26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-27)
Probably since the rebellion and casting down of Satan and the other fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 12:7-9), the emotion of anger has been a part of God’s relationship with some of His creatures. God’s anger has certainly been a part of His relationship with man since the rebellion of Adam which brought death and condemnation upon all men (Romans 5:12). This anger of God’s is a righteous anger, but it is a response to the rebellion and sin of His creatures. It would not have been an emotion of God in the perfect fellowship of the God-head in eternity past.
In a fallen creation in which all are subject to the law of sin and death, we experience anger as well. Like God, ours may be a righteous anger as a response to sin. But more often than not, our anger is a reaction of our own sinful nature, and this anger and its expression are unrighteous.
In Ephesians 4:26, Paul quotes from Psalm 4:4. Here, anger is acknowledged as a common human emotion in the context of our relationships with others,* but God commands that we are not to sin in our anger. Anger that is rightly directed and self-controlled may be a righteous emotion. But, even of righteous anger, its unrestrained expression is sinful. Selfishness and pride are sinful motivations for anger, and the expression of anger thus motivated is certainly sinful.
Through Paul’s instruction in verse 27, we are warned that when we sin in our anger, we provide a foothold for the devil in our lives and relationships. He commands us against this. The Greek word translated, “foothold” (NIV 1984; Berean Study Bible) or “opportunity” (ESV; NASB), is τόπος (topos), meaning place or region. It is the word from which we derive the English word, “topography.” Its literal meaning is any portion of space that has been marked off and reserved for a particular use, such as a house, city, or region. Figuratively, the word is used to refer to a position given to someone in any gathering of people, or the power and opportunity for taking action. Sinning in anger, then, provides a specific place for the devil to take up a position or residence. Through sinning in our anger, we give the devil a position and an opportunity to act and exercise his power in our lives and relationships.
Sinful motivations and unrestrained expressions of anger are to be “put off” (Ephesians 4:22-24) in the lives of followers of Jesus Christ. In the second half of verse 26 , Paul commands that we are not to let the day end while we are still angry. Instead of giving the devil an opportunity, we need to take the opportunity to resolve problems, differences, misunderstandings, sins, and offenses that can give rise to anger. Deal with these things God’s way before the day ends, so that no one’s anger, even a righteous anger, is unnecessarily prolonged, and so that no one’s sinful anger is kindled and fanned and inflamed.
* The translation of the Greek is actually in the form of a command, “Be angry and yet not sin.” This seems to affirm anger as an appropriate and righteous response in some circumstances.