick to listen and slow to anger. We should allow the Holy Spirit to work and control our temper. And we must be meek.
If we are angry and not sinning, our anger will be righteous. Sinful anger is motivated by pride, selfishness, or a desire to harm others. Righteous anger, on the other hand, is motivated by a desire to see justice done. It’s the kind of anger that wants to see wrongs made right.
Do you have any anger in your heart right now? If so, is it righteous or sinful? Take a moment to pray and ask God to help you deal with your anger in a way that honors Him.
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