'Be Angry But Do Not Sin' (Ephesians 4:26a): Sin and the Emotions in the New Testament with Special Reference to Anger. (February 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Barton, Stephen C.
• Is Part Of: Studies in Christian ethics. Volume 28:Number 1(2015)
• Page Start: 21
• Page End: 34
• Publication Date: 2015-02
• Subjects: Anger -- emotions -- Ephesians -- passions -- sin; Christian ethics -- Periodicals; Morale chrétienne -- Périodiques; 241.05
• DOI: 10.1177/0953946814555444
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0953-9468

Abstract

A presupposition of this essay is that a Christian understanding of sin should give attention to the emotions (or passions). Taking anger as a case in point, an account is offered of the paraenēsis in Eph. 4:26 where anger and sin are juxtaposed. The main argument is that the teaching about anger has to be situated in relation to the moral-theological vision of Ephesians as a whole, central to which is the coming together as one of Jews and Gentiles in the Church. Anger is a sin, if it undermines the eschatological oneness of the Body of Christ.