The Close Relation Between Wrath And Lust
Wrath and lust are more closely connected than people realize. Uncontrolled anger makes it harder to keep lustful desires in check.
Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
Wrath and anger, though seemingly similar, differ when examined in their original Greek context. Regardless, these corrupt passions grieve the Holy Spirit and must be “put away from you.”
Such sinful outbursts have a profound and enduring impact, more than we often acknowledge, which this post will explore.
Christian book author Thomas Coutouzis said the following about the “wrath” referenced in Ephesians 4:31:
The anger sin known as “Wrath” in Ephesians 4:31 is θυμὸς. It is an anger that boils up quickly and subsides quickly.
It translates as “passion” or “hot anger”. It is passion-driven behavior.
Thermometer and Thermos are English terms that derive from Thumos.
Many people can understand that anger is passion driven and this anger boils up and over.
What many people miss is the correlation of “thumos” to sexual immorality. “Epithumia” combines “epi” (focused on) and thumos (passion-driven behavior). Epi intensifies the word to mean “lust”.
Lust is desire out of control. Sinful thumos anger is anger out of control.
Those who suffer from this sinful anger also fight the temptation to lust after the flesh. Sexual immorality is driven by passion. Those who explode into anger also jump into sexual immorality in the blink of an eye because they are controlled by their passions.
In terms of sin, if you struggle with rage you will struggle with sexual purity.
Once you recognize this it will help you to better understand and combat these evil desires when they arise.1
Let this serve as a warning to those struggling with sin and finding it difficult to overcome. In a world affected by sexual addiction, whether in person or online, remember that controlling your desires requires managing your anger effectively.
Thomas Coutouzis, https://twitter.com/ThomasCoutouzis/status/1333532358235066370