3 Bible Tips: Anger—Righteous and Unrighteous
1. God's righteous anger is not rash or relentless.
"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever" (Psalm 103:8-9).
2. Jesus Christ said unrighteous anger and hate break the spirit of the commandment about murder.
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire" (Matthew 5:21-22).
3. We should follow Christ's example of only allowing controlled, righteous anger for a short time, and being forgiving.
"‘Be angry, and do not sin': do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil…
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32).
For more about what the Bible says about anger management, see our "Frequently Asked Bible Question" on "How can I manage my anger?"