Anger is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences from time to time. However, as Christians we are called to exhibit self-control and not let our anger cause us to sin (Ephesians 4:26). So how do we know when our anger is justified and when it crosses the line into sinful rage or bitterness?
The Bible provides some clear principles for evaluating if our anger is righteous indignation – an appropriate response to injustice or wrongdoing – or simply an uncontrolled outburst of emotion.
Examine the trigger
First, look carefully at what exactly is triggering your anger. Is it an offense against God and His righteous standards? Or is it merely a personal offense against you? Anger is often justified when it is in response to things like injustice, oppression, unrighteousness, blasphemy, or sinful behavior that dishonors God. However, anger in response to wounded pride, personal insult, or not getting your own way is usually sinful (James 1:20).
For example, Jesus displayed righteous anger when he drove the money changers out of the temple who were desecrating the house of God (John 2:13-17). But getting angry because someone cut you off in traffic or didn’t compliment your work is often just selfish anger.
Examine your heart motivation
Second, look carefully at the motivation behind your anger. God cares as much about why we do something as what we do. Make sure your heart’s motivation is pure – that you are seeking God’s glory, a desire for justice, or to correct wrong behavior for the benefit of others. If your motivation is selfish – to prove yourself right, put someone in their place, inflict harm, or gain power – then it is almost certainly sinful anger.
The Bible warns that the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God (James 1:20). So if you are motivated by a desire to harm someone, get revenge, stir up trouble, or boost your own ego, your anger is not pleasing to God. Righteous anger is never about making yourself look good or putting someone else down.
Examine your response
Third, look carefully at how you respond when angry. Righteous anger does not lead to loss of self-control, rage, abusive speech, violence, or bearing grudges (Ephesians 4:31, Colossians 3:8). If your response to anger involves sinful or destructive behavior, then it is not justified.
The Bible commands us to be slow to anger (James 1:19) and to exhibit the self-control of the Holy Spirit when provoked (Galatians 5:22-23). So if your anger immediately flares out of control, jumps to conclusions, seeks revenge, or rages inwardly, it is likely not righteous.
See righteous anger modeled in the Bible
Fourth, look at examples of righteous anger in the Bible and compare them to your situation. For example:
- Moses was angry at the sin of the people worshiping the golden calf and broke the tablets, but he did not take revenge or lose control (Exodus 32:19).
- Nehemiah was angry at the injustice of the wealthy oppressing the poor, but channeled that anger into effective reforms (Nehemiah 5:6-7).
- Jesus expressed anger at the hypocrisy of the religious leaders who laid heavy burdens on people, but did not sin in His response (Mark 3:5, Matthew 23:13-36).
In each case righteous anger was properly directed at injustice and sin, motivated by a desire to correct wrongs for God’s glory, and responded to in a righteous manner. Use these as models for evaluating your own heart.
Be quick to listen, slow to speak
Fifth, when you feel anger arise, be quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19). Take time to calmly gather all the facts, seek to understand the other person’s perspective, and bring your emotions under control before responding. Unrighteous anger often speaks and acts impulsively without understanding the full situation.
Express your concern to the person who offended you in a reasonable manner. If they have wronged you, communicate about that in love rather than angrily attacking them. And be open to humbly hearing their side too. As Proverbs 18:13 says, “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.”
Take it to God first
Sixth, take your anger to God first before anyone else. Pour out your hurt, frustration, and indignation to Him. Then listen for His perspective – sometimes He may show you ways that you have contributed to the problem too. Allow Him to bring conviction, wisdom, comfort, justice, and cleansing as needed.
The Psalms are filled with David taking his anger and grief to the Lord. This helps prevent our justified anger from turning into sinful bitterness or rage. As 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares for you.”
Watch your heart become softened, not hardened
Seventh, monitor your heart for softening versus hardening. Righteous anger is usually accompanied by grief over sin and a sincere desire for the offender to repent and be restored. Unrighteous anger leads to resentment, hostility, hatred, and an unwillingness to forgive.
The Bible commands us, “Be angry and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). So watch that your anger does not become a root of bitterness defiling you and others (Hebrews 12:15). If your heart grows colder rather than more loving after anger, it is likely turning into sinful bitterness.
Don’t hold on to it
Eighth, don’t hold on to righteous anger indefinitely. There may be a need for justifiable anger in the moment to address a serious issue. But lingering, seething anger that goes on for days or weeks is unhealthy – even if the original cause was justified.
The Bible instructs, “Be angry and sin not; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26). Take constructive action to remedy a wrong situation, but then move forward. Holding onto anger only breeds malice and bitterness in your heart.
Trust God, not your emotions
Finally, remember that our emotions are fallible but God’s Word is truth. So evaluate your heart in light of Scripture rather than going by feelings alone. Just because you feel angry does not automatically make it sin. But just because you feel justified does not automatically make it righteous.
As Jeremiah 17:9 warns, “The heart is deceitful above all things.” So we cannot fully trust our own hearts and must rely on God’s wisdom. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
Practical Steps for Evaluating Anger
In summary, here are some practical steps for evaluating if your anger is righteous indignation or sinful wrath:
- Examine what is triggering your anger – is it unrighteousness or a personal offense?
- Check your motivation – is it for justice or selfishness?
- Consider your response – are you self-controlled or raging?
- Compare to biblical examples of righteous anger.
- Be quick to listen, slow to speak when angry.
- Express anger appropriately, not abusively.
- Take your anger to God first in prayer.
- Watch for a softening versus hardening of your heart.
