Looking for what the Bible says about anger? You're in the right place. This page brings together key Scripture and principles on anger from across many different books of the Bible, along with practical commentary and everyday applications that can transform your life. Because this commentary is excerpted from Study and Obey's verse-by-verse book studies, every verse here has already been interpreted in its full context. As you study God's Word on anger, we encourage you to reflect on how to apply what God is teaching you. Enjoy!

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Be Angry and Do Not Sin

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

Did you know that believers are commanded to "be angry?" There are two kinds of anger, righteous anger and selfish anger. Selfish anger is far more common. Here are a few examples of selfish anger:

• Getting upset when someone cuts in line
• Honking in anger at others' rude driving habits
• Complaining about the boss behind his back
• Yelling at a spouse in the midst of an argument
• Retaliating verbally to insults

Selfish anger is always sin, 100% of the time. You cannot be angry about the above or like situations and not sin. People who have selfish anger are focused on themselves. They have been wronged, insulted, or mistreated and so they react. People who get angry about these things are concerned primarily with their own rights and feelings.

Righteous anger is different. A person who has righteous anger is upset when God's moral code is violated. Generally, his anger is stirred up when the weak and defenseless are mistreated. Here are some examples:

• Jesus was angry at the people doing business in the temple
• Citizens angry at the Nazis for killing Jews
• Being incensed at the treatment of orphans
• Anger at the perpetrators of human trafficking
• Angry that abortion is tolerated, legalized, and promoted
• Standing up for a woman who is being domestically abused

A person who has righteous anger is concerned with others. A person who has righteous anger is concerned with God's glory and God's law, like Jesus was when He cleansed the temple. From this standpoint, God wants us to be angry. The opposite of righteous anger is apathy. Many people suffer from apathy toward others. Those who are apathetic are preoccupied with themselves and too busy to think or care about helping the weak and innocent.

I read a story about a little girl who was hit by a vehicle. She lay on the side of the road, injured, bleeding, and crying, while person after person passed her by. Later, camera footage showed fourteen people walking past without assisting her. Many were looking at their phones or turning away. They were apathetic. Such a scene should make us angry. Angry at the driver who left. Angry at a society that is too busy surfing social media to reach out and help someone in need.

Reflect — What kind of things make you angry? Give an example of an area where you have shown selfish anger. Give an example of an area where you have righteous anger.

Paul qualifies his statement "to be angry." Even when you have righteous anger, you should not remain in that state and you should restrain some of your impulses. Righteous anger should move you to action, but not any action which crosses God's line. There have been some cases of people who blew up abortion clinics. Perhaps in the beginning, these individuals had righteous anger. But instead of directing that toward something positive, they let those feelings fester. Over time they grew until they reacted with vengeance.

Before my wife and I got married, one respected couple shared Ephesians 4:26-27 with us, suggesting that we make it our own and agree never to go to sleep angry with one another. In the thirteen years since we have tried to keep this verse. At times we have had arguments and disagreements. Laying in bed at night, we have not wanted to talk, preferring to brood in silence. In the end, we forced ourselves to face the problem and deal with it, as late as 2 or 3 AM. And we are grateful that we have followed this advice. Problems have been solved before they could grow and simmer. And after discussing and solving the problems, the sleep that follows is so much sweeter.

Allowing anger to reside in your heart is giving the devil an opportunity to sow discord in your marriage and in any other area of your life.

— From our Bible study on Ephesians 4:17-32

Quick to Listen, Slow to Anger

James 1:19-20 — "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."

A prideful person is "quick to speak." He loves the sound of his own voice. Such a person will often jump into conversations to share his wealth of knowledge even when not asked. In his pride, he will talk over others by being louder and more persistent. In an argument, instead of listening while the other is talking, he will spend that time forming his next point. These types of people are not fun to be around. Don't be that person.

Instead, we must be ready to listen to others' ideas. When they instruct us, we need to be willing to listen to their counsel. It is often said that God created us with two ears but only one mouth for a reason, and it makes sense. There is still a time and a place for talking, teaching, and sharing our opinions. But we should be slow to speak.

This means we should take the time to think over what we say carefully. Do not rush to lecture others because once you say it, you can't take it back. Before you speak, ask yourself several basic questions. Is it edifying? Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it kind? Are we saying it in love? Is it gentle?

Application — List out three practical ways you will guard yourself from being quick to speak this week.

Man's anger does not achieve the righteousness God desires. But this does not mean we should never be angry. Righteous anger can motivate us to take action and make a difference in society and in others' lives.

Some of my co-workers seem like nice people. Clean cut. They say kind things to one another and show care for people. But almost all of them, even the young ladies, curse. It was kind of surprising to me at the beginning to see these young, seemingly nice ladies suddenly curse in anger in the middle of the office. But it is quite common.

Outbursts are inevitable unless the heart has been regenerated by the Spirit. As believers, we can walk by the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit includes self-control. This is a winnable battle if we rely on God.

What steps can we take to win this battle?

• Have a close relationship with God first. Jesus said that apart from Him, we can do nothing. Don't be fake or hypocritical. If you are trying to live the Christian life in your own strength, you will fail sooner or later.
• Think before we speak. Don't be hasty to share your opinion. There is nothing the matter with talking, but don't find yourself always the one talking on and on.
• If we have a temptation to sin with our words, pray immediately. It doesn't have to be long or complicated. Simply say, "God, I am angry. Help me."
• Make a focused effort to be proactively using our tongues to glorify God and bless man. Train yourselves to speak positive words through practice. The more kind words that flow from your mouth, the easier they will come. But the more angry words flow from your mouth, the easier they will come.

— From our Bible study on James 1:12-27

Fathers, Do Not Provoke Your Children to Anger

Ephesians 6:4 — "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Verse 1 is more famous, but verse 4 is just as important. Parents should make it as easy as possible for children to obey them. They do this by being reasonable. Here are some ways fathers may be unreasonable and therefore encourage rebellion, followed by ways they should be reasonable and encourage obedience.

A friend of mine from the UK told this story about his grandmother. "My grandmother (born in 1881) and her brothers and sisters could not eat with their parents until they were 12 years old; and when they did join their parents at mealtimes in the dining room, they were not allowed to talk. Her father sat at the head of the table with a riding-whip, and any child that spoke or showed bad table manners would get a lash with it (ah, the good old days)!"

Sadly, harshness is not totally a thing of the past. Harsh and excessive discipline stirs up rebellion. The father is not supposed to be a dictator, ruthlessly creating burdensome rules for his family to follow. Harsh words stir up rebellion.

• You always fail.
• You're a loser.
• Why can't you be like your brother?

A harsh tone stirs up rebellion. We should not be yelling and screaming at our children. Speak kindly and with respect. Harshness says "no" just for the sake of it. The harsh father sets unreasonable rules without a good "why." Perhaps he demands total silence in the house. Perhaps he gets angry when a toddler spills a drink.

Say "yes" when you can.

Many have reacted against harshness in their own past and the pendulum has swung the other way to indulgence. If you give your kids everything they want when they want it, you are actually training them to be entitled and to resist authority. Both are wrong. Always saying "no" to your kids is bad for them and always saying "yes" is also bad for them.

Kids need proper boundaries. Parents should prayerfully and lovingly decide on healthy boundaries. Then they should consistently enforce them. This provides structure and safety for the children. They know what to expect. They know clearly what is right and wrong and why. They encourage self-control.

Lead by example. Children may be resentful of parents who are like dictators, giving out commands that they don't follow. Be a model for them. More is "caught" than "taught." Your children are often watching what you do more than what you say.

Application — Ask your children if there is anything you do that makes them exasperated or want to rebel. Ask them what you can do as a parent to improve. Listen to and learn from them. That is the mutual submission we are called to in Ephesians 5:21.

— From our Bible study on Reasonable Parenting – Ephesians 6:1-4

Anger as Heart-Murder

Matthew 5:21-22 — "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' 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."

God looks at and judges our thoughts, not only our actions and behavior. The type of anger mentioned in this passage is anger toward a brother. It is the type of anger that causes a person to throw out insults toward that person. Therefore it is clear that this is not righteous anger toward sin, but a self-centered anger.

Reflect — Can you think of a recent time when you were wrongly angry with someone? What did you do about it?

Getting angry with others in our hearts (even if you don't say anything out loud) already condemns you before God. Serving God goes far deeper than simply following the rules such as going to church. God desires obedience, not sacrifice. God desires for us to serve Him through our words and actions toward others. We don't serve God in a vacuum.

Relationships are very important and we should place a high priority on maintaining healthy and unified relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. This even takes priority over doing spiritual and religious activities. Sin breaks our relationships with others. But when these are broken it also affects our relationship with God. How can a husband and wife stand side by side with each other at church and pray and worship if they have problems with each other? The answer is that they can stand there and do it, but if their hearts aren't right it will negatively impact everything else from their worship time to their prayer time to even what they can get out of the sermon.

