20 Bible Verses About Anger

The Biblical teachings and examples of anger are plethora.

From examples of man’s anger used poorly as with Cain murdering his brother Abel, to God’s righteous anger against sin and Israel, to Christ’s anger as He overturned money changing tables in the temples – the Bible is littered with examples of these natural emotions. And along with those examples are lessons on how we should use and avoid using anger.

Negative Anger

Proverbs 14:29: “He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly.”

Proverbs 15:18: “A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention.”


Notice in these passages the key word is “wrath”. Wrath goes beyond simply feeling the emotion of anger (which is not a problem). Wrath is the outward, uncontrolled expression of the natural emotion of anger. And we are instructed to control that wrath. Do not let it express itself.

We also see instruction to be slow to anger.

We aren’t told “don’t be angry at all”, just to slow our anger.

Delay the reaction.

This ancient advice is built into modern advice like “Count to 10 before responding when you are angry”.

Some valuable principles for anger management are located in these passages.

The key is anger “management”, not anger “avoidance”. We have emotions for a reason, including the emotion of anger. Let’s learn to use it practically.

Positive Anger

Ephesians 4:26: “Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath.”

Mark 3:5: “And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts…”

We are told in Ephesians to manage our anger. We are told that we are allowed to be angry, but to avoid using that anger to do what’s wrong.

The second passage teaches us about Christ’s response to human attitude. Deity is angered by poor attitudes as well as poor actions.

Divine emotions are different from human emotions. God’s emotions are legal, rather than reactive, and sensational.

But beyond these teachings, there are more examples of positive uses of anger in the text.


Anger Replacements

James 1:19-20: “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Ecclesiastes 7:9: “Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.”

We are again told to be slow to wrath. It’s not that we cannot have wrath at all, but it should be slow and controlled.

Do not be in a hurry to be angry. Have you ever known someone who could go from 0 to 100 in an instant?

Some people have the incredible ability to be angry at everything in the world. Everything is an upset. Even positive things make them angry because “the old days were so much better”.

This is a common attitude among the older generations. Many people fixate on the negative as they age until it is all they see. And that negative fixation clouds their thinking and causes them to become angry at the smallest of things.

We have to be aware of this tendency of human nature to decay into uncontrolled anger or we will be that old generation ourselves.


Controlling Anger

Proverbs 16:32: “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

Colossians 3:8: “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.”

Another Key verse about why it is critical to be slow to anger. Have your anger, but don’t let it be your first response.

Rule your own spirit. If you cannot control your emotions, you cannot rule a city. It is a law that is demonstrated by this proverb.

Poor leaders are unable to control their emotions and focus on what matters.


Discretionary Anger

Proverbs 19:11: “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.”

Ephesians 4:31: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”

Just because a man overlooks a transgression does not mean it does not anger him that the transgression exists.

But despite his anger, a man controls it, looks beyond the present moment and makes a better decision.


The Influence of Anger

Proverbs 29:22: “An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression.”

Proverbs 22:24-25: “Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.”

Want to control yourself, be more disciplined, and avoid bad habits? Control your environment.

Control your influences and friendships.

Don’t waste time forming relationships with people you don’t want to be like.

Do not make relationships with people if you do not want their character traits rubbing off on you.

These verses teach that anger spreads like disease. And recall that anger is not the problem, but uncontrolled anger. When a man is angered by everything, he can be manipulated by anything.

The Cause of Anger Matters

Matthew 5:22: “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment…”

Note that we are going to be angry with one another. What we are encouraged to avoid here is anger without a cause.

Christ warns us that being angry with one another for no reason is a punishable offense.

Christ is attempting to set a safety net here, an intellectual trigger that makes us think first before getting angry.

We are going to get angry at one another from time to time. But why we get angry matters.

Damaging Effects of Anger


Psalm 37:8: “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.”

How many good decisions were made in anger? Very few. Anger should be used to fuel a logical decision that has already been made in advance. But it should never be used as a tool for making that decision.

Despite the value of anger as a fuel, when used as a reason or in the decision-making process it causes nothing but unnecessary damage.

Hold Back Your Anger

Proverbs 14:17: “A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of wicked intentions is hated.”

Proverbs 29:11: “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.”

