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The Vice of Anger
(Series 4, Part 3, Teaching #27)
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The Vice of Anger
Out of pride and envy arises the bitterness of anger. Pride inflates your sense of self; envy twists your view of others. And when either is wounded—when your ego is bruised or someone else receives what you think you deserve—anger ignites.
The vice of anger is a disposition of unjust wrath toward God, neighbor, or the good.
Not all anger is sinful. Scripture shows us that righteous anger has a place. When Jesus overturned the tables in the temple, it was not from pride or resentment, but from holy zeal—a burning desire to defend the sacred and stop what was sinful (see Matthew 21:12–13). Righteous anger flows from love for what is good, not hatred for who is guilty. It seeks justice, not vengeance. It acts to restore, not to destroy.
But unjust anger—this is the anger that defiles the soul.
Unjust anger is personal. It’s wrath directed not at sin itself, but at the one who caused your inconvenience, hurt your pride, or exposed your weakness. It lashes out in a moment or simmers quietly for years. It wears many masks: impatience, sarcasm, contempt, passive aggression, rage, resentment, and revenge. And whether brief or boiling, loud or silent, its effect is the same: it hardens your heart.
Anger, when unchecked, makes you short-tempered, short-sighted, ill-willed, and unforgiving. It clouds the intellect, weakens the will, and turns your passions into weapons. It leads you to curse what you were called to bless, and to hate those you were called to love. Worst of all, it often leads to resentment not just of people—but of God. For if He allowed this pain, this wound, this offense… then surely He, too, deserves your wrath.
But that is a lie. A soul enslaved to anger cannot live in the freedom of grace.
So how do you fight it?
Counter anger with the virtues of meekness, forbearance, forgiveness, and prayerfulness.
Meekness is not weakness—it is strength under control. It allows you to feel the fire of anger without letting it burn the bridges of charity. It holds your power in check. It pauses the response, softens the tone, and tempers the heart.
Forbearance endures what is hard to bear without retaliation and gives others the space to grow—just as God gives space for you. “If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow” (Chinese Proverb).
And forgiveness? It is your liberation. “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you” (Lewis B. Smedes). Anger may feel like control—but it’s actually a chain. And forgiveness is the key. Let it go. Hand it to God. Release your grip on justice and trust Him to carry what you were never meant to hold.
Above all—pray. Especially for those who hurt you. Even when you don’t feel like it. Especially then. For prayer is the place where vengeance melts into mercy. It doesn’t always change the other person—but it always changes you. The waves of anger are broken on the rocks of prayer. And from that brokenness, peace flows.
We all feel anger. You will feel it again. But you don’t have to bow to it. You are not its slave. It is said, “The best guarantee against anger is to let it happen before you act” (St. John Bosco). So when it rises—pause, breathe, pray, and choose the higher way.
For anger may roar like a lion—but virtue stands firm like a rock. Meek, steady, and immovable. That is your call. That is your strength.
Let Christ rule where wrath once reigned. For the one who walks in peace reflects the One who calmed the storm.
Scroll down for the lesson plan and other related resources associated with this teaching.
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Resources
Visual Resource
An illustration that briefly describes the deadly vice of anger.
Free Lesson Plan
Perfect for small groups, families, classrooms, or personal reflection.
Lesson for Kids
Great for teaching kids in a fun and gentle way (for ages 12 and under).
Related Scripture
Example of rightly ordered, and controlled, anger toward evil: “Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, ‘It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.” — Matthew 21:12-13 (NRSVue)
Example of rightly ordered, and controlled, anger toward evil: “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.” — Ephesians 4:26-27 (NRSVue)
“A fool gives full vent to anger, but the wise quietly holds it back.” — Proverbs 29:11 (NRSVue)
“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” — Proverbs 14:29 (NRSVue)
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” — Proverbs 15:1 (NRSVue)
“Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but those who are slow to anger calm contention.” — Proverbs 15:18 (NRSVue)
“Make no friends with those given to anger, and do not associate with hotheads, or you may learn their ways and entangle yourself in a snare.” — Proverbs 22:24-5 (NRSVue)
“One given to anger stirs up strife, and the hothead causes much transgression.” — Proverbs 29:22 (NRSVue)
“One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.” — Proverbs 16:32 (NRSVue)
“Fools show their anger at once, but the prudent ignore an insult.” — Proverbs 12:16 (NRSVue)
“One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly, and the schemer is hated.” — Proverbs 14:17 (NRSVue)
“Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil.” — Psalms 37:8 (NRSVue)
“Do not be quick to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.” — Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NRSVue)
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” — Matthew 5:44 (NRSVue)
“But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth.” — Colossians 3:8 (NRSVue)
"Anger and wrath, these also are abominations, yet a sinner holds on to them." — Sirach 27:30 (NRSVue)
“Those with good sense are slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook an offense.” — Proverbs 19:11 (NRSVue)
“You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” — James 1:19-20 (NRSVue)
“Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” — Colossians 3:13 (NRSVue)
"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” — Mark 11:25 (NRSVue)
"Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you." — Ephesians 4:29-32 (NRSVue)
“But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” — Matthew 5:22 (NRSVue)
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” — Romans 12:19-21 (NRSVue)
"For if the righteous man is God's child, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance.” — Wisdom 2:18-19 (NRSVue)
Related Quotes
“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” — Chinese Proverb
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” — Lewis B. Smedes
“The best guarantee against anger is to let it happen before you act.” — St. John Bosco
Rightly ordered anger toward evil: “A vigorous temper is not altogether an evil. Men who are easy as an old shoe are generally of little worth.” — Charles Spurgeon
Rightly ordered anger toward evil: “Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody’s power, that is not easy.” — Aristotle
“He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.” — George Herbert
“When anger rises, think of the consequences.” — Confucius
“When you feel ‘dog tired’ at night, it may be because you growled all day.” — Unknown
“Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one.” — Benjamin Franklin
“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” — Rainer Maria Rilke
“If you do not wish to be prone to anger, do not feed the habit; give it nothing which may tend to its increase.” — Epictetus
“Do not say, “I cannot help having a bad temper." Friend, you must help it. Pray to God to help you overcome it at once, for either you must kill it, or it will kill you. You cannot carry a bad temper into heaven.” — C. H. Spurgeon
“No form of vice, not worldliness, not greed of gold, not drunkenness itself, does more to un-Christianize society than evil temper. For embittering life, for breaking communities, for destroying the most sacred relationships, for devastating homes, for withering up men and women, for taking the bloom off childhood; in short, for sheer gratuitous misery-producing power, this influence stands alone.” — Henry Drummond
“Nothing makes room for Satan more than wrath.” — Thomas Manton
“Uncontrolled temper is soon dissipated on others. Resentment, bitterness, and self-pity build up inside our hearts and eat away at our spiritual lives like a slowly spreading cancer.” — Jerry Bridges
“Some well-meaning counselors may say that you need to ‘forgive God’ for the things you have endured. Yet never in Scripture are we asked to forgive God. God has not wronged us. God is ultimately the only truly wronged party, as He is the only One who is truly innocent. It is we who have sinned against Him. In His graciousness, He has chosen to pay the penalty for our sins Himself and save us. If you are holding on to anger against the Lord, let His grace melt your bitterness. Only in submission to Him will you find peace.” — Charles Swindoll
“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” — Thomas a Kempis
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