Solve things as soon as possible when you have a conflict with others. Reconcile with that person. Small disputes can escalate until the two parties are so upset with each other that one sues the other. When we are accused our immediate, fleshly reaction is to defend ourselves and attack the person who accused us. Jesus says it is far better not to let that case ever make it to court. Simply put, be a peacemaker and reconcile instead of defending yourselves.

— From our Bible study on Matthew 5:17-26

Jesus' Righteous Anger at the Temple

Matthew 21:12-13 — "And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, 'It is written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer," but you make it a den of robbers.'"

It is possible to be angry and not sin. It certainly appears that Jesus was angry in this passage. But this was not an out-of-control raging anger. Anger is not always sin. Sometimes righteous anger is called for. If we never have righteous anger, it is probably because we lack empathy and we just don't care about people around us. Jesus did care. He wept for Jerusalem. He cared that many sheep were being misled by these money centered practices. So he took calculated, intentional, and dramatic action to deal with the sin.

Jesus showed us what true authority is. While leaders for the Lord are to be humble and practice servant leadership, they are not to be timid and passive. Just as a shepherd reacts quickly and decisively when the flock is attacked so the spiritual leaders of the church should act decisively to deal with problems or people who are misleading or exploiting the sheep. He could be very gentle when gentleness was required. But He could be very powerful when strength and fortitude was required.

Serving God requires many different attitudes and character qualities so do not get locked in to one.

Application — Strict and tough people may get locked in to that type of personality. If you need to be firm then be so. But be ready to change in a moment. Often gentleness and compassion are required. Use each one as a tool at the proper and fitting time. For example a parent may need to yell at his child who is running out into the road, but yelling at the child who did his homework poorly is not the way to deal with it. Giving a rebuke to a brother who is considering leaving his wife is likely necessary, but talking with a brother who has been abandoned by his spouse requires a softer approach.

— From our Bible study on Matthew 21:12-17

Confronting Without Anger

Galatians 6:1 — "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."

Restore - Pay careful attention to this word! The goal of confrontation is not to make the person feel bad. It is not to make yourself feel good, nor is it to show off your knowledge. The purpose of confrontation is not to vent your anger or frustration. It is not to express your annoyance. The aim is to restore the person to a good relationship with God. This should be your one guiding motivation.

A spirit of gentleness - This is a key reminder that your attitude, tone of words, volume of speech, facial expressions, and gestures are all important. You are not to yell. You are not to lose your temper. Your goal is not to shame the person but to restore them. You should feel compassion for the person. Use tender, kind words.

When you are called to correct or restore others, make sure you do so in a spirit of humility. Evaluate yourself and your attitude to ensure you have the right motivations and are not acting as a hypocrite. Do not be like a police officer who goes around forcing other people to follow traffic laws while disregarding them yourself.

Small Group Activity —

Here is something a bit different to try, which should be fun and beneficial. Split into two groups. Group 1 needs to come up with and enact a simple skit. Come up with a scenario where one of you has been caught in sin. One or more of you need to confront this person about his sin. Do it but with anger, frustration, or annoyance and incorrect motives. Group 2 needs to do the same thing, but this time correct the person with gentleness, applying the principles we learned in this passage.

Reflect — What did you learn from this exercise? What did you see that should be avoided? What were some good examples that you can apply when you need to correct others? Which type of correction is more effective? Why?

— From our Bible study on Galatians 6

Paul's Righteous Anger at False Teachers

Galatians 1:8 — "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."

Paul is angry. He is so angry that he desires to call down a curse from God upon those who are teaching this deception. Why is Paul angry? Is he right to feel angry like this?

Imagine a shepherd who is watching his sheep and finds out some teenage boys are intentionally poisoning his sheep. He will feel angry. Imagine a father who finds a teacher abusing his child. He will feel angry. If the father or shepherd doesn't care about it, then we can say they are not a good father or shepherd. Even worse, they are evil and selfish.

Paul is angry because false teachers were misleading the sheep and turning many away from the truth of God. He refused to stand by and just watch it happen, though that might have been the easiest road to follow. Paul takes a stand. He even hopes that God will punish the people doing this.

Application — There are two types of anger. One is selfish anger because you have been inconvenienced in some way. The other is righteous anger which you feel when you see people breaking God's law and harming others. While we should avoid the first type, the second type is just. A person who is never angry at sin and injustice suffers from a severe case of apathy. God does not desire us to be apathetic about the world around us. So, like Paul, sin should provoke a reaction from you. Just make sure to "be angry, but do not sin."

