Becoming Angry: What’s a Biblical Response to this Emotion?

Divine Inspiration

Is it okay to Never Become Angry?                                                                                                                                                              Becoming angry is a natural response every human experiences and displays in unique ways. Inspiration for an article about anger stems from a discussion forum held by the young adult ministry at my church last Friday.

The specific question asked of attendees was whether it is acceptable for someone to never experience becoming angry. The inquiry left me feeling confused, as my brain can’t imagine someone being so stoic that they refuse to display any form of anger.

The consensus from attendees was that if an individual never becomes angry, they lack concern for anything. One person offered a counter viewpoint, telling everyone not to measure this emotion by worldly standards.

The world says becoming angry involves showing outward expressions of inward pain, such as rage, explicit language, frustration, etc.  However, as Christians, someone can experience anger without displaying outward manifestations.

Most people understood that it is acceptable to become angry without sinning. Unfortunately, we didn’t discuss healthy ways to deal with anger through conduct that helps us remain worthy of the Gospel. 

Therefore, I will address anger by providing secular and sacred definitions for the term.  I’ll also include biblical examples of anger, as well as biblical principles and practical methods to handle this emotion healthily.  

Becoming Angry According to Secular and Biblical Scholars

Defining Anger

The Cambridge Dictionary defines anger as a strong feeling that makes you want to hurt or act unpleasantly. The desire to act unpleasantly stems from an unfair or unkind occurrence that has happened.

Merriam-Webster also recognizes anger as a strong feeling “of displeasure and usually antagonism.” Scholars also acknowledge that becoming angry makes people seem threatening or violent.

While secular scholars define anger from the standpoint of someone being offended, biblical experts focus on defending victims. They refer to this as righteous indignation, as someone becomes infuriated with an injustice. 

An example of this would be the witness in the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. The witness tells the king about how the debtor he forgave refuses to reciprocate the same mercy to another servant. 

Consequently, the unforgiving debtor is tortured in prison until he can repay his debt. 

While the righteous indignation leads to justice in this parable, this isn’t always the case. There are instances where becoming angry is sinful when someone desires to take vengeance into their own hands. 

Anger in the Bible

Cain and Abel, and Moses 

Additionally, there are times when an individual’s rage is also sinful because of their transgressions. 

Cain proves this when deciding to murder his brother Abel, because God rejected his offering. Instead of holding a grudge against God, Cain kills Abel out of jealousy. 

Cain’s heinous actions show that anger can lead to malicious rage when not handled properly. 

Interestingly, righteous indignation also causes Moses to experience malicious rage by killing an Egyptian who was abusing a Hebrew slave. When Moses tries to stop two Hebrews from fighting, they try to have him killed, causing him to flee for forty years.

Along with allowing his anger to lead to murder, Moses’ outrage toward the Israelites causes him not to enter the Promised Land. God punishes Moses for striking a rock twice after listening to the Israelites complain about traveling through the wilderness.  

While Moses had a right to be upset, he failed to uphold God as holy in the eyes of the Israelites. 

Moses also becomes angry with Israel for continually complaining about how God chooses to provide for them in the wilderness. This time, Moses turns frustration into questions that compel God to grant him seventy assistants to handle Israel’s civil affairs.    

Does God Get Mad?

While seventy assistants help alleviate Moses’ burden, Israel’s conduct continues to make them a source of fury for the Lord.

They repeatedly disobeyed Elohim by doing what was right in their own eyes. God sends many judges, urging them to repent of wickedness, but they refuse.

So, like a loving Father, God punishes them by sending them into seventy years of captivity. Yet even in anger, the Father promises to reunite the exiles and bring reconciliation when they seek him in prayer.

Ironically, the same nations God uses to discipline Israel will also face judgment for oppressing His chosen people.

Enemies of Israel are not the only ones who will experience God’s wrath. According to John 3:18, anyone who doesn’t believe in Jesus (the Son of God) is already condemned.

Jesus and Peter Becoming Angry 

Since the Son of God came to save the world, he chose to extend grace, patience, and forgiveness to many people he encountered. Just ask the 

• Woman at the Jacob’s Well.
• Lame man at the Pool of Bethesda
• Woman caught in adultery.
• Man who was born blind.

While patient with the needy, scripture shows Jesus becoming angry with those who turn the Father’s house into a den of robbers. This injustice causes him to flip over tables and chase out the buyers and sellers.

This anger stems from the corruption of temple leaders who prioritize profits over citizens’ worship of God.

One disciple whose faith in God (well, the Son of God) leads to anger is Peter. Peter becomes angry when the High Priest and Pharisees come to arrest Jesus.

Consequently, he cuts off a servant’s ear, not understanding that Jesus must suffer so prophecy can be fulfilled.

Prophecy also dictates Peter’s anger will cause him to curse while denying he knows Jesus three times. Peter lashes out, trying to protect himself from facing persecution like Jesus.   

Healthy Approaches to Anger

Statistics About Anger

The biblical examples above suggest anger can occur in several ways for numerous reasons.  This reality remains true today, as experts believe this generation struggles with anger issues more than previous generations.

A 2019 NPR-IBM Watson Health poll supports this claim, as 84% of participants believe Americans are angrier today than a generation ago. 42% of these same participants said they were madder than a generation ago.

Interestingly, the poll suggests individuals 35 and under are more likely to become angry when watching the news and using social media than senior citizens. Unsurprisingly, 90% of participants who use social media vent online.  

Media platforms are just one place where people display anger. ProfileTree says

• An estimated 55% of employees experience rage or regularly lose their temper at work.
• 53% of employees endure bullying on the job.
• 28% have lost relationships due to their behavior.
• 12% of the population struggles with controlling their anger.

ProfileTree shows that these statistics are troubling, as chronic anger can lead to sicknesses like anxiety, depression, heart disease, and stroke.  

 Biblical Advice and Practical Strategies for Becoming Angry

So, how can Christians learn to control this emotion so that becoming angry doesn’t make us a threat to ourselves or others? Scripture teaches us to

• Be angry but not sin (Ephesians 4:27)
• Use discretion and be slow to become angry (Proverbs 16:32; James 1:19).
• Turn the other cheek when someone offends you (Matthew 5:38-39).
• Avoid being friends with hot-tempered people (Proverbs 22:24-25). 
• Avoid arguing with foolish individuals (Proverbs 26:4-5). 
• Take off anger and forgive one another (Colossians 3:13).
• Let the Lord take vengeance in the situation (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:9). 

Learning to forgive and surrendering to the Lord’s ability to take vengeance requires dependency on the Holy Spirit. This trust is best cultivated through prayer and fasting. 

But even with these spiritual disciplines, we still struggle with our sinful nature and need practical strategies to subdue anger. Simple methods anyone can use are

• Attending therapy sessions.
• Breathing techniques. 
• Change the conversation tone with humor.
• Exercising. 
• Journaling. 
• Learning what triggers you.
• Replace negative language with positive words to improve your thought pattern.
• Schedule 15 minutes of daily quiet time.
• Take assertiveness and communication classes. 

Learning how to communicate when you’re becoming angry helps you maintain your composure and represent Christ well in conflict. 

Does this article provide good advice gor what to do when you start becoming angry? Do you have any anger management strategies I didn’t mention? I’d love to hear them. Your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated!