From Old English wræþþu, "anger, rage." Distinct from righteous anger or divine wrath — the deadly sin of wrath is disordered, uncontrolled, sinful human anger that rises up against a perceived wrong with vengeance, bitterness, or lasting resentment rather than godly response. Classical Christian moral theology lists wrath as one of the seven deadly sins. Scripture distinguishes between anger that is acceptable or even commanded (righteous indignation at evil, Psalm 7:11, Ephesians 4:26 — "be angry and do not sin") and anger that is sinful (James 1:19-20 — "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God").
Wrath as deadly sin is a massive pastoral issue, especially for men. Five observations. (1) Anger is not automatically sin. God gets angry; Jesus overturned tables; Paul told the Ephesians to be angry rightly (Ephesians 4:26). The emotion itself is morally neutral; the cause, proportion, and expression determine whether it is sin. (2) Disordered wrath. Sinful wrath takes offense at minor provocations, loses proportion, seeks vengeance (which belongs to God — Romans 12:19), nurses resentment, speaks destructively, and refuses forgiveness. The fruit of wrath in relationships is the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit. (3) James 1:19-20 is the master text: "quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." Three speeds carefully calibrated; modern Twitter culture has reversed all three. (4) Killing wrath. Ephesians 4:31-32 — "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, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." The fuel of wrath is unforgiveness; its solvent is the applied awareness that I have been forgiven infinitely more than I am being asked to forgive. (5) Anger management secularly is not repentance. Breathing exercises and psychological tools can blunt symptoms; only gospel-wrought humility cures the root.