"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:4-7)
The Romans Road is a sort of roadmap through various gospel truths that someone, years ago, put together by selecting key verses out of Romans. Starting in Romans 3 where it says "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"...and "the wages of sin is death". It starts with the bad news but then brings us to the good news in Romans 10 which says "who ever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved". The Romans Road is basically a set of key verses that take us through Paul's Gospel presentation in the book of Romans and explains in a simple, shorthand form, the Gospel.
The Roman's Road the Salvation
God’s plan for human salvation is communicated throughout the entirety of Scripture. The Roman's Road to salvation is a collection of verses from the New Testament book of Romans that concisely explain God’s salvation plan. Because this collection is human assembled, not an official Biblical arrangement, some collections may include more or fewer verses than others. For the most part, the Romans Road consists of essentially four parts. Let's take a look at each step.
1. The Human Problem (Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23).
The first part of the Romans Road confirms the state of every human as sinful and the state of God as holy.
- “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;” (Romans 3:10)
- “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23)
After establishing that “all have sinned,” the first half of Romans 6:23 explains the depth of this problem and its consequences.
“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a)
However, the second half of the verse hints at the hope sinners have for salvation through Jesus.
“…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b)
2. Humanity’s Hope in Christ (Romans 5:8).
The second part of the Romans Road further explains the hope we have in the love of God expressed through Christ.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
3. The Sinner’s Response (Romans 10:9-10 and Romans 10:13).
Once we understand our need for a savior and recognize that Jesus Christ is that savior, we can respond by moving along to the third part of the Romans Road, calling out to Jesus.
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)
This response is possible for everyone. Romans 10:13 expresses God’s ability to save everyone. (His intention to save everyone is further expressed in John 3:16-17)
“For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Romans 10:13)
4. The Result of Salvation (Romans 5:1-2; Romans 8:1).
The fourth part of the Romans Road mentions two results (peace and justification) after a sinner decides to declare and believe in their heart that Jesus Christ is Lord. Romans 5:1-2 explains that through faith in Jesus Christ, sinners can enjoy peace with God, no longer being separated from God by sin.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” (Romans 5:1-2)
Romans 8:1 rejoices in the result of salvation. Before faith in Christ, all who have sinned were condemned by their sin and destined for death. But now with faith in Christ, “there is no condemnation” (Romans 8:1) and believers are gifted eternal life with God (Romans 6:23).
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1)
A Roman's Road Prayer
God, I know that I am a sinner and that the wages of sin are death. I believe that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, as a payment for my punishment. I declare that Jesus is my Lord and profess my faith for salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thank you for your grace, forgiveness, peace, and gift of eternal life. Amen!"
The Purpose of the Book of Romans
Read the following transcript of the video above featuring Colin Smith:
Romans, the great letter of the Apostle Paul and summarized in chapter one and verse 16. I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. This book is the systematic laying out of the gospel and how it applies to life. And therefore, if there is one book in the New Testament to study to grasp the big picture of the doctrine of the gospel and then its application to our lives, this is that book. It is absolutely marvelous.
It begins in chapter one and chapter two, with the problem of what is the problem that is addressed by the gospel? You need to start there. Chapter one in verse 18, it's the wrath of God that is being poured out because we are sinners. And in chapters one, two, and three, Paul demonstrates why we are sinners, what that actually means. Our powerlessness to change our own condition and our own inability to keep the law of God, which we're called to. And then at the end of chapter three, we get what God has therefore done.
So marvelously, marvelously, stated that God has presented Christ as a propitiation for our sins. That word, propitiation, is very center of New Testament teaching that there on the cross, the wrath of God was poured out on our Lord Jesus Christ. He entered everything that hell is so that we would never know what it is like. That's what was happening on the cross. He bore sin. And for that reason, those who are in him are forgiven sin, we're justified, that's the great word that Paul uses. So at the end of chapter three, we get what God accomplished on the cross through Jesus Christ, the sin-bearer who took all that for me.
Then chapter four, it gets into how do I get related to Jesus Christ? And the answer is through faith. And Paul goes back to Abraham and says, well, Abraham had faith. Fascinating Abraham had faith looking forward to Jesus, we have faith looking back to Jesus, but it's Jesus is the one in whom we put our faith and is the one deliverer.
Then chapters five through eight are really getting into what is ours when we have faith in Jesus. Begins chapter five, being justified by faith we have peace with God. We are brought into a right relationship, we're set free from the law, within a new position sin shall no longer be your master, that's Romans chapter six. And then Romans chapter eight, of course, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And then as Paul reviews everything that God has done for us in Christ, he ends up saying nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Chapter 9 to 11 takes us into a fascinating glimpse of the sovereignty of God in history. That the gospel wasn't a new thing that God invented, it goes back to the promises of Abraham and God knows what he's doing throughout the history of the world. And then from chapter 12 through to the end of the book, we have the application of the gospel in the practicalities of the life of a Christian believer. Therefore, in the light of all of God's grace, in the light of the gospel, let us now present our bodies as living sacrifices, which is the right thing for us to do, that's what worship is all about.
And that is applied in personal relationships, in the church, living as a Christian in the state, the whole of the Christian life this is the most marvelous book to set out an understanding of the gospel. Not just something that I believe in order to go on and say, now I believe it, but the power of the gospel. When I embrace this Christ by faith and this Christ embraces me, we're talking about life-changing and eternity-changing power. That's Romans.
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