📕 Ephesians 4:26-27 | Original Greek and 2 Types of Anger

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📧 In today’s email…

• ✌️ The 2 (very different) types of anger

• 😠 Jesus on anger and a powerful quote from Dallas Willard

• 🎙️ Resources to help you go deeper

 🧠 Memorize

_{see if you know what words go in the blanks}

Be angry ___ __ ___ ___; do not ___ ___ ___ __ ____ on your _____, and give no opportunity __ ___ devil.

Ephesians 4:26-27

The 2 Types of Anger 😠 

In Ephesians 4:26-27, Paul acknowledges that anger is sometimes justified —even expected — which is why our memory verse starts with “Be angry…”.

Anger is not inherently sinful, but Paul sets boundaries to prevent it from leading to sin and division.

The Greek word for anger, (orgizesthe), refers to a deep, deliberate response—often tied to righteous indignation rather than fleeting frustration.

These are 2 very different types of anger:

1. Fleeting frustration is caused by something that displeases me

2. Righteous indignation is caused by something that displeases God

Be angry and do not sin

It can be a valid reaction to injustice (we should be angry at injustices, large and small that happen all around us).

But the caution "do not sin" reminds us that even justified anger can become destructive if it festers unchecked.

do not let the sun go down on your anger

Paul’s instruction to "not let the sun go down on your anger" adds urgency.

As Christians, we have been reconciled to the Father through Christ.

What should naturally flow when we walk in the Spirit is reconciliation between us and other people, especially other believers.

The sun goes down every day.

Reconciliation is a daily task for us as Christ followers.

and give no opportunity to the devil.

Other translations say to not give "the devil a foothold.”

Within the context of Ephesians 4 (all about unity within the body), Paul understands how toxic anger can be to relationships.

Unresolved anger becomes a door that the devil can walk through. Paul urges us to close that door — every day.

In this broken world, we can’t fully avoid anger.

But we can be a people committed to closing the door and giving the devil no opportunity to sow division within the body of Christ.

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Apply & Respond: Pay Attention

A helpful way to think about our emotions are as the dashboard indicators on our cars. They alert us when something is wrong so that it can be fixed.

Speaking of the fleeting frustration type of anger, Dallas Willard says:

“The appropriate response to personal offense is not to harbor anger but to seek restoration…The only good that anger accomplishes is to alert us to the need for change —but it must not drive the change itself.”

When frustration rises today, pause and ask:

• Is this fleeting frustration (something that bothers me) or righteous indignation (something that bothers God)?

• Is this anger stirring me toward justice or feeding my pride?

If it’s fleshly anger, take a deep breath and ask God to help you release it. Then, as him for wisdom to know what to do next.

Recommended Resources 🎙️ 

Here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into this week’s passage:

• 🎙️ Sermon: The Healing of Anger by Tim Keller (link)

• 📚️ Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters by N.T. Wright (link)

• 📚️ Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better by Brant Hansen (link)

• 🎙️ Christian historian Wesley Huff defends the reliability of the Bible on the world’s largest podcast (link)

• 🎥 The Bible Project’s Summary of Ephesians (link)

• 💻️ Got Questions: What does it mean to not let the sun go down on your anger? (link)

• 🎵 Ephesians 4:25-27 by Verses (Spotify | Apple Music)

Answer key ✅ 

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