8 Bible Verses About Anger to Help You Keep Your Temper in Check
In this blog post, we will share 8 Bible verses about anger to aid you in overcoming its pitfalls.
Anger is a dangerous emotion. It can make us do things we regret, and it often severely clouds our judgement.
The Bible actually has a lot to say about anger. It offers God’s divine advice on how to push back against our temper issues.
As we learn more about how to deal with anger the Biblical way, we can begin to experience the true freedom and peace that comes from living in Christ!
8 Bible verses to help us overcome anger
1. Proverbs 16:32
Proverbs 16:32 says, “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.”
This verse reminds us that it is better to keep our temper in check than to try and overpower someone with our anger.
When we are angry, we often make rash decisions that we later regret. We lose our self-control and start acting out.
But when we take a step back and breathe, we can usually see the situation more clearly and make a better decision. All without the need to so-called ‘conquer’ our opponents in hostility.
2. Ephesians 4:26
Ephesians 4:26 says, “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry”.
As humans, we all get angry from time to time.
However, the Bible reminds us that we should always try to resolve our anger before the end of the day.
If we choose to go to bed angry, we’re more likely to carry that negative feeling into the next day. And oftentimes, unresolved anger leads to bitterness and further conflict with others.
In short, whenever you’re feeling angry, take a step back. Don’t let your temper rule you.
Instead, seek to forgive others as you also seek forgiveness, in humility and grace.
Yes, this isn’t always easy to do in the spur of a heated moment. But it will surely produce a far better outcome than staying mad.
Be patient and practice this in your daily life, step by step.
3. Proverbs 22:24-25
“Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared” (Proverbs 22:24-25).
This is among the most insightful Bible verses on anger. God tells us clearly to be careful with who we associate with.
Peer influence is a real thing. If we spend time with people prone to anger, we in turn are more likely to become like them. This doesn’t bode well for our own tempers in the long-run.
Instead, we should try to surround ourselves with people who have peace and joy in their lives, so they may be a positive influence on our well-being and anger management.
4. James 1:19 (among the most popular Bible verses on anger)
James 1:19 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
Anger often happens from miscommunication, which is rooted in bad listening.
This Bible verse thus humbly reminds us that we should all first learn to be better listeners, so as to avoid making rash responses.
When we don’t listen well, we can be quick to lose our temper. This leads us to say hurtful things that we later regret.
But if we take the time to listen to what someone is really trying to say (instead of assume), we can usually avoid getting angry in the first place.
Communication thus becomes clearer, creating a better resolution.
5. Proverbs 29:11
“Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end” (Proverbs 29:11).
This verse tells us straight-up: it is utterly foolish to give in to rage.
Losing our temper creates ill thoughts and bad actions, harming relationships and our own peace of mind. That’s foolish!
Instead, God reminds us to keep calm, never giving in to self-righteous anger.
By not letting our temper get the best of us, we avoid making any situation worse than it needs to be.
This is among the best Bible verses on anger to carry in our hearts at all times.
6. Ephesians 4:31-32
Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Not only should we avoid anger, God also tells us the importance to go in the other direction.
That is to say, we should replace negative emotions (like bitterness and malice) with kindness, compassion. and other positive reactions.
The Bible verse also reminds us to forgive those who have wronged us, as God forgave us for our sins.
We may be tempted to hold onto our anger sometimes. But when we learn to let things go in forgiveness, peace takes over and relationships are given time to mend. It’s all about letting our pride slide.
7. 2 Timothy 2:22
2 Timothy 2:22 reminds us to “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
God wants us to turn away from our childish anger. Instead, we should seek the things He deems good.
This includes pursuing His standards of righteousness (not ours) that builds our faith, ability to love others, and the chance to live in peace.
As we reject self-righteous anger, it also helps to know fellow believers who are earnestly seeking God’s heart – as we should be doing ourselves.
Good company gives birth to good fruit in God’s eyes; bad company brings us down an angry path.
8. Galatians 5:22-23
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Lastly, this Bible verse reminds us that we should lead lives that bear the fruit of the Spirit.
In all that we do, we must desire to shine God’s light of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
By sincerely trying to live out these qualities, we show others what being in Christ truly means – not only through our words, but our actions.
As Jesus himself said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
On the other hand, a quick and unreasonable temper reflects none of these things. Self-righteous anger does not honor God. Thus, as believers, we should do our best to turn away from such habits.
We hope these Bible verses on anger encourage you to keep your temper at bay.
Learning to control our anger can take time. It’s not easy to change our ways overnight.
However, by leaning on God’s word, we can start to seek His higher ways of living.
In so doing, we show our greater love for God over giving in to rage that really does us more harm than good.
