I’d like to take you for a walk through “The Romans’ Road.” It is a simple walk through a series of verses that portray a picture of the Gospel in a nutshell. These verses explain the state of man and the Atonement of Christ. Let’s start at Romans 3:10: “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one;’” This verse explains that no one is good. Everyone is a sinner and is fallible. We have all done something wrong at one time or another.
The next stop is Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” We often compare ourselves to each other when the One we should be comparing ourselves to is God. Because He is sinless and perfect we will always fall short of His glory. So one may ask, “If we always fall short of God then what’s the point in trying to be like Him? How could we have a relationship with Him?” God created us to have fellowship with Him and to worship Him. He didn’t want a bunch of robots going around repeating “I love you” to Him. He wanted real love, a love that comes from the heart with sincerity. He already knows that we fail and fall; He knew you before you were born (Psalm 139:16). Because God is holy, perfect, and just, our sin separates us from Him. That’s why He sent His only Son to die for each of us, to pay the price for our sins, so that we could have a way to Him, and everlasting life (John 3:16).
And that leads us to our next stop: Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God knew that man would fall. If He would’ve tried to stop Adam and Eve then they wouldn’t have had free will. Imagine someone loving you so much that they would give their life for you. God’s sacrificial love is what this verse is showing us. God came in the flesh, endured the same temptations we do, lived a holy and sinless life, and then suffered the most horrible death ever imaginable, all because of His love for you. Christ knew that many would reject Him, but He still died for them. My pastor often says, “It wasn’t nails that held up Jesus on the cross, it was His love for us.”
The next stop on The Romans’ Road is Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…” This verse alludes to the fall of man, when Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God. Because men pass on the seed that brings offspring, and because Adam had fallen into sin, he passed the fall (sinful nature) on to his offspring, and because of procreation, sin has been passed on to all of man.
Romans 6:23 states: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin leads to separation from a holy God and leads to spiritual death. If you die separated from God this will lead to destruction and death for all eternity. Because God does not want anyone to be separated from Him (2 Peter 3:9), He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the ultimate sacrifice and to give life to anyone who believes and trusts in Him (John 3:16).
God has given us all a choice. We can choose to accept His free gift of Salvation or not. Romans 10:9 says: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” The word “saved” that this verse is mentioning means being saved from eternal separation from God; it is also about being saved from eternity in Hell. Hell is real: Matthew 10:28 says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” God gave us a way so that we would never be separated from Him, through believing (trusting) in His Son, Jesus Christ, as our only hope of salvation.
Jesus is the only way into heaven; Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters” (Luke 11:23). And He also said, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).
The final stop on The Romans’ Road is Romans 10:13: “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Salvation is offered to everyone. It doesn’t matter your past or what you’ve done. God is ready to forgive and give life to those who believe. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God knows your past and He has a great future planned for you. All you have to do is believe in Him, take Him at His word.
We are all sinners in need of a Savior. Some of you may be thinking, “I’m not a sinner! I’ve never murdered anyone or stolen anything!” Have you ever lied, cheated, done wrong to someone? If you have you’re a sinner. Sin separates us from God. In the Old Testament, sacrifices had to be made to cover over sins, but when Jesus came and died on the cross, He became the ultimate and perfect sacrifice. He paid the debt we couldn’t pay so that we wouldn’t have to. When has someone ever loved you that much? Jesus could have called the whole thing off, could have given in, but He didn’t. He endured the cross because of His love for you. If you think being a follower of Christ is about rules and regulations you’ve got it all wrong. God gave us the Bible so that we can know His will for our lives, and that we may live an abundant life (John 10:10). He wants only the best for us (Jeremiah 29:11). He also gave us the Bible so that we can understand His character, attributes, and His love for us. He died in your place; you were worth that much to Him.
References: Gideon's//Three Hundred//Tactical Guide; the Bible, New International Version (NIV)
