If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse doesn't just say human parents are good; it highlights that even "evil" people (meaning flawed, sinful human nature) still have an instinct to give good gifts. This contrast makes God's perfect goodness even more astonishing – our flawed love is a faint echo of His boundless, pure love for us when we ask.
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is building on His instructions about asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer. He uses a father-child analogy to underscore God's willingness to give, contrasting the imperfect, even "evil," love of human parents with the perfect love of our heavenly Father. This passage emphasizes that God desires to give good things to those who ask Him, especially spiritual blessings like wisdom and the Holy Spirit.
We're told we're 'evil' in this verse. Does that mean we're incapable of any good? And how does that contrast with God?
Jesus doesn't pull punches here. He calls us 'evil' (Matthew 7:11), a powerful statement about our fallen nature. This isn't to say we're incapable of any good, but that our goodness is flawed, selfish, and limited by our sin. Even the best parents, driven by instinct and love, are still 'evil' in God's perfect sight.
Jesus connects our giving to God's. But what exactly are these 'good things' God promises to give?
The argument Jesus makes is a powerful one: if imperfect, 'evil' human parents know how to give good gifts, how much more will a perfect, heavenly Father give good things to His children who ask?
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Understand the original words
ponēroi · Greek Adjective
A term describing the fallen, depraved condition of humanity since the Fall. It signifies a fundamental moral corruption and alienation from the holiness of God.
patēr · Greek Noun
The divine Creator and Redeemer who sustains and governs the universe. In Scripture, God is revealed as a personal, loving Father who initiates relationship and provides for His children.
This passage is the parallel account to Matthew 7:11, explicitly stating that God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask, highlighting the spiritual nature of the 'good things' promised.
Romans 8:32This verse echoes the logic of Matthew 7:11, arguing that if God gave His uniquely precious Son, He will surely also freely give us all things, emphasizing God's generous provision for believers.
James 1:17This passage directly states that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, reinforcing the idea that all good things originate from God.
1 John 3:1This verse speaks of the incredible love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God, underscoring the relational aspect and the Father's desire to give good things to His children.
Matthew 6:33This verse, found earlier in the same sermon, provides a key context by urging believers to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, with the promise that 'all these things' (referring to daily needs) will be added, linking God's provision to seeking Him first.
pulpitMatthew 7:11: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
Verse 11. - Parallel passage: Luke 11:13. If ye then being evil. Application of the thought of vers. 9, 10, with further emphasis on the evil of human nature. If you with your moral worthlessness (Matthew 6:13, note), etc. (cf. also Matthew 12:34). Being (gyros). The presence here in the parallel passage of Luke of his…
gillMatthew 7:11: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
If ye then being evil,.... As all mankind in general are, both by nature and practice: they are conceived in sin, shapen in iniquity; are evil from their youth, and transgressors from the womb; are corrupt, and do abominable things; and such these Jews were Christ speaks unto; and who, very likely, has respect chiefly t…
The verse doesn't just say human parents are good; it highlights that even "evil" people (meaning flawed, sinful human nature) still have an instinct to give good gifts. This contrast makes God's perfect goodness even more astonishing – our flawed love is a faint echo of His boundless, pure love for us when we ask.
Jesus is building on His instructions about asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer. He uses a father-child analogy to underscore God's willingness to give, contrasting the imperfect, even "evil," love of human parents with the perfect love of our heavenly Father. This passage emphasizes that God desires to give good things to those who ask Him, especially spiritual blessings like wisdom and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is building on His instructions about asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer. He uses a father-child analogy to underscore God's willingness to give, contrasting the imperfect, even "evil," love of human parents with the perfect love of our heavenly Father. This passage emphasizes that God desires to give good things to those who ask Him, especially spiritual blessings like wisdom and the Holy Spirit.
"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" — The verse doesn't just say human parents are good; it highlights that even "evil" people (meaning flawed, sinful human nature) still have an instinct to give good gifts. This contrast makes God's per…
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Last reviewed October 2026