“These verses are often yanked out of the passage and, generally, the idea is “Anger is not a good thing, but we all get angry, so if you get angry don’t sin and make sure you deal with it by bedtime.”
But, does that make sense in the context? If I took out anger and put in a different sin, would we feel comfortable with that interpretation? In the context of the passage, what do we see? Paul – multiple times – presents a do/don’t formula: Don’t lie, speak the truth. Don’t steal, work honestly. Don’t rage, be compassionate. But here, “Well, you’re gonna be angry…I guess just don’t do it too
much.” It doesn’t fit with how Paul has been talking. Strip off lying. Put away the old man. No longer walk as the Gentiles do. “Eh…you’re gonna be mad sometimes…just keep it to a dull roar.””
