Overthrowing Anger

DEVOTIONAL: Ephesians 4:31-32

“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.”  (ESV)

None of the various forms of anger forbidden in Ephesians 4:31 are expressions of righteous anger—anger over the dishonoring of God or the abuse of others.  Instead, they are expressions of self-centered anger motivated by a desire for revenge or to have our own way.  All such anger is rooted in our sin nature.  All such anger has power to destroy friendships, marriages, families, and churches.  In Ephesians 4:31, Paul makes clear that self-centered anger has no place in our lives as Christians.  When Paul defines various forms of sinful anger, the first word we must note is the word “all”.  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice be put away for you!  When confronting our sinful anger, we often fail embrace the word “all”.  Having suffered some particularly deep hurt or injustice, we often cling to a false notion that God grants us the right to harbor to at least some of our anger or continue to hold at least some of our grudges.  Not so!  Rather than excuse unrighteous anger we must recognize that when God says “put away all unrighteous anger, He means “put away all unrighteous anger.

So what kind of anger has no place in our lives and churches?  How does Paul describe it?  First Paul commands us to put away all bitterness.  The Greek word translated “bitterness” refers to a smoldering resentment.  This anger burns slowly over time.  It is the kind of anger that holds a grudge.  The ironic thing about bitterness is that it does no harm to its object.  Bitterness only destroys the one who harbors it. Most important, bitterness hinders a believer’s fellowship with God (1 John 4:20-21).     

Second, Paul commands us to put away all wrath or rage (NIV).  “Rage” suggest an outburst of uncontrolled passion.  Rage is like a smoldering fire that suddenly burst into flames.  Rage often leads to verbal or physical violence—and sometimes even murder. 

Third, Paul commands us to put away all anger.  While the word “anger” is often used in a general sense, here it seems to represent a settled attitude of hostility towards another. 

Fourth, Paul commands us to put away all clamor or brawling (NIV).  The Greek word literally means “to shout”.  It refers to a public outburst—that is, a loss of temper and self-control.  This is the anger we express when we shout at our spouse, our kids, or our co-workers.  As believers, such outbursts ought not be part of our lives. 

Next Paul commands us to put away all slander.  To slander is to abuse another person with your tongue.  It is to speak evil of another—especially behind their backs—defaming them and/or destroying their reputations. 

Finally, Paul says we must put away all malice.  Malice is ill-will towards another.  It is to wish evil—or perhaps to even plot evil—against another.  It is to desire someone else’s hurt or destruction. 

To practice any, or all, of these forms of unrighteous anger is to misrepresent Christ to a lost and dying world.  In the same way, unrighteous anger destroys the unity of Christ’s Church. 

So how do we go about “putting away” all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice?  We find God’s answer in Ephesians 4:32.  Here, Paul calls us to replace our self-centered anger with kindness, tenderheartedness (NIV translates “compassion”), and a willingness to forgive others like we have first been forgiven by God. 

Paul begins by calling us to “be kind to one another.  Being kind simply means doing good for others.  To act with kindness is to follow God’s own example (see Luke 6:35).  God himself is kind to wicked and ungrateful people.  Therefore, 1 Thess. 5:15 instructs us, Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else (NIV).  2 Tim. 2:24 adds, And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel;  instead, he must be kind to everyone…not resentful (NIV). 

But is it really possible to respond with kindness rather than anger when we have been wronged?  Paul says yes!  But only if we share the tender and compassionate heart of Christ (see Matthew 9:36; Luke 23:32-34).  Jesus never lost sight of the spiritual needs of those who wronged him.  Do we share his compassion for those who wrong us?  Do we hurt for them?  Do we long for their deliverance from sin and Satan?  If so, it becomes natural for us to forgive others as we ourselves have been forgiven.   

In the end, only the choice to forgive will set us free from the bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice that hinders our walk with God and destroys the unity of Christ’s Church.  In the strength of his Spirit, may God empower us to be kind and compassionate like he is kind and compassionate.  By his grace may we learn to forgive others even as God has forgiven us in Christ.