Ephesians 4:26

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

(v26, ESV)

It is possible to be angry and not sin. There will be things that anger you. Anger is not necessarily a bad thing. There were often times in the bible where God is angry. We can be angry, but we must make sure that our anger does not cause us to sin or lead us to sin.

In the second part of the verse, Paul instructs us to not let the sun go down on our anger. This means to not let the anger continue to the next day. I find the longer I let my anger dwell within me, the more likely I am to sin as a result of it. It is very easy to quickly sin in a knee-jerk reaction or cause of anger. However, it may be worse when you allow your anger to cook within you. Do away with your anger and resolve it before the sun goes down. Do not let your anger sit for too long within you.

An unwillingness to let go of our anger is not Christ-like. Holding on to our anger is not the way that we learned Christ. When we are not willing to let go of our anger, it shows an unforgiving and unrepentant heart. If we are not forgiving, how do we expect our father in heaven to forgive us?

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

(Matthew 18:23-35, ESV)

The servant who was forgiven by his master did not forgive his fellow servant who owed him money; he got in trouble with the king. The king had forgiven him, but the servant was unwilling to forgive others. In the same way, if we are unable to forgive others, how do we expect God to forgive us?