Have your anger but hold it in.

Restrain it.

There is great value in stoic control of emotions.

Not everything that is felt has to be expressed.

Spiritual Benefit of Emotional Control

James 1:20: “For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Ephesians 4:32: “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”



The Ephesians passage contains things that could be done despite anger. No matter what we are feeling, we have a responsibility to act with discipline.

Notice again this term “wrath”. that’s the mindless anger we are wanted against having and expressing.

Become a practitioner of mindful anger.

The Speed of Anger

Colossians 3:21: “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

Proverbs 12:16: “A fool’s wrath is known at once, but a prudent man covers shame.”

Don’t let anger be your first option. Control it or it will control you.

Fathers can rule with an iron fist and anger their children. This anger turns to rebellion.

This emotional control starts with the parents and trickles down

We have to learn how to use anger. It is a gift and tool. But if uncontrolled, can cause substantial damage.

Bible Verses About War

  1. Strategic Aspect of War:
    • Proverbs 20:18: “Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war.”
    • Don’t go to war without a plan. This verse teaches that counsel is a key component of warfighting.

      You need more perspectives than just your own. In life war, business war, spiritual war, or otherwise, gain other perspectives from the warriors around you.

      Attempt to gain information that would help you in your fight. This is called strategic intelligence. Gain as much of it as you can before initiating your campaign.
  2. Positive Aspect of War:
    • Psalm 144:1: “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”
    • People love to say that war is immoral, even Christians who have not taken the time to read their Bible. God initiated many wars not because He is a warmonger or one who enjoys violence, but because war is a cleansing mechanism by which evil is expelled from a land.

      This was the purpose behind the utter destruction of the Canaanite nations.
      Across the generations God trained His people for war in a figurative sense.

      This aspect of war cannot be overlooked. war is necessary. It cleanses evil. It purges lands and gives relief to the innocent.
  3. Necessity of War:
    • Ecclesiastes 3:8: “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
    • War is necessary. It is a cleansing tool. As God has articulated, there is a time for it. and if there is a time for it, there is a use for it.
  4. Spiritual War:
    • Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
    • We know that war applies in the spiritual sense. Many separate verses teach this. We are constantly at war with ourselves. Our spiritual nature wars against our physical nature. And the war of a spiritual nature is the war of ages.
  5. Physical War:
    • Joshua 10:25: “Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.'”

      God armed His people with the mentality to survive war and to be successful. He armed them for war. God armors the minds. As recorded, when God is for us, who can be against us?
  6. Personal War:
    • 1 Timothy 1:18: “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.

      There is good warfare. Of course, this is the spiritual war of ages though it can be contrasted with physical war.

      We are at war with a physical nature that lends itself to evil based on its frailties.
  7. Warlike Mentality:
    • Jeremiah 51:20: “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms.”

      What a passage of warlike mentality. God is the weapon of warfare. Incredible. Awe-inspiring.

      And through the power of God, justice is delivered. The mighty engines of war are fired up and do incredible damage to those who oppose the Lord.
  8. Positive War Mentality:
    • Deuteronomy 20:1: “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

      When God was fighting for nations and going before them in war, there was less reason to consider the size of the force of the enemy. who cares what the enemy brings when we have God? That should have been their mentality.
  9. Teaching War:
    • 2 Samuel 22:35: “He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can break a steel bow.

      God Himself educates in the art of war. When God wages war, men should fall in line. Though God does not act directly like this anymore, understand it was perfectly within His nature to use the tool of war to spread righteousness and clease evil.
  10. Spiritual War:
  • 2 Corinthians 10:3-4: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”

    The most important modern war is against the spiritual enemy. We war against sin, against the adversary, and the false philosophies of the world.

    In this war, our weapon is within the mind. the applied word of God is a weapon [Heb 4:12, Eph 6:10-17].
  1. God’s War Nature:
  • Exodus 15:3: “The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is His name.”

    This is one of my favorite verses in the bible. It shows part of God’s very nature. that He is a man of war. He uses the cleansing fire of war to purge evil. And he is a mighty warrior.
  1. War and Peace:
  • Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

    Do your part to keep peace. this is the other side of the coin of war. Live at peace, but be always ready for warfare.
  1. Make War With Available Tools:
  • Joel 3:10: “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am strong.'”

