Anger in the Bible: Righteous Vs. Unrighteous Anger

Are you struggling with anger? You aren’t alone – even people in the Bible struggled with anger. God gives us anger as a warning sign that something is wrong. You can overcome it with God’s help.

Your anger may be triggered by current or past hurts. It may be deeply rooted, but there is hope for you. As you study Bible verses that tell you how you can handle anger, you can start the healing process and learn new ways of relating to others. God will help you learn to be more like Him, acting in anger only when it is righteous.

What the Bible Says About Anger

Verses on anger in Scripture can teach us many things. They not only teach us what to avoid; they teach us what to pursue instead. God makes a clear distinction between righteous and unrighteous anger in his Word. Though God is the only one who can perfectly handle anger, he offers us practical solutions as we learn to apply his Word to our daily lives.

You may feel frustrated because you keep becoming angry, even when you have tried different ways to handle it. That’s because anger is often linked to other emotions such as anxiety, stress, fear, impatience, and pride.

A Christian counselor can help you handle those related emotions to decrease your anger and increase your peace. Let’s study several Bible verses that deal with anger so we can understand how to overcome it.

Righteous Anger in the Bible

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” – John 2:13-16

This Scripture demonstrates that Jesus had righteous anger. He saw the profaneness of turning the temple into a materialistic market. Since the money changers did not have God’s will in mind, they were in the wrong, and Jesus did what he needed to do to set things right.

We can look at this example to see that righteous anger is good when it is used for cleansing purposes. It’s permissible to get angry about things that are unfair, unholy, or unjust. God is angry about those things as well.

However, we need to remember that Jesus rarely displayed anger the way he did in this example. Most of the time, he overlooked wrongs and was patient with sinful people. Jesus was very intentional with his anger, and we can learn to be like him as we follow his example.

Unrighteous Anger in the Bible

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. – Ephesians 4:26-27

When we handle anger in the wrong way, it becomes unrighteous anger. We allow the devil to wreak more havoc in our lives when we react rather than respond in anger.

The Bible records many examples of people indulging in unrighteous anger. For example, Cain killed his brother Abel out of anger. Saul was jealous in his anger at David and chased him for years. Because Jonah was angry at the Ninevites, he defied God’s orders. These examples and others are recorded in God’s Word to teach us how destructive unrighteous anger can be.

Ephesians 4:26-27 teaches us that we can be angry while choosing not to sin. The Holy Spirit will bear the fruit of self-control in us when we are tempted. This will prevent our anger from multiplying into other sins and defeat the devil’s influence over our lives. We can avoid gossip, bitterness, fighting, slander, and many other fruits of unrighteous anger by asking God to help us practice self-control when we are angry.

Anger Has a Time Limit

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. – Micah 7:18

Righteous anger has a purpose. It is meant to expose sin, pain, or inequity so we can seek to put things right. It can motivate us to take righteous action. However, retaining and dwelling on even righteous anger can tempt us to become bitter and hardened.

Though he has every right to stay angry with us forever, God chooses to show us mercy and even takes delight in doing so. This is our model to follow. We can ask God to help us get over our anger quickly so that we can show others mercy like he has shown us mercy. We can delight in God’s character while we ask him to remove our grudges and soften our hearts.

Anger Must Be Removed

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. – Ephesians 4:31

It’s usual for anger to exist alongside other sins. If we don’t take care of it right away, anger can turn into wrath, shouting, slander, and bitterness. These problems will destroy you and others unless you repent and ask God to remove them from your heart and mind. God is ready to listen to your honest prayers as you pour out your problems before him and seek his solutions for your anger problems.

Beware of Angry People

Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. – Proverbs 22:24-25

You probably know that if you hang around angry people, you feel angrier yourself. But you may not realize just how much you are being exposed to anger. Even if your friends aren’t angry, you can catch anger from social media, television shows, movies, and more.

To remove yourself from anger’s snare, try taking a break from the angry influences in your life. You’ll soon find that your anger level decreases. Ask God to show you the angriest influences to which you are exposed, and pray that he’ll help you find peaceful substitutes.

Keep Watch Over Your Heart

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. – Proverbs 4:23

Like all other sins, unrighteous anger flows from our hearts since we are sinful by nature. You can ask God to continually search your heart for any angry triggers so that you can repent of them. As you handle your triggers with prayer and praise, you can overcome those sinful areas. A Christian counselor can help you identify your triggers so you can guard your heart and have greater self-control.

Be Slow to Become Angry

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. – James 1:19-20

Is your anger activated by a hair-trigger? God can teach you how to reduce the speed of your anger. You can learn ways to identify your thoughts, practice active listening, and respond rather than react with the help of a qualified Christian counselor.

Christian Counseling for Anger

Anger is a difficult problem to overcome on your own. If you meet with a Christian counselor, you will gain valuable perspective from a safe person who wants to help you grow in your faith. These Scriptures on anger are a great help. But if you are seeking more help that is customized to your unique needs, get in touch with us today. We are ready to help you overcome anger with biblical principles.