Ephesians 4:26

Is anger a sin or not?

PROBLEM: On the one hand, the Bible seems to approve of anger, saying, “be angry” (Ephesians 4:26). On the other hand, the Bible seems to disapprove of it, listing it as one of the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-20).

SOLUTION: Anger as such is not necessarily wrong. In fact, anger at sin is definitely right. Jesus was angry at unbelief and hypocrisy (cf. Matthew 23; John 2:13-17), and God is angry at unrighteousness and apostasy (cf. Exodus 4:14; Numbers 11:1). What is wrong is not anger at sin, but sinning in anger. Briefly, there is both a good sense and a bad sense of anger:

GOOD ANGER BAD ANGER

Righteous indignation Unrighteous eruptions