🌳 Ephesians 4:26-27 | “In your anger do not sin”

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📧 In today’s email…

• 📜 Background context on the book of Ephesians

• 📖 A reading for the week

• 🎵 A song to help you remember

Let’s dig in…

 🧠 Memorize

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

Ephesians 4:26-27

Author, Audience & Book Context ✍️ 

Ephesians is a fascinating book. It’s important to know the birds-eye view of the book before we get deeper into the weeds.

• Author:

  • The apostle Paul identifies himself as the author (Ephesians 1:1; 3:1)

  • Paul likely wrote it during his first Roman imprisonment (around 60-62 AD), while he was under house arrest (see Acts 28:16-30).

• Audience:

  • Though addressed to the church in Ephesus, some early manuscripts omit the phrase “in Ephesus” (Ephesians 1:1), suggesting the letter may have been intended as a circular letter for all churches in Asia Minor to read.

  • Ephesus was a significant cultural and religious hub in the Greek and Roman world, famously home to the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World).

• Purpose of Ephesians:

  • To strengthen believers’ identity in Christ and their unity as one new and improved humanity.

  • Unlike other letters addressing specific crises, Ephesians presents a general theological vision of God’s plan for salvation.

Here’s what we’ll dive into the rest of the week:

• How anger creates division

• Getting angry in the right way

• A connection to Psalm 4

• An example of Jesus living out our memory verse

💡 Imagine: As always, let’s put ourselves in Paul’s shoes to connect with our memory passage. Imagine yourself on house arrest in the ancient world.

No phones, no digital technology. Isolated, but entirely focused on the spread of the gospel and the encouragement of his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

📹️ Check out the Bible Project’s overview of Ephesians here.

Apply & Respond: Prepare Your Heart for This Week 📖 

Ephesians is primarily a call toward Christian unity and Jesus-like character.

Our verse of the week, Ephesians 4:26-27, reminds us that while anger isn’t inherently sinful, it becomes dangerous when left unchecked.

Paul urges believers to handle anger in a way that doesn’t give the enemy a foothold. This week, we’ll be challenged to pause, reflect, and pursue reconciliation before anger festers into sin.

Read & Reflect 🤔 

Take time today to read all of Ephesians 4 and reflect on its call to unity, maturity, and transformed living. Once you’ve finished your reflection, approach God in prayer.

Pray 🙏

Heavenly Father,

You know my heart better than I do. Help me acknowledge my anger without letting it control me. Teach me to respond with grace and seek peace where there is tension. Strengthen me to reflect Your love in all my relationships.

Amen.

Song of the Week 🎵 

This week, let’s listen to our memory verse set to music in this recording by Verses!

Click here to listen on Spotify | Click here to listen on Apple Music