    When you have nothing in your arsenal, then turn what you have into weapons of war. Pick up rocks, sticks, stones, whatever you have, and continue to make war with the enemy.
  1. End of War:
  • Isaiah 2:4: “He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

    At a certain point, all wars end. One day even the spiritual war will end and the final enemy will be done away with. Until that moment, we are at eternal war.
  1. Civil War:
  • James 4:1: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

    Improper wars come from improper desires. Don’t fight for something not worth the cost of war. And don’t fight wars amongst allies. This verse discourages internal warfare and fighting among brothers and sisters. Strain to keep desires in check so they do not lead to civil warfare.
  1. Misapplication of War:
  • Matthew 24:6: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

    Though there is always war, the end of the world is not here yet. Every new war makes some people think the end of the world is at hand. But that is just an emotional thought. Ignore emotions in war. Harness them to do your bidding.
  1. The Hands that Make War
  • Psalm 18:34: “He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

    And repeat of a verse we had before. We mention this repeat because it is always worth noting when something occurs in scripture twice The Bible is brief compared to what it could be. when God sees fit to record something twice, it’s important to take note.

    God teaches the art of war to His people. then His people apply the purifying fire of war to their enemies.
  1. The Correct Thinking of War:
  • Psalm 68:30: “Rebuke the beasts of the reeds, the herd of bulls, with the calves of the peoples, till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver. Scatter the peoples who delight in war.”
  • War is not supposed to be something that is enjoyed. It is a tool. It is a nasty tool when we are speaking about literal war with men killing other men. But a necessary and even enjoyable tool when used against our evil. As men, we are wired for war. Though most of us won’t go to physical war, we go to war with ourselves, our weaknesses, and sin daily.
  1. Symbolic War:
  • Revelation 12:7: “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought.
  • Recall that the information contained in the book of Revelation is symbolic in nature. It is not literal and much is misunderstood about that in the text.
  1. Prepare For War:
  • Numbers 31:3: “So Moses spoke to the people, saying, ‘Arm some of yourselves for war, and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord on Midian.‘”
  • God Himself was the initiator of many wars. We need to remember this when debating whether or not war is moral or not. It is a tool that God Himself has authorized for the purification of a land. Prepare for war, then go to war. But it must always be with purpose. Not mindlessly done with planning and purpose.

The Lord’s Supper: Remembering Christ’s Death and Sacrifice

Introduction

The Lord’s Supper, instituted by Jesus Christ on the night before His crucifixion, is the foundational event behind a solemn observance that we participate in today.

While Christ’s entire life and ministry are significant, the Lord’s Supper is meant to direct our attention specifically to His death and the cost of our redemption.

It is not about celebration.

It is not about the resurrection of Christ.

It is about the death of Christ.

I. Biblical Foundation

A. Christ’s Explicit Instructions

During the Last Supper, Jesus clearly connected the bread and wine to His body and blood:

  • “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19)
  • “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20)



These words pointedly refer to His sacrificial death, not His resurrection or other aspects of His life.

This is incredibly clear.

Christ set two emblems to be used for this practice: one for His body and one for His blood.

Those are the only symbols used in this act of worship.



B. Apostolic Interpretation

The Apostle Paul provides clear guidance about the focus of the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:26:

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.”


This unambiguously emphasizes that the focus of the Lord’s Supper is on Christ’s death.

Not His resurrection.

Not His ascension.

Not His life.

Not His ministry.

Just His death.

II. Symbolic Significance



A. Elements of the Supper

The bread and wine used in the Lord’s Supper are symbols that Christ used to direct the attention of the disciples (and now ourselves):

  • Bread represents Christ’s broken body
  • Wine represents His shed blood

These elements specifically represent His physical sacrifice on the cross, not His resurrected state or other aspects of His ministry.

This is incredibly clear. With each passage of scripture it becomes clearer.

It becomes clear that the focus of the Lord’s Supper is strictly on His death.



B. Passover Context

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during the Passover meal, which itself commemorates deliverance through sacrifice.

This context further emphasizes the focus on Christ’s sacrificial death as the means of our redemption.



