Vindicating God Ministries: Likewise Shall My Heavenly Father Do To You

Likewise Shall My Heavenly Father Do To You

Troy J. Edwards

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I received the following question which I thought was worth sharing:

Hello sir, I read a book on ********* website on forgiveness. I have a question sir, my question is please can you explain Jesus parable about forgiveness in Mathew 18 vs 35, and also can you explain Romans 8 vs 13.

I would be so glad if you grant my request

Thank you sir

Brother *********, thank you for your question. In Matthew 18:35 Jesus said:

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

This does seem harsh when left by itself, but it also fails to explain exactly what Jesus will do unto us if we fail to forgive. Therefore, let us read it in context with verse 34:

Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

What does Jesus say God will do? In His “wrath” God will deliver the unforgiving servant to tormentors. We find a similar statement being made in Psalm 78:62 where we are told, “And delivered up his people unto the sword, and was very wroth with his inheritance” (Darby Translation). A more modern translation reads, “He allowed His people to be killed with the sword. And He was very angry with those who belong to Him” (New Life Version)

Therefore, God’s wrath is permissive and not causative. The Greek word for “deliver” in Matthew 18:34 is paradidōmi. Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” Verses 24, 26, and 28 explain how this “wrath of God” works. I think it should be enough to only quote verse 24:

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves.

“Gave them up” comes from the exact same Greek word. Again, the New Life Version is helpful: “So God let them follow the desires of their sinful hearts” or as the New International Reader’s Version says, “So God let them go. He allowed them to do what their sinful hearts wanted to.” The “tormentors” are Satan and his demons who God reluctantly delivers the disobedient over:

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (1 Cor. 5:5)

Satan rightfully demands such people to sift as wheat because, by their unforgiveness, they become his by legal right (Luke 22:31). Therefore, while God will not personally act upon the unforgiving servant, He has no choice but to permit the person to suffer the consequences of their own rebellion if they refuse to repent.

Your second question concerned Romans 8:13 which says, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” This one is a little simpler. James tells us that “sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14; see also Romans 5:12; 6:23).

This is not saying that God will personally kill anyone if they live after the flesh. It is warning us about the principle of sowing and reaping in which sin has the tendency to bring forth the fruit of death:

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Sin pays its own wages in full. It separates us from our God who is life. It plants seeds and brings forth a destructive harvest. However, none of this is God’s doing. He does not personally kill or destroy. We do it to ourselves through the “sowing and reaping” process.

I hope this has helped. Let me know if you have any other questions.

For more information about how God exercises His wrath, we highly recommend our latest book,

“The Wrath of God: What it is and How it is Executed.”