What does the Bible say about anger? (2023)

How does the Bible say to deal with anger?

James 1:19-20 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” God's way of dealing with anger is to be slow to anger.

Anger itself is not a sin, but the strong emotion, unrestrained, can lead very quickly to sin. As God said to Cain, “It's desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7).

The most common appearance of anger in the Bible is God's rage against sin. Sin offends his perfect righteousness; its power rebels against his Lordship; its presence corrupts his creation. Sin demands his justice and judgment. Anger is meant to reveal an injustice, a wrong that needs righting.

Proverbs 29:8-11 describe the rage, havoc, and violence that accompany evil and folly. Such men set a city aflame (Prov 29:8), are abusive and rude in a dispute (Prov 29:9), hate people of integrity (Prov 29:10), and give full vent to every passion they feel (Prov 29:11).

People often express their anger in different ways, but they usually share four common triggers. We organize them into buckets: frustrations, irritations, abuse, and unfairness.

Anger is a God-given emotion that gives us energy to protect someone else or ourselves, or to take action against an injustice.

God Hands Us Over

In the Bible we see this phrase over and over—when God gets angry, he “hands us over.” But what does this mean?

Modern psychologists view anger as a normal, natural, and mature emotion experienced by virtually all humans at times, and as something that has functional value for survival.

Interestingly, both Yahweh and David are angry (v. 7 and v. 8), and both anger comes as a result of clashed perspective; Yahweh clashed with the point of view of Uzzah who seeks to help the falling ark of covenant, and David clashed with Yahweh's sense of justice in punishing Uzzah.

Emotions that can Trigger

Because anger is easier to feel, it can distract you from experiencing and healing the pain you feel inside. Among the most triggering primary emotions is frustration. Frustration is often experienced when you are feeling helpless or out of control.

What are the 3 types of anger?

There are three types of anger which help shape how we react in a situation that makes us angry. These are: Passive Aggression, Open Aggression, and Assertive Anger.

Psalms 37:8-9

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

Prior to Paul's writing in Ephesians 4:32, he had also written in the verse before it to “let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Paul was giving us his advice to stay away from bitterness before it gets a hold on our personality.

Matthew 5:22, ESV: But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool! ' will be liable to the hell of fire.

The adrenal glands flood the body with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. The brain shunts blood away from the gut and towards the muscles, in preparation for physical exertion. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase, the body temperature rises and the skin perspires.

Research shows that anger can be especially common if you have been betrayed by others. This may be most often seen in cases of trauma that involve exploitation or violence. The trauma and shock of early childhood abuse often affects how well the survivor learns to control his or her emotions.

Anger is an important emotion because it signals to us that something is wrong. Like pain, it's part of our alert system. Anger is also a gift from God, and if we read the Scriptures honestly, we have to conclude that it can be a holy emotion – and one that God feels.

The anger of God is not like human anger.

You may have suffered because of someone who is habitually angry. Human anger can often be unpredictable, petty, and disproportionate. These things are not true of the anger of God. God's wrath is the just and measured response of His holiness towards evil.

What happens when your too angry?

Long-term, unresolved anger is linked to health conditions such as high blood pressure, depression, anxiety and heart disease. It's important to deal with anger in a healthy way that doesn't harm you or anyone else.

There are four types of anger that can help people understand how the emotion works in their lives: long, short, hot, and cold.

Anger is a natural and mostly automatic response to pain of one form or another (physical or emotional). Anger can occur when people don't feel well, feel rejected, feel threatened, or experience some loss. The type of pain does not matter; the important thing is that the pain experienced is unpleasant.

The anger in you has taken root and born the fruit of destruction in your life.

Common roots of anger include fear, pain, and frustration. For example, some people become angry as a fearful reaction to uncertainty, to fear of losing a job, or to fear of failure.