III. Theological Implications



A. Reflection on the Cost of Redemption

By focusing on Christ’s death during the Lord’s Supper, our desire to focus on the resurrection or “celebrate” is short-circuited.

We are compelled instead to reflect on:

  • The immense cost of our redemption
  • The gravity of sin
  • The extraordinary lengths to which God went to secure our salvation

What falls away is the desire to make this some happy occurrence.

The sacrifice of Christ was not happy.

While it produced redemption for us, the cross is nothing to celebrate.



B. Proclaiming His Death

Paul’s instruction that we “proclaim the Lord’s death” through this practice emphasizes its public aspect:

  • We declare to the world the central message of the gospel
  • We affirm that Christ died for our sins

Notice that nothing else is involved with this reflection.

We don’t proclaim his resurrection or ascension or even His life.

We proclaim His death.

That’s what the Bible specifically says that we proclaim and that is where the argument stops.

C. Self-Examination

The call to self-examination before partaking (1 Corinthians 11:28) is directly tied to recognizing the significance of Christ’s death:

  • We consider our own sinfulness
  • We acknowledge our need for the redemption provided by His sacrifice

This meditation will shortcircuit our desire to celebrate or ponder the ressurection if we do it correctly.



IV. Maintaining the Focus

While remembering Christ’s resurrection is vital to Christian faith, the specific context and symbolism of the Lord’s Supper point to a focused remembrance of His sacrificial death for our sins.

We can remember the resurrection any other time. We have all week to be joyful about the resurrection. But Christ has set one act of worship that calls us to focus specifically on His death.



A. Honoring Christ’s Instructions

By maintaining this focus, we:

  • Honor Christ’s explicit instructions
  • Preserve the profound meaning of this observance



B. Regular Reminder

The Lord’s Supper serves as a regular, tangible reminder of:

  • The cost of our redemption
  • The depth of God’s love demonstrated through Christ’s sacrifice



Conclusion

The Lord’s Supper stands as a solemn reminder to the central truth of the Christian faith – that Christ died for our sins, securing our redemption through His sacrifice.

We must focus on His death during this act of worship.

Pride Leads to Shame

Proverbs 11:2 (NKJV)

 “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.

Lessons from Proverbs 11:2

1. The Consequence of Pride

When we are arrogant, people look for us to fall. They are waiting for it. And they will be excited by our failure. The inevitable result of pride is that we tumble from the tower of pride we created. It comes as surely as night follows day.

It may not come today or tomorrow, but eventually, we will reap the results of our pride. And when we elevate ourselves through pride, we have nowhere to go but down. This is why the Proverb is a universal truth – because when we elevate ourselves, there is only one direction to go from there – down. 

2. The Path to Wisdom

The gateway to wisdom is humility. Through humility, we recognize that we don’t know anything and have much to learn. Without that humility, we prevent learning from ever taking place. And if we never learn, we ensure that failure is coming soon. 

If we think we know something, we prevent learning. You cannot teach the person who thinks they already know everything. Pride gets in the way of knowledge and understanding. 

3. Humility is a Virtue

This passage shows that humility is a powerful, commendable character trait. It makes a person look better at his surroundings. The Proverb states that humility leads to wisdom. Humility is the bedrock of all skill acquisition. 

4. Self-Reflection

If humility leads to wisdom, we need to self-reflect and ensure we are humble. Arrogance prevents the full actualization of who we are. 

We cannot fix character flaws if we are not aware of them. 

5. The Threat of Shame

Unchecked pride leads to shame. The Bible contains threats of punishment for evil behavior. Pride is no exception. There are consequences to behavior that God labels as sin. Even practical consequences in the physical world. 

There is nothing wrong with shame. Worldly people are scared of shame. They will accuse you of fat shaming or something along those lines. But the reality is that shame is an emotion that causes us to take action. We want to avoid negative emotions. So if we want to avoid the emotion of shame, we simply avoid the pride that creates the shame.

6. Wisdom’s Connection to Humility

There is an intrinsic link between wisdom and a humble disposition. There is no way around this. Again, arrogance prevents learning. Pride prevents people from learning anything. The mind refuses to learn what it thinks it already knows. And the arrogant person thinks he knows everything. 

