The Romans Road To Salvation

Krista Hamrick's beautiful artwork of "The Romans Road to Salvation" inspired me to write this post.

Put your hand over your heart—that small heartbeat is all that stands between you and eternity in heaven or hell!  If you died tonight, do you know for CERTAIN where you would be spending eternity?

The Romans Road to Salvation is a way of explaining the good news of salvation using verses from the Book of Romans. It is a simple yet powerful method of explaining why we need salvation, how God provided salvation, how we can receive salvation, and what are the results of salvation.

THE ROMANS ROAD TO SALVATION

I consider myself a ‘good person’… won’t that be enough?

ROMANS 3:23  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,.

ROMANS 3:10  As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;

ROMANS 5:12  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

The creator of the universe is HOLY. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all". 1Jn 1:5  He has set laws in place for his creation to obey. What are these laws? They begin with the 10 Commandments. While you might consider yourself ‘good’ compared to most people, how do you measure up against God’s law? Have you ever told the smallest lie? Then you are a liar. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:10 Disobedience to God is sin.

Is sin really THAT big of a deal? If it is… what HOPE is there?

ROMANS 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Disobedience to an infinite eternal God deserves an infinite eternal consequence. God shows us His character and his laws in his creation, the world around us. He has also written his laws in our hearts… on our conscience. He has also given us his WORD the Bible. No good judge would let the guilty go free, the criminal go unpunished. Neither can a holy righteous God allow sinful man to go unpunished… but God LOVES man whom He has made in His image and He has provided a way of escape by sending His Only Son to die in our place.

After what I’ve done to grieve God… HOW could He willingly die in my place?

ROMANS 5:8  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jn 3:16- While he died on the cross, he was mocked, spit upon, and cursed. Yet Jesus cried out, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do…” (Lk23:34) With such love, Jesus died in your place… knowing every evil act, word, and thought you would commit. What powerful love! He loves you unconditionally even to the point of death when you are at your worst!

HOW can I be saved?

ROMANS 10:9-10  If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

You can never be saved by trying to be a good person, nor can you be saved through any amount of ‘good works’. Ephesians 2:8,9 says “For by grace have you been saved by faith. And that, not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works. Lest any man should boast."

You and I can be saved only by confessing our sins and placing our faith in God’s son, Jesus Christ who died  and paid for our sins on the cross. We must also surrender our life to His lordship… placing him in charge of every area of our life because we now belong to him. Both John the Baptist and Jesus himself began their preaching with the word, ‘Repent’. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” –Matthew 4:17  To repent means ‘change one’s mind’ or to turn — to go in another direction. How can we be led to repentance? The first step toward repentance is true sorrow for what we’ve done wrong. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” – 2Corinthians 7:10  Worldly sorrow is more like the regret of a criminal who’s just been caught whereas godly sorrow is the deep remorse or conviction that produces a change in direction. Have you ever felt convicted after doing something wrong? The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is the one that convicts us of our sin. (John 16:7-8)

Pray the Sinner’s Prayer and mean it from your heart: 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.

 

Did God HEAR me? Did He accept me?

ROMANS 10:13   "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

God promises that “to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn 1:12) Yes, God does hear and accept ALL who come to put their faith in Him. There is no need to fear death any longer because Jesus BROKE the power of sin and death on the cross with his own shed blood.  The price for your sin has been paid in full and it is God’s promise to receive all who come to Him by placing their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. As a believer, you have a new life in Christ. Jesus did NOT remain in grave. He rose from the dead after three days. (Mark 16) “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 

What do I do now?

ROMANS 10:17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Your journey as a child of the King of Kings has just begun! You must begin by spending time daily in prayer and in God’s Word, the Bible. You must also find fellowship with other believers in a Church that teaches and preaches the Bible. You should also now confess Jesus Christ, as your Savior before men. Share about your new faith in Christ with your family, coworkers and others whom God has placed on your daily path.

As the song “Amazing Grace” resounded in the sanctuary, a woman on the front pew wept with joy. It seemed only yesterday that she had sat in a prison cell, shaking as her body suffered from withdrawal. She remembered crying out to a God she didn’t know, hoping that someone would hear her prayers. In that dark hour God sent women from a local church to tell her the good news that Christ could heal her and take away her sins. One year later she was not only free from the four walls of prison, but God had healed her of a ten-year addiction. When the women entered the prison that first day, they felt shy, inadequate, and unsure in that environment but confident in God. And they were God’s answer to the prisoner’s prayers. Many times we feel inadequate to reach out to others. We make the gospel cumbersome or complicated and fear sharing it. Yet it is a simple message: God in his grace has declared us not guilty. We are free from sin through Jesus Christ. We encounter many every day who are crying out to a God they do not know, hoping someone will hear their prayers. Let’s share the Good News!

SAVIOR, every day people who are hurting and lost surround me. Help me to share the good news that you are the Christ and that you have set us free! Lord, if there are those in my life who are crying out to you, open my spiritual eyes that I might see, and give me the courage to share the gospel message with them. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Look Up—meditate on Romans 3:23-24 … pray to see what it reveals about the character of God. Look In—as you meditate on Romans 3:23-24 … pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________." Look Out—as you meditate on Romans 3:23-24 … pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.