One of the classes at our church started a new study this week called Unoffendable. The premise is based on a book of the same name, written by Brant Hansen, and we are using the book as a springboard for discussion in the class.

As we started off the class last weekend, we discussed the topic of anger, and compared personal anger to social anger, to injustice, and to the concept of forgiveness that Jesus clearly defines in Scripture.

I’m looking forward to reading through the book to see what the author has to say on these subjects. After our first discussion, I was challenged in my own thinking. Let me give you an example of how I might need to review how I approach this idea.

I have always had a short temper, and controlling my anger is something I have struggled with over the years. I’m pretty sure I’m better at this than I was a few years ago, but I know I still have a long way to go. In Ephesians 4:26, Paul says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” But the question comes down to just what he means by this.

Does he mean that we are not to get angry? Is anger a sin? Or does he mean that when we do get angry, we are to make sure we handle it in a sin-free, appropriate manner? Is anger is a common human emotion, something we all deal with as emotional beings? Or is it something that comes straight from our fallen nature?

And what about righteous anger? Is there such a thing? Or is that simply our excuse to be angry and justify it? Can we be motivated about such things as injustice and the brokenness of the world without being angry? Can we handle those kinds of things without giving in to anger?

These are difficult questions, and I am not going to be able to lay out any simple answers in a short article such as this. But here’s my opinion, based on years of studying the Bible, of reading other resources, and struggling to control my own temper through it all.

We are created as emotional beings so we experience the full range of emotions, and one of those emotions is anger. However, that does not justify my anger. It only explains it. I think Paul’s statement in Ephesians can be more clearly understood when we look just a few verses later, to verses 31 and 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.

I don’t think Paul wants any of us to give in to our anger. I don’t think his statement in verse 26 is meant to be taken as “you will be angry, so just don’t sin when you are angry.” I think, in light of the rest of the passage, that Paul is telling us this is a part of the sinful nature that we have to strive to eliminate from our lives.

When we seek to have an attitude that pursues kindness and forgiveness, like verse 32 encourages us, then anger cannot be a part of the equation, can it? I don’t think it can. I think Paul is clear here. He’s saying that we will deal with anger, because we are fallen emotional humans. So when that happens, he gives us some ways to deal with it. But the ultimate goal is to live as one who is unoffendable.

With my short fuse, this can be difficult. I don’t often want to reign in my anger and frustration because of what I feel is a violation of my rights. But Jesus gave up his rights, and he expects me to do the same (Philippians 2:5-7). Jesus turned the other cheek, and he expects me to do the same (Matthew 5:38-42). Jesus offered forgiveness instead of anger, and he expects me to do the same (Luke 23:34; Matthew 18:21-22).

So it looks like I have my work cut out for me as I seek to control my anger, as I seek to live my life being “unoffendable.”

Question: How well do you deal with anger? Have you ever stopped to consider whether your perspectives are biblical or are your own justification? You can leave a comment by clicking here.