7. Learning from Mistakes

If you find yourself making a mistake because of pride or because pride prevented you from learning what you needed to learn, you have the opportunity to self-correct. you can learn the lesson you should have learned and press on without the pride to weigh you down. But it will take a serious mistake to break up the monopoly that pride has on the learning mind.

8. Creating Humility

We need to make intentional efforts to cultivate and maintain a humble mindset. Like every positive character trait, we have to invest concentrated effort into developing that trait. It will not develop itself. We have to build it and then maintain it over time. It will not sustain itself.  

9. Continual Pursuit of Wisdom

This passage encourages a lifelong commitment to seeking and applying wisdom through humility. Without continually developing the individual level of humility, we can never hope to improve ourselves or develop any appreciable level of wisdom.

Wise Counsel – Proverbs 11:14

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Lessons from Proverbs 11:14

1. The Critical Role of Counsel

Wise decision-making is difficult without counsel from wise individuals. Counsel is the ability to gather information from multiple perspectives of people who are pursuing the same desired outcome. Whether it is generals waging war or business executives on the war lines of business, multiple perspectives are critical to prevent one person from missing critical information when making a decision.  

The lesson is clear, get as many perspectives as you can before making a final decision – but don’t use information gathering as an excuse to procrastinate action. 

2. Avoiding Pitfalls

The negative outcomes of a lack of counsel are obvious. From lost revenues to lost wars to tragic mistakes in our personal lives, we make poor choices when we only rely on our minds to make decisions. 

The Biblical text teaches that to prevent unfortunate outcome outcomes, we need counsel. We need wise input from wise men to make wise decisions. 

3. Multiple Perspectives

Whenever we are taking counsel from people, we need to ensure we are taking a broad view of the information at hand. The more perspectives we can gather the better. And the wiser those perspectives are the better. Don’t limit yourself to a small amount of information. Gather as much intelligence as you can before deciding anything. 

Gather this intelligence as rapidly as you can so you don’t delay taking action. 

4. Community Strength

There is power found in collective wisdom. Though not everyone is wise, and not every opinion should be considered, there is still benefit to gathering the wisest men among you to take counsel of them. If the wisdom from one individual can be valuable, imagine that wisdom compounded across multiple individuals with all of their life experiences and wisdom. You combine all of those perspectives and you have wise counsel. 

5. Decision-Making Due Diligence

We need a rational approach to decision-making, to make the best decisions possible. Otherwise, we run the risk of making decisions before we’re ready or making poor decisions in general. And this is what most people do, they rush into decisions without gathering full information, and because of this, they make poor decisions. 

Taking counsel for multiple men speeds up the process. You now need much less time to gather information because each man contributes a thinking brain [hopefully]. This means each person can think through the situation on his own, think through unique situations, and problem-solve more rapidly. Each man can also run the problem through his personal experience and look for patterns. 

Much of wisdom is pattern recognition. 

6. Risk Mitigation

We cannot mitigate risk in everything. Reducing risk is not always an option. However, we can reduce risk by taking the collective perspectives of wise individuals with any counsel. This is a rational way to take a more measured approach to risk. We all take risks from the time we get out of bed to the time with lay down. None of us are immune to it. But we can mitigate the risk in the bigger decisions by taking advantage of wise counsel and multiple perspectives. Take advantage of all the collective information that you can. 

7. Wisdom in Collaboration

Team efforts don’t always produce valuable outcomes. Often you get dragged down by the weakest performing members of the team. This makes it critical to curate your peer group. You must be highly selective about who is around you. Low performers will certainly drag you down to their level.

It’s very possible to collaborate yourself into oblivion by taking poor perspectives into account. You have to use discretion and ignore people who are not wise. Weed them out and eliminate their negative influence. This is why you have to rationally evaluate each of the perspectives you gather.

Just because someone is an old man doesn’t mean he has a wise opinion nor is it guaranteed that he has gathered wisdom of his own. Wisdom does not always accompany age. But if the collective wisdom of the collaborators is high, counsel and collaboration can be very valuable in any instance. But at no point do we relinquish the ability to think with our rational minds to evaluate the information that we receive with our minds. Don’t believe everything you hear. 

Take advantage of counsel.

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