Rev. Don Campbell
Control the Burn
When Paul wrote “‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath’ (Eph 4:26, NKJV), he was not exhorting us to become angry, as the writer of Hebrews exhorts us to “be content” (Heb 13:15). The Living Bible captures the meaning: “If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly.”
There are three different Greek words translated as anger: Thumos is the turbulent agitation of feelings (losing one’s temper), which may subside or settle down to orge (or-gay), which is less sudden in its rise, but more lasting in its nature. If nursed, orge becomes parogismos, which is bitterness, resentment, and a desire for revenge. The three might be illustrated as thumos being like the striking of a match, orge is like a controlled fire, and parogismos is like a wildfire that is out of control.
There are things—including some people—who are going to move us to anger (orge). Paul recognizes that and urges us to control the burn, lest we be consumed by the fire within.
