In order for this to be a true problem, it must be established that anger of any form is sinful and wrong, or, it must be established that the type of anger in Proverbs 22:24 is the same type of anger in Ephesians 4:26.

The crux of Ephesians 4:26 is the Greek orgizesthe is translated by the KJV as a mere imperative: "Be ye angry". Yet, the NIV takes orgizesthe as a more permissive imperative "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry...". The Blass-Debrunner-Funk grammar views this as a concessional imperative: "You may be angry as far as I am concerned (if you can't help it), but do not sin thereby."

Other scholars (like Daniel B. Wallace) conclude that the strongest view is that this text "seems to be a shorthand expression for church discipline, suggesting that there is biblical warrant for dikaia orge (as the Greeks put it) -- righteous indignation."

So the exact sense of what Paul says here can mean one of two things: a concessional imperative, or a strict imperative pointing to righteous indignation. If the concessional imperative view is adopted, then the case for contradiction is incorrect. At the very best for the skeptical charge there is no convincing evidence at all for a contradiction between these two passages.

Problem: On the one hand, the Bible seems to approve of anger, saying, "be angry" (Eph. 4:26). On the other hand, the Bible seems to disapprove of it, listing it as one of the "works of the flesh" (Gal. 5:19-20).

Solution: Anger as such is not necessarily wrong. In fact, anger at sin is definitely right. Jesus was angry at unbelief and hypocrisy (cf. Matt. 23; John 2:13-17), and God is angry at unrighteousness and apostasy (cf. Ex. 4:14; Num. 11:1). What is wrong is not anger at sin, but sinning in anger. Briefly, there is both a good sense and a bad sense of anger: