It’s amazing to me how people quote Romans 12:19 while ignoring the next two passages. I include them below:

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

20 To the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

(Romans 12:19-21)

So, God overcomes evil one way and one way only—WITH good, NOT with carnal wrath. The Sermon on the Mount reinforces this idea by showing that the Father’s perfection (one we are to imitate) lies in how He treats enemies—He loves them, He blesses them, He serves them, He turns the other cheek, walks the extra mile, gives the extra garments, all SO THAT they will THEREBY ultimately be overcome by the cathartic coals of conviction heaped on their souls (per Romans 12:21).

Below is the glorious game-changing epiphany from Matthew 5:38-48 passage in REVERSE (from 48 backward to 38). Reading it in reverse allows us to better see what the conclusory “therefore” in the final verse 48 is indeed “there for.” In other words, in WHAT qualities does the Father’s perfection consist? The previous ten passages reveal that the Father’s perfection lies in His non-carnal and non-vindictive treatment of His enemies.

“THEREFORE, be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ‘You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'”

(Matthew 5:48 ~ 38)

So, NOW claiming that Jesus is lying here about His Father’s nature and that His enemies are instead just really the soon to be doomed objects of His destructive wrath—all makes zero sense and really subverts the Sermon on the Mount.

Here then is the conclusion of the matter.

Jesus Christ is the wrath of God revealed from heaven.

And it’s not like our carnal wrath—at ALL. His wrath is restorative and His judgements are curative. Jesus imperatively commanded in prayer from the cross that all be “forgiven for they know NOT what they do.” He didn’t say, “I’ll be back later to wipe all you out with my eternally tortuous wrath unless you agree to love and please me.” Sounds kinda silly doesn’t it?