- Don’t hold onto anger indefinitely.
- Evaluate your heart in light of Scripture.
Remember that we all struggle to express anger appropriately at times. If you fail, repent and ask God to help you control your spirit and act justly. Through the Holy Spirit’s empowering presence, we can demonstrate righteous indignation against sin that honors God and avoids selfish rage.
Biblical Examples of Righteous Anger
Looking at specific examples of righteous anger in the Bible can help provide models for our own evaluation. Here are some instances where godly people displayed appropriate righteous anger:
Moses’ Anger at the Golden Calf
In Exodus 32, Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments to find the Israelites worshiping a golden calf idol. Verse 19 says:
As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
(Exodus 32:19)
Moses had appropriate anger at the people’s sin and defiance of God. After dealing with the primary instigators, Moses appealed to God for forgiveness on their behalf. He channeled his anger into constructive actions to stop their sinful behavior and restore them to righteousness before God.
Nehemiah’s Anger at Injustice
Nehemiah 5 describes Nehemiah’s righteous anger when he learned how the wealthy Israelites were oppressing the poor:
I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words…I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair.
(Nehemiah 5:6-7)
Nehemiah was rightfully angry at the social injustice happening and constructively channeled that anger into enacting reforms. He did not sinfully rage or seek revenge, but compelled the oppressors to change their harmful actions for the good of the community.
Jesus’ Anger at Hypocrisy
In Mark 3:5 Jesus was angry at the Pharisees’ hard hearts, but did not let that become sinful rage:
He looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart.
(Mark 3:5)
Jesus was also known to strongly rebuke hypocritical religious leaders with righteous anger. But He never sinned or lost control in the process. His motivation was for their repentance and God’s glory.
Paul’s Anger at the Galatians
In Galatians 4, Paul expressed frustration bordering on anger at the Galatians deserting true gospel doctrine. But his motivation was loving concern for them:
My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
(Galatians 4:19-20)
Paul was angry, but channeled it into instructing them further and praying for their repentance. He sought their growth, not condemnation.
When Anger Becomes Sinful
Anger turns sinful when it is no longer motivated by righteousness, justice, and holiness, but instead becomes motivated by selfishness, bitterness, hostility, or revenge. Here are indicators that your anger may be crossing the line into sinful human wrath versus righteous indignation:
- You immediately flare up in rage at any perceived offense.
- You harbor resentment and won’t forgive those who offend you.
- Your anger is sparked by wounded pride or embarrassment.
- You desire to punish or take revenge on those who wrong you.
- Your anger causes you to curse, threaten, belittle, or physically harm others.
- You refuse to listen humbly and consider you may be partly wrong.
- You are motivated to prove yourself right more than seek justice.
- Your anger makes you feel arrogantly superior to others.
- You become irrational, making false accusations and jumping to conclusions.
- Your anger causes ongoing moodiness, sulking, and bitterness.
In summary, sinful human anger is self-serving, leads to destruction, and often spins out of control. It does not lead to God’s righteous purposes. As James 1:20 explains:
For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
We must surrender unhealthy anger to God and ask for wisdom and self-control empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Overcoming Sinful Anger
If you struggle with expressing anger in sinful ways, here are some biblical strategies for change:
Confess it as sin
Admit to God that you have allowed anger to become sinful in your life. If your response to anger involves sinful words or actions, confess those as well. Own where you have fallen short of God’s standards.
As 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Ask God for wisdom
Pray and ask God for wisdom and discernment to understand the root causes of your anger. Are you angry over hurt pride? Do you feel insecure or threatened? Do you harbor bitterness or resentment? Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal the heart issues fueling sinful anger.
James 1:5 promises, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Find healing for wounds
Often excessive anger arises from unresolved emotional wounds and pain. Bring these to the Lord – broken relationships, traumas, losses, resentments, or injustices. Ask God to bring inner healing at the heart level.
Psalm 147:2-3 says the Lord “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” He can heal emotional wounds that lead to unhealthy anger.
Learn self-control
Ask the Holy Spirit to develop His fruit of self-control in you when faced with anger triggers (Galatians 5:22-23). Memorize Scriptures about controlling your temper. Walk away and cool down before responding.
Proverbs 16:32 says, “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
Forgive others
Let go of bitterness and choose to forgive those who have offended you, even if they don’t deserve it. This will help break the stranglehold of anger on your life.
Ephesians 4:31-32 commands, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.”
Trust God’s justice
Rather than seething in anger and retaliation, trust that God will deal justly with those who do wrong in His timing. You can release your need for vengeance to Him.
Deuteronomy 32:35 declares, “‘Vengeance is mine, and recompense.’ says the Lord.”
Walk in the Spirit
Keep in step with the Holy Spirit each day. Let His fruit of peace, patience, kindness and self-control displace anger in your relationships.
Galatians 5:16 reminds us, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Conclusion
In closing, anger is a natural human emotion designed by God to motivate us to address wrongs and injustice in the world. However, we are called as Christians to exhibit self-control and direct anger toward righteous purposes rather than selfish, sinful rage.
By evaluating the source, motivation, and outcomes of anger biblically, we can discern when it is appropriate righteous indignation versus sinful human wrath. Seeking God for wisdom, operating in the fruit His Spirit, and walking in love and forgiveness are keys to overcoming unhealthy anger.
Righteous anger focused on glorifying God and defending what is right is praiseworthy. But selfish anger leading to lost tempers, bitterness, violence, or revenge always destroys. May God give us wisdom and grace to know the difference.
