Anger in the Bible: 3 Verses about Anger

Everyday life brings with it a mix of highs, lows, and everything in between. From the start till the end of a day, you can encounter things that will bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart, some things that will make you sad, and others that will make you mad.

The weather, your neighbor, the dog, your spouse and kids, how hot or cold your shower is, whether a pot of coffee is brewed when you need that first cup in the morning, traffic, your coworkers, your boss, your bank balance – all this and so much more can elicit a rollercoaster of emotions in the course of a day.

Anger is a part of each person’s emotional landscape. We do differ in the things that anger us – some people may get mildly irritated if someone cuts them off in traffic or jumps ahead in line at the checkout or box office, but they’re not going to blow up about it.

Other people, on the other hand, will go positively ballistic if they see someone littering. What sets us off isn’t the same, that much is true from observing people. What’s also true is that how angry people will get over something and what they will do when that red haze descends upon them is also different.

Some of us will get angry and cuss, while others will ball up their fists and release the emotion or talk it out calmly, while yet others will take a baseball bat to something or someone when they’re angered. A fourth thing that is true about anger is that there are healthy and unhealthy ways of dealing with anger.

Anger in the Bible: 3 Verses about Anger

Where do we find anger in the Bible? This complex emotion is spoken about in many places in the Bible. We would expect the Bible to speak about anger since anger punctuates our existence and has set off many intended and unintended consequences in the story of Scripture. What does the Bible say about anger, and how can that instruct us as we try to make sense of it?

God gets angry – Romans 1:18

One thing the Bible says about anger is that God gets angry. Anger feels like such an imperfect emotion that it seems almost sacrilegious to ascribe it to God. There’s probably a good reason for that trepidation. Often when we do encounter anger in our lives, the cause of that anger and the result of it are less than savory.

Many a parent has gotten angry at their child because of one thing or another – maybe it was a misplaced toy, or an instruction that had gone unheeded one too many times, or an unnecessary mess that could have been avoided. That anger may have led to a later-regretted spanking or raised voice.

Imagine if the parent had unlimited cosmic power at that moment; what would have become of the child? No; we often feel that anger is inappropriate for God because in us it’s often a feeling with regrettable consequences that comes from fatigue, impatience, stretched nerves, and pride.

While this is true, people can also feel anger that is justified. What other emotion is appropriate when you hear about child trafficking or ongoing human slavery in the 21^st century? How else should you react when you encounter a lie that destroys lives?

The emotion of anger can be very appropriate, and the Bible tells us that when God feels anger, it is of this second, justified sort. It is not random, not fueled by fatigue, not born of mere irritation – rather, it stems from who God is a God who loves what is good, right, and just.

His character demands that He reacts a certain way to evil. This deep, abiding anger that God has toward everything evil that invades and seeks to destroy his creation is often called “wrath” in the Bible. So Romans 1:18 says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…”.

Get angry, but don’t sin – Ephesians 4:26-27

The outflow and corollary of what we will later see the letter of James is saying is what Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians. For those who think that anger is inherently sinful, Paul quotes the Psalms and makes a distinction between the emotion of anger and sin.

“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:26-27). There are several things to note here. Being angry and sinning isn’t the same thing. But anger can lead you into sin. This is important to note because to suppress the emotion of anger altogether and treat it as ungodly simply isn’t right or healthy.

If we are beings made in the image of God, and we see Jesus getting angry, then surely anger isn’t an inherently bad thing without a purpose. If God gets angry, then surely godly people should also be angry about what angers God?

Paul does warn us though, to hold on lightly to anger. We shouldn’t dwell on it and let it dominate our days. When anger is a constant feature in our emotional landscape, something isn’t quite right. Our anger can cloud our judgment, and the devil can use our anger to lead us astray.

It can lead to slander, murder and so much more. Anger, then, isn’t inherently sinful, but it can be easily leveraged by the devil to lead us into sin. The slope is so slippery that Jesus warned his disciples against being angry with one another (Matthew 5:22).

Human anger is problematic – James 1:19-20

As we pointed out before, human beings can sometimes get angry at the wrong things, and yet we can also get angry at the right things as well. The Bible makes the case time and again how human beings are sinful. This means that we don’t act, think, or feel in line with what God wants and how we were designed.

We try to live life on our own terms, and that has disastrous consequences for us and others (Genesis 3). Our anger is often misguided, and so we can’t trust it as a guide. As such, we need to be careful about giving head to our anger and letting it have its way.

James puts it this way, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:19-20). We are to slow ourselves down and consider ourselves carefully before letting anger hold sway. Not only do we get angry about the wrong thing easily, but that anger can lead us astray.

In 1 Samuel, we come across King Saul of Israel who unjustifiably pursued David and wanted to kill him, despite David displaying loyalty again and again. In his pursuit of David, the king slaughtered priests who had given David bread on his journey to escape Saul (1 Samuel 21-22).

Saul’s jealousy and anger led him to pursue an innocent man and to slaughter others. Even where anger is justified, what we do with that anger matters too. The tactics that our anger can suggest to us to meet our goals can constitute ‘man’s anger’ that James warns us about.

Harming and endangering the lives of others while protesting environmental degradation or human exploitation, for example, is problematic – it does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. It causes harm even as it tries to prevent it.

Conclusion

We find anger in the Bible as a complex and nuanced emotion. God is pictured as angry toward the evil acts of people and nations, and that anger is justified. Human anger, on the other hand, is shown to be an emotion we need to handle with care.

While it is a natural emotion to possess, it can easily dominate us and lead us astray, overturning the righteous life that God desires for us and this world. We ought to slow down enough to carefully consider the source of our anger, and its outcome if we let it have its way in us. This implies that for a godly life we should be in control of our anger, and not the other way around.

If you find it hard to control your anger, or if anger has taken a toll on your emotional and relational health, consider anger management therapy to help you get your anger under control and position you to live the godly life God wants for you.