This tract also assumes that the reader has responded positively to the light of God Consciousness, but needs to deal with the truth that he deserves God’s wrath. In view of the interest that many have in their genealogy and family tree, it informs the reader that God too has something to say about his genealogy. In connection with what is set forth in Romans 1:18-32, it presents the fact that all men possess an ungodly genealogy in God’s sight. As the passage testifies and makes clear, all men are ungodly descendants from an ungodly line; including the reader himself. But that is not all. His genealogy in Romans 1:18-32 not only tells the reader what his roots are by looking into the past, it also tells him where he is headed by looking into the future. And as Romans 1:18 declares, he is headed right for an encounter with the wrath of God, which will result in his eternal damnation.

You probably think that I am talking about your immediate family tree, with information about your parents, your grandparents, your great-grandparents, and so on. Many people enjoy spending a lot of time drawing up their family tree to learn about their ancestors and where they came from. Some are even able to go back many, many generations, and they learn a lot about where their ancestors lived, as well as how they lived.

But as interesting as that may be, it is not half as important as knowing what God says about your genealogy. However what God says about your genealogy doesn't simply focus upon the last several generations, nor is it enjoyable to hear. For when God looks at your genealogy He traces your roots back to the first man Adam, who became a sinner. And with you being a descendent of Adam, God declares you to be a guilty sinner in His sight as well.

An Ungodly Genealogy

The truth of the matter is everyone of us has the exact same ungodly and sinful genealogy. In fact, when God has the apostle Paul declare our ungodly genealogy in Romans 1:21-32 He has Paul conclude it by making it clear to us that we truly are the ungodly descendants of an ungodly line.

²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

³¹ Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:28-32)

Now if you are honest with yourself, you know that you "commit such things" that are listed in these verses, just as God says you do. Being descended from Adam, you indeed are a sinner by nature, and you do ungodly and unrighteous things. And that's the very first thing that God wants your genealogy to tell you about yourself. But there is more.

Worthy of Wrath

Your ungodly genealogy also tells you that you are worthy of receiving God's wrath, either when you die or when He begins to have His day of wrath and righteous judgment. In fact, this is the most important thing your genealogy tells you about yourself. And as such the apostle Paul declares it first, saying:

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (Romans 1:18)

God's wrath is what you deserve because of your ungodliness and unrighteousness. Yet right now God is not showing His wrath and having His day of judgment. Instead, out of His goodness and grace He is telling you that you deserve it. However you will receive His wrath either when you die, or when God ceases to be longsuffering with men.

What are you going to do? How are you going to escape the judgment of God?

Redemption

Amazingly, it is God Himself who has provided the only way of escape for you. And it is through what His own Son — the Lord Jesus Christ — did for you when He died in your place on the cross of Calvary.

²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:24-26)

When the Lord Jesus Christ died upon the cross of Calvary, He did so to provide redemption for us. Redemption is the issue of one person paying the price for someone else in order to release him from a predicament that he is in. And this is just what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. He took the debt and penalty of our ungodliness, unrighteousness, and sins, upon Himself and suffered in our place the judgment of God's wrath against our sin. And this He did to fully provide for us to be released from the predicament of being worthy of God's wrath.

In so doing the Lord Jesus Christ not only fully satisfied God's Justice concerning our sins, but being raised from the dead He also made it so that God could completely forgive us our sins and justify us, or declare us righteous, in His sight. And this is exactly what we need so we can have "peace with God" and escape receiving His wrath.

Are You Going To Escape?

Now the question remains, Are you going to avail yourself of the escape from wrath that God has graciously provided for you? Or are you going to ignore, or refuse God's offer and stand in jeopardy of receiving His wrath? The choice is up to you.

The only condition that God has placed upon forgiving you your sins and justifying you in His sight, is that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your all-sufficient Savior. As the Apostle Paul declares, God is "just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

When you believe in someone, you depend upon him and his ability to do something for you that you cannot do for yourself. And this is just what it means to "believe in Jesus." Instead of depending in any way upon yourself or your own works to save you, you choose to depend completely upon the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ as all that you need for your salvation from God's wrath.

Have you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? If not, why not do so right now and escape the wrath of God? Then the following will be true of you: "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" (Romans 5:1)  — K. R. Blades