Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Eph 4:31
Sinful anger is another relic of the old man that can effortlessly sneak back into the life Christian. While we can and do get angry, Paul’s clear instructions are that, we must not sin in that anger Eph. 4:26. The Greek is orgē (G3709;, orgizō, G3710 is the verb ), which is different from the Greek thumos (G2372). While thumos is zealous and brief, orgē signifies “a state of mind that is more long-term.” The thought here is what is labeled, “righteous anger,” which is a matured condition of mind consisting of a resentment and hatred of whatever is offensive to and sinful against God His desire for justice.
Paul uses the words “and sin not,” to give us a check and a restraint test to verify whether our anger is in fact righteous. Why? Because anger is sin when it is directed at anything that is not sin against God. In other words, whenever our anger is motivated by personal reasons because someone has offended us, not God, then that is sinful anger.
Ponder these questions: Do I have selfish anger instead of godly anger on a regular basis? Do I get angry frequently because I’ve been offended instead of getting angry because the Word of God has been dishonored? Here is something else to think about. Even if a person’s action itself is sinful, we also sin if our anger is provoked by selfishness such as personal offense or wounded feelings.
Think of what awful devastation results from anger that is personally provoked. One day a woman tried to justify her bad temper to preacher Billy Sunday by saying “Although I blow up over the least little thing, it’s all over in a minute,” Billy’s response was, “So is a shotgun blast! It’s over in seconds, too, but look at the terrible damage it can do.” Think about the outcome of so-called crimes of passion, where because of brief anger someone is stabbed, shot, or just slandered by words.
A well-known first-century Roman poet once wrote, “Anger is momentary insanity.” He was certainly right about that. “Insanity” is a loss of mental ability and rationale and that is certainly what unrestrained anger is. That is totally contrary to how the Christian is supposed to live. In other words, the Christian never goes insane, never flies off the handle, never “loses it,” never gets furious over the least little thing. Whenever the Christian has anger, is controlled because it is for the right reason.
Review and Mediation: What does Paul say about God’s “wrath” (orgē) in Rom. 1:18? What does command does he give in Rom. 12:19? Likewise, what guidance does James give (James 1:19-20)?
Sinful anger is another relic of the old man that can effortlessly sneak back into the life Christian. While we can and do get angry, Paul’s clear instructions are that, we must not sin in that anger Eph. 4:26. The Greek is orgē (G3709;, orgizō, G3710 is the verb ), which is different from the Greek thumos (G2372). While thumos is zealous and brief, orgē signifies “a state of mind that is more long-term.” The thought here is what is labeled, “righteous anger,” which is a matured condition of mind consisting of a resentment and hatred of whatever is offensive to and sinful against God His desire for justice.
Paul uses the words “and sin not,” to give us a check and a restraint test to verify whether our anger is in fact righteous. Why? Because anger is sin when it is directed at anything that is not sin against God. In other words, whenever our anger is motivated by personal reasons because someone has offended us, not God, then that is sinful anger.
Ponder these questions: Do I have selfish anger instead of godly anger on a regular basis? Do I get angry frequently because I’ve been offended instead of getting angry because the Word of God has been dishonored? Here is something else to think about. Even if a person’s action itself is sinful, we also sin if our anger is provoked by selfishness such as personal offense or wounded feelings.
Think of what awful devastation results from anger that is personally provoked. One day a woman tried to justify her bad temper to preacher Billy Sunday by saying “Although I blow up over the least little thing, it’s all over in a minute,” Billy’s response was, “So is a shotgun blast! It’s over in seconds, too, but look at the terrible damage it can do.” Think about the outcome of so-called crimes of passion, where because of brief anger someone is stabbed, shot, or just slandered by words.
A well-known first-century Roman poet once wrote, “Anger is momentary insanity.” He was certainly right about that. “Insanity” is a loss of mental ability and rationale and that is certainly what unrestrained anger is. That is totally contrary to how the Christian is supposed to live. In other words, the Christian never goes insane, never flies off the handle, never “loses it,” never gets furious over the least little thing. Whenever the Christian has anger, is controlled because it is for the right reason.
Review and Mediation: What does Paul say about God’s “wrath” (orgē) in Rom. 1:18? What does command does he give in Rom. 12:19? Likewise, what guidance does James give (James 1:19-20)?
Anger - (Greek orgē )
Pronounced - or-gay’
Pronounced - or-gay’
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"It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" - Jesus Matt. 4:4
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