— From our Bible study on Galatians 1:1-12

Not Quick-Tempered

Titus 1:7 — "For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain."

Do you think being an elder is easy? It is not always easy being an elder. Some people who go to church take and don't give. Others complain and criticize. Not all churchgoers are saints. An elder might get complaints about the seating structure, the music (it is too loud, it is not loud enough), the temperature (it is too hot, it is too cold), the preaching style, or Sunday school, etc. The list goes on and on.

An elder with a quick temper will often lose it and be a bad testimony. Someone might come to him to complain and he responds, "Fine, you don't like how we do it. What about you? You don't do anything! From now on, you do it your way. I quit!"

An elder needs to be long-suffering and patient. An elder with a short fuse is a recipe for disaster.

Application — How can a person overcome a short temper?

— From our Bible study on Titus 1:1-8

Righteous Anger Against Injustice

Nehemiah 5:6-7 — "I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, 'You are exacting interest, each from his brother.' And I held a great assembly against them."

A good leader is invested emotionally in his people. Here is a case of righteous anger. Nehemiah was a leader of the people. He was trying to inspire them to work together on an important but difficult task. They were facing adversity from their enemies. And now he heard this news about Jews exploiting other Jews. He was not happy. Notice that a good leader cannot and does not ignore the sins committed by the people he is supervising. A good leader is active, not passive. A good leader cares spiritually and emotionally for his people, showing empathy and concern for those he cares for.

Nehemiah's strong emotional response forced him to take action to address this issue. Good leaders don't just stand by and let sin and disunity rip apart God's people. They take action to deal with the sin. Nehemiah publicly and directly speaks out against the culprits. He doesn't mince words or candy-coat it. Instead, he brings the problem out and makes it clear who is responsible and exactly what wrong they have done.

Notice Nehemiah's conclusion. He did rebuke them, but he didn't leave them with a rebuke. A rebuke is not the end goal. It is a step on the path to restoration. He offered them a solution. There is a great difference between a father who is angry at his child for hitting someone and says, "What is the matter with you? You are a wicked and rude boy," and a father who says, "You should not hit. Go and ask forgiveness. Next time, you can share your toys instead of hitting someone who tries to take them from you."

Reflect — How do you feel when you are scolded? Most likely, you aren't very happy about it. But our ultimate goal is not to let people feel bad. That may be necessary to bring about repentance, but the final goal is to restore them.

— From our Bible study on Nehemiah 5

Don't Become Angry with God

Acts 16:25 — "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them."

One good example of responding to life's difficulties with joy instead of anger is Paul and Silas. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. Prisons in those days were dirty and smelly. Their feet were put in stocks. Circumstances were not good. It was a serious trial for them. They were not in prison because of their own sin. They had been faithfully serving God and sharing the good news. And yet God allowed them to be wrongfully taken and thrown in prison. Some people would become bitter and angry and question God, "God, have you abandoned me? I was serving you! How can you let this happen?"

You know the story. Paul and Silas were singing hymns to the Lord in prison. The lesson from Paul and Silas is simple: no matter how bad things get around us, we decide how to respond.

Happiness is primarily a feeling that we have which is triggered by exterior things such as the people around us. It is not natural that we would be happy when, for example, someone around us dies. And yet, even in those situations, we can make a decision that we will not complain. We will not become bitter and angry toward God. We will not become grumpy and upset with the people around us.

Application — Perhaps you have not responded well to the trials in your life. Perhaps you have complained. Perhaps you have become short tempered and easily irritated. Perhaps you have even allowed anger toward the Lord to build up in your hearts. We have seen Habakkuk struggle with these things. We have seen him question God. But at the end of it all, he decided to rejoice no matter what. Are you willing, right now, to do the same?

— From our Bible study on Habakkuk 3:16-19

We hope you enjoyed this Bible study on anger. May God use His Word to speak into your life and give you strength to follow it. Please take some time to reflect on the questions below and consider leaving a comment with your key takeaway or insight.

Reflection Questions

• Is being angry a sin? Why or why not?
• Why should we not let the sun go down on our anger?
• What will the result be if we do stay angry over an extended period of time?
• How does the "anger of man" differ from God's anger?
• List out three practical ways you will guard yourself from being quick to speak this week.
• Is there ever a time when we should be angry? If so, what kind of situations?
• How does disunity/broken relationships/anger hurt our relationship with and worship of God?

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