The question is How can we be angry and not sin?
I think the answer has largely to do with where we direct our anger. Is it at a person, or people? Is our anger directed at a government or society? Or is our anger directed towards the spirit that is at work in the world? The prince and power of the air that is at work within the sons of disobedience.
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, Ephesians 4:26 NASB
This scripture tells me that we can be angry and not sin, but also that our anger can cause us to sin. If we get angry at someone or something, that we cannot forgive, this is when we allow our anger to become sin. When we cannot forgive, to some extent we become judge and jury.
Something that we have to remember is this, God has already forgiven every sin that is in the world. Every sin that has been done and also every sin that has yet to be done. He did this two thousand years ago on the cross. A concept that we can sometimes find difficult to grasp onto with our carnal minds. Even though we know that we have been forgiven.
If we see or experience something that is really bad, a murder, social injustice, or something else, it can become difficult to control anger that rises within us. But God has already forgiven that sin. Such is the grace of God, then there is the heart of God for those people that they should receive forgiveness. That is the forgiveness that He has provided through Jesus, and also forgiveness from His people.
For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Matthew 6:14 NASB
There is more to this next verse that needs study, it seems to say that we have the power to forgives sins, just as Jesus did. I think this is for us to realise that God has already forgiven sins, and we are to relate this to people. Not just to people that sin against us but to anybody we encounter. We are just passing on the Good News from God. Don’t forget that even the religious leaders of Jesus day questioned His authority to forgive sins.
If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” John 20:23 NASB
There are to choices here forgiveness, or not. If you choose not to let a person know that they are forgiven they will not receive their forgiveness. Not until someone comes and relays forgiveness to that person. Or they come directly to Christ to receive forgiveness. The heart of God is that all come to the knowledge of the love and grace of God.
Being angry is an emotion that is built into us, but we should not become angry at people in any way, we should forgive people. Being angry and not sinning is being angry at what the prince and the power of the air is causing people to do. Be angry at the enemy, who is not a human being. Not letting the sun go down on this anger means, to keep the sun shining on this anger at the enemy. Continue to always to have a righteous anger against what the enemy is doing in our world in the people that God created in His own image.
To become angry at people is walking according to the flesh, and can cause us to have relationship problems. Problems that can be spiritual, physical, and emotional. It is a choice to forgive or not. To walk according to the flesh or walk according to the Spirit.
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5 NASB
God has removed all sin from us as far as the east is from the west. That is ALL sin, our sin, who have received Jesus as saviour, and those of the whole world. The world just need to recognise this and receive.
Just Ask
The picture is the beginning of a great piece of scripture, something so simple yet has been made complicated by Christian doctrine. To many and I had though only this for many years. the scripture relays that we should not go to sleep angy at someone.
If we have caused anger we should ask forgiveness, if the other person we should forgive them. I do not dispute this interpretaion. There is always more than one way to interpret the Word. (that will get me into high water with some)
But the Holy Spirit was given to lead us into all truth. To tell us things direct from the Father and to bring to our rememberance the things that Jesus said. Lead us into all truth to me says that there is hidden truth within the Word of God. I know that almost everyone has read the Bible and it has spoken to the very situation that they are experiencing. That same scipture can speak again to the same person something slightly different in a different situation. This is what I am talking about.
We just need to ask. We ask for understanding, for wisdom. Many times that comes dirrect from the word, other times it can come direct through the Holy Spirit to ours. James tells us to ask for wisdom, and there is no important time to ask for the wisdom of God than when we begin to feel anger rising up from within. Where do we direct that anger?
The Word of God says ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened. Just ask! And our heavenly Father will give what is good to us. He will not give to us what is bad, only good. Just ask!
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:7-8,10-11
In Luke’s Gospel it actually say that God will give to us the Holy Spirit if we ask. It is God’s will to give to us what is good. You better believe that the Holy Spirit is good. Once we have the Holy Spirit, are baptised in the Holy Spirit, the possibilities for our lives become far greater than we could ever imagined.
Did you know that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a part of our salvation. That Jesus actually expects every believer to be baptised in the Spirit. Look at this from John the Baptist, what he said about Jesus.
I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ John 1:33 NASB
Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever. He baptizes us in the Holy Spirit. He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until He sends the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is good for us. It is something that we need. We can live without it yes, but why would anyone want to. It is a gift from God to help us to live victorious abundant lives.
God’s plan is for us to live in victory not defeat. The Holy Spirit has a purpose in our lives if we allow; to teach and guide us, remind us of the Word of God, to lead us into all truth. The Holy Spirit is not to be feared, He is our friend. God wants to give Him, the Holy Spirit to every one of us. Jesus has told us to ask for Him.
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” Luke 11:13
In John 14, 15, 16, it tells us what the role of the Holy Spirit is for us in our lives. Peter proclaimed in the book of Acts that the promise of the Holy Spirit is for you, your children, and all who are far off, as many as the Lord will call to Himself. For You and your children!!
The Holy Spirit in our lives is that which will help us to direct our anger towards the right place. towards our enemy the devil. We cannot sin when we direct our anger in the right place. The old saying is that we should hate the sin and not the sinner. This is an example of what I am saying.
Charlie
