Anger in the Bible: Distinguishing Between Righteous and Unrighteous Anger

Anger seems to be around us everywhere. To be sure, there’s no shortage of good reasons to be angry, from errant politicians to abuses of power by people in positions of authority, and frustration over social and other causes one can think of. Even a cursory look at social media and in-person interactions reveals people expressing anger over a whole host of things. We often see anger that quickly flares up and descends into vitriol and violence. But anger in the Bible?

Unfortunately, our sentiments toward anger and its expressions are shaped by what we typically see. For people who only experience destructive outward expressions of anger, it can be hard to reconcile that with the message of the Bible, and so in their own lives, they may resolve to hold onto their anger, button it up, and not express it under any circumstances.

The very idea of “righteous anger” would seem a misnomer, or a bad joke someone’s trying to make. How can anger be righteous when it looks like people throwing tables and chairs at each other at a buffet spot? The Bible does make such distinctions, however, and they may help us to steer away from the types of anger and expressions that are displeasing to the Lord, and toward those that honor the Lord and constitute healthy and constructive expressions of anger.

Anger in the Bible: Righteous Anger

Can anger be “righteous?” The Bible has many examples of people doing horrible things to one another in their anger. After the Lord rejected Cain’s sacrifice, we read, “So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4: 5-7, NIV).

Instead of ruling his unrighteous anger, Cain let his anger rule him, and he ended up murdering his brother Abel. This was the first murder recorded in the Bible, and it was on account of anger. It would not be the last.

Many examples of anger in the Bible follow this pattern, teaching us that anger can lead people to destructive behaviors. Though it is not primarily the destructive behaviors that make the anger sinful. Rather, it reaches farther back to the attitude of the heart. That is, even anger that doesn’t result in destructive behavior can still be sinful for a variety of reasons such as being provoked for the wrong reasons, being out of control, or being disproportionate to the cause.

However, there is a contrast to all this. We see, for instance, when Jesus wanted to heal a man on the sabbath, but the people present there wanted to accuse Jesus of breaking God’s law. We read this exchange:

Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. – Mark 4:4-5, NIV

Jesus was angry at stubborn hearts that wouldn’t yield to the truth. In Mark 10:14-16 we see Him being “indignant” at his disciples for preventing little children from gaining access to him. We also see Jesus being moved in this deep way over sickness and death (Mark 1:41 and John 11:33). Jesus was angry at people prioritizing rituals over the wholeness of others. He was angry about anything that marred God’s creation or prevented people from getting to know him.

The first thing to note is that Jesus expressed anger over certain things. The things that typically anger us are nearly always self-centered; they are about our desires being thwarted. Second, when Jesus was angry, he did not resort to verbal abuse of others, nor was he ever out of control, even when overturning tables and driving animals out of the temple to make room for people to worship God (John 2: 14-16). Anger can be righteous when directed toward the things that God hates and expressed in ways consistent with God’s character.

In the Bible, we see God get angry, but his anger is always toward sin, and his response to that is always measured. In other words, God’s anger is not a raging fire that’s out of His control, making him capricious and unpredictable. God is consistent in his opposition toward whatever is evil and whatever distorts the goodness of his creation. Here are a few passages that describe God’s anger:

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” – Exodus 34: 5-7, NIV 

In this passage, the Lord proclaims his name to Moses. If we want to know what God is like, there’s nothing better  than a clear self-description. In this description, God emphasizes the fact that he is merciful and gracious. His steadfast love and forgiveness extend to thousands (probably of generations) in contrast to the few generations upon whom he visits iniquity.

God does not get angry quickly, and we see this displayed in the Old Testament as his people disobey again and again, but it takes generations of disobedience before the Lord exiles them from the land.

We also read in Psalm 103, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8, ESV) and this echoes what Exodus said. Whenever the righteous anger of God toward sin is mentioned, we are reminded that it is not quickly kindled, and it is placed alongside his steadfast love that extends for generations.

Expressing Anger Well

Much of the anger that we experience and express is often not the righteous anger that is displayed by the Lord. This does not necessarily mean that our anger needs to be stamped down and avoided at all costs. Our emotions are a clue to what’s going on inside us, and that goes for anger too. We must pay attention to them, if only because God created us with these emotions, and they play an important function in our lives.

You can ask yourself why you’re angry (and if you have any right to be), and the answer to that question can help you discern what you value and whether you ought to. While we must pay attention to our emotions, the key is not to be led by them or let them become sinful. because they don’t always lead us in the way we should go. Look at Cain and his brother.

Our emotions, just like our minds, need to be conformed to the image of God. Our threshold for anger needs to increase so that we aren’t angered easily by things such as bad traffic. We need greater discernment to distinguish between righteous and unrighteous anger. Our expressions of anger need to avoid being destructive toward others, whether in word or deed. Our emotions are not always meant to be expressed, and the ways we express even our best emotions are never free from sin, so we need to continually be asking God for help.

Anger in the Bible: How to Keep Anger in Check

Anger does not always need to be expressed. Though unrighteous anger that is focused inward or that is stifled can affect our health while subtly undermining our relationships. Sarcastic or snide comments, the hallmarks of passive-aggressive anger, can destroy a relationship as surely as an angry outburst can.

Rather than viewing this as an unsolvable conundrum, one way to start working on the problem is to learn how to keep our anger in check. For instance, James 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. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. – James 1:19-21, NIV

Recognizing that human anger doesn’t produce the life God desires, James says that instead, we should substitute better listening, being slower to let words out of our mouths, and slamming the brakes on anger. Growing in patience with others can go a long way toward helping us deal with our anger. It allows us to really listen, and perhaps to see the unmet needs that drive people to the behavior that provokes us.

When we are slow to speak, that too will allow us to think before we speak and avoid saying the hurtful things that can destroy relationships that so easily slip through our mouths when we are feeling angry. These verses are not saying we shouldn’t get angry, just that we should be cautious of it and place safeguards against unrighteous anger to ensure that we are pursuing the righteous life God desires.

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. – Psalm 37:8, ESV

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil… Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4: 26-27, 31-32, ESV

These two passages give us warnings about anger as well as pointers for what we are to replace anger with. Instead of a life dominated by anger, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s people are to pursue kindness, forgiveness, and self-control – the same kind of things that God exhibits toward them.

Learn breathing techniques. Apart from what the Bible tells us regarding anger, we can practice techniques that can help us keep anger under control. Breathing and muscle relaxation techniques can help you to calm down when you are feeling angry and tempted to say or do something you probably shouldn’t. These will give you the space you need to make a wise choice about how to deal with your feelings of anger.

Improve your overall wellbeing. You should aim to sleep more and get better quality sleep, as well as eat well and exercise regularly, as this will improve your wellbeing and capacity to handle stress as well as act with emotional intelligence.