Overcoming Sinful Anger: 10 Biblical Truths To Overcome Sinful Anger

Overcoming sinful anger can be hard especially when you are living in a world full of anger. Anger is on display in politics, movies, TV programs, and sports on any given day, according to the headlines. Spend any length of time with any family and you will see that anger is shown virtually every day. It is a divine marvel when a day passes without dispute.

Unfortunately, the church has not always been the poster child for pursuing peace and reconciling conflict in a God-honoring manner.

Jesus even though “broke down the dividing wall of hostility… so that we could have peace” (Ephesians 2:14–16), but we still fight and argue.

What Does the Bible Say About Sinful Anger?

Anger is a powerful emotion. And there are many furious individuals on our planet. Nonbelievers are not the only ones who sense wrath and express it. Even Christians face the overwhelming forces of wrath. Anger is a widespread problem that destroys families, damages children break churches apart, and divides the body of Christ.

Dealing with anger properly begins with the gospel. The life-changing message of God’s limitless grace must saturate how we respond to anger in our lives. The Bible has a lot to say about rage as part of it. Here are ten biblical truths to overcome sinful anger:

Put Off Anger:
Put on love, tender-heartedness, and forgiveness instead of anger. “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, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32) The Bible instructs us to stave off the symptoms of wrath and malice by simply ceasing to do so. But it does not end there. It also necessitates putting something on, because the only way to successfully throw something off is to put something on in its stead. Instead of focusing on your wrath, practice kindness, tender-heartedness, and forgiveness.

Avoid Angry Persons:

Angry people can become the root cause of the anger of other individuals. People’s reactions to an irate talk show presenter may be an illustration of this. If you listen to an aggressive talk-show host on your way home from work, you’re likely to return home frustrated and upset. The Bible warns us not to shun connections with angry individuals since they are a primary source of anger in ourselves. “Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man.” (Proverbs 22:24)

Consider The Implications of Your Anger:

“But I say to you that everyone 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” (Matthew 5:22)

Anger causes conflict and violation. Consider your wrath and recognize that the eventual result is generally sin. That is why Jesus instructs us to respond to wrath with judgment. “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.” (Proverbs 29:22)

Ask God to Provide You the Wisdom To Be Slow To Anger:

“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11) Wise people are cautious to become angry. It is referred to in the Bible as “excellent sense” and “great comprehension.” Being slow to rage is wise. “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32)

Slow To Say and Even Slower to Anger:

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; [20] for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20) Contrary to popular belief, the best approach to deal with anger is not to safely express it by beating something with a foam bat or screaming into a pillow. Instead, the Bible reminds us that a kind response drives away wrath—both in you and in others who are furious with you. Instead of using furious motions and using curse words, talk calmly. Pray.

Walk In the Spirit:

The fruits of the Spirit promote conduct that is opposed to anger. If you walk in the Spirit, your life will be marked by love, joy, peace, tolerance, compassion, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  “Now the works of the flesh are…fits of anger…and things like these…. But the fruit of the Spirit may be love, joy, peace,” etc.” (Galatians 5:18-24)

Rest In God’s Sovereignty:

One of God’s most soothing and comforting traits is His sovereignty—the biblical fact that God controls, arranges, and lovingly directs all that happens. When you see your wrath through the prism of God’s sovereignty, it shrinks dramatically. Pray prayers for anger issues and look up at God’s awesome majesty and character rather than down at the minor irritations that make you furious. It puts everything into context.  As James 1:19 says, it allows us to “pray, lifting holy hands without anger.”

Depend On Only God:

We are rescued and sanctified by God’s mercy. As previously said, fighting rage is not something we can do on our own. It’s all part of accepting God’s great grace and his undeserved favor toward us. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

Attacking Wrongdoer:

When we target the perpetrator rather than the problem, this is evident evidence that our anger has transformed to sin. Ephesians 4:15-19 states “we are to speak the truth in love and use our words to build others up, not allow rotten or destructive words to pour from our lips” it is one of the best examples of sinful anger in the bible.

Confessing Our Arrogant Rage:

We can manage anger biblically by acknowledging and exposing our arrogant rage and/or our incorrect anger management as sin. This confession should be made to both God and people who have been harmed by our rage. We should not reduce sin by excusing it or transferring blame. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)

Overcoming sinful anger, and a bad temper does not happen overnight. Ungodly rage, on the other hand, may be subdued by prayer, Bible study, and dependence on God’s Holy Spirit. We may have allowed anger to become ingrained in our lives through repeated practice, but we may also practice reacting rightly until it, too, becomes ingrained in our lives and God is praised in our answer.