Impact of Anger (Ephesians 4:25-32)

SCRIPTURE

Ephesians 4:25-32

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. 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. 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. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

COMMENT

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another

The lie has been put away, the lie that we can live as we once did, in darkness. The lie that God does not exist or that worship is some kind of carnal game. Now we speak truth. We speak Jesus. Not a list of rules or commandments, but a life that results in change. We speak this truth not just for ourselves, but within a community of believers. As part of a body, and as part of a body, we seek the good of the whole rather than just the individual.

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil

Yes, there will be times we disagree. But do not let your anger or bitterness get the best of you. Holding on to anger only increases the fact that you will not act in accordance with the gospel.

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. 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

Change. Repent. That is the summary of how we should behave. Don't take this as a list of to-dos, but rather as examples of what repentance might look like.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption

Do not allow your actions to be outside of what repentance demands of you.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you

Forgive. Whether 70 times 7 or 77 times, the idea is do not keep track. God did not give up on you!