“The Roman Road to Salvation” is not about a journey along the road to Rome, as you might be thinking. It has to do with the apostle Paul’s Letter to the Romans and what it has to say to us about salvation from sin. The Letter to the Romans has been called “the little gospel.” In it we see the good news set out clearly and in concentrated form. Since “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). But there is one single road, walking along which we find justification for our sins and transgressions. This is “the way and the truth and the life,” who is Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is our example for everything in our life. He is the only way for a person to be saved; there is no other way. Jesus is the way of salvation! Only He can deliver a person from sin.
In the Great Commission the Lord Jesus commands us to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). If we are to be disciples who make disciples, we need to know the message we are bringing to those who are interested in what we believe. The Roman Road to Salvation contains our message to the people of this world. The Roman Road to Salvation sets out God’s plan of salvation through a series of verses from the Letter to the Romans. Arranged in this order, these verses form an easy, systematic way of presenting God’s message of salvation. If you know these verses in this order, you will be able to share the good news effectively with the people around you.
The Roman Road to Salvation can be pictured as one long road along which a person travels by bus. As he travels, he stops at certain stops where he rests. We are going to travel this road together with its stops. The stops along the way are the verses Paul uses in the book of Romans.
FIRST STOP – MIRED IN SIN
(Romans 3:23; 3:10-18; 6:23a; 5:12)
When we speak to people about salvation, they first need to understand what we need to be saved from. The threat is not some physical disaster, but sin. That is why, in setting out his good news, the apostle Paul begins with sin. The first stop on the Road of Salvation is Romans 3:23:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
We have all sinned. All of us have done things in our lives that have wounded the heart of God, things that are not pleasing to God. We have lied; we have stolen; we have coveted something we should not have; we have grown angry; we have gossiped about someone; we have failed to set aside time for God; we have been idolaters—putting not God but something else in first place in our lives. And finally, unbelief is the greatest sin. There is not a single person who is innocent before God. And because we have all sinned, we all need salvation.
Some people think that because they do not do as much bad as others, they are better. And because they are better, they have no need of salvation. But this is a complete delusion, because we are not to compare ourselves with others; we are to compare ourselves with God, with Jesus, and with the law—His standard of holiness and righteousness.
Because God is utterly holy, He cannot tolerate sin. Because of sin we are separated from God.
In the next verse from this first stop on the Roman Road, we can see much more clearly what sin has done in our lives (Romans 3:10-18).
10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)
With all these Old Testament quotations the apostle Paul proves that sin is universal; it encompasses absolutely everyone.
13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” (Romans 3:13-14)
These are the so-called sins of the tongue—manipulation, slander, anger.
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” (Romans 3:15-17)
These are no longer merely verbal but physical crimes.
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:18)
The problem with sin is not simply that it makes us sinners, but the results, or consequences, of it. What are the consequences of sin? And here we come to the next verse from this first stop on the Roman Road (Romans 6:23a):
23 For the wages of sin is death; (Romans 6:23)
The consequence of sin is exceedingly grave. The “wage” the sinner receives from sin is “death.” The death spoken of here is not only physical but spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God. In Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8 John speaks of “the second death.” The first death is physical, and the second death is spiritual—not a temporary but an eternal separation from God.
Sin and death are connected, and the connection is this: sin leads to, or causes, death. That sin is universal and has “infected” all people, leading them to death, is also stated in Romans 5:12—the last verse of the first stop on the Roman Road.
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man (this was Adam), and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— (Romans 5:12)
Before Adam sinned, there was no sin in the world. But when Adam sinned, through his sin sin entered the world, and through sin—death. For what had God told him? “When you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:17) With the breaking of God’s command comes sin, and along with it comes death.
Not only is sin in us because we are heirs of Adam, but we ourselves also choose to sin. So we could say that we are sinners both by nature and by choice. That is why we need salvation.
It would be very good if we learned all the verses of the Roman Road by heart. If we do, we will have the best way of speaking to people about the good news. But even if we know them by heart, it is still good to have a Bible with us—in paper or digital form—and to show them the verses, so that they can see them for themselves.
At the end of the explanation of this step, which consists of the four verses we have looked at (Romans 3:23; 3:10-18; 6:23a; 5:12), we can ask the following questions:
- “Who needs salvation?”
The answer to this question is “Everyone.” Because we are all sinners, every one of us needs salvation. To be saved, you must realize that you are a sinner who needs salvation. Of course, before we tell people how sinful they are, we must tell them that God loves them. Because if we come at them straight away about sin, they may pull back and say to us, “Stop preaching at me!” Above all, people need to know that someone loves them. Love lays the foundation of the conversation. But when we begin to speak about God’s plan of salvation, we must tell them clearly: “God loves you, but you are a sinner.”
- Why do we need salvation? What do we need to be saved from?
“From sin.” Because sin brings us death.
- If everyone is sinful and needs salvation, then can you agree that you too are sinful and need to be saved from eternal death?
This question makes things personal. We must make sure that the person we are speaking with takes things personally, for himself.
SECOND STOP – GOD’S GIFT – JESUS CHRIST
(Romans 6:23b; Romans 5:8)
If the first stop shows us what we need to be saved from, the second stop on the Roman Road to Salvation shows us who the Savior is. A person cannot save himself. And no one other than Christ can save us. There is no salvation through Muhammad, or Buddha, or Confucius, or any other religious leader. The only Savior is Jesus.
If sin is such a serious threat, is there any hope? And here is the good news. Despite our sin, because of God’s mercy and love, God did not leave us in death. He provided a deliverer, and this deliverer is the Lord Jesus Christ (6:23b).
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
“The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” This is God’s gift to us, so that we would not die in our transgressions but live through the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, because He died for us and through His death paid the price for our sins. The resurrection of Jesus Christ proved that God the Father accepts His sacrifice as a sufficient price for our sins. The good news is this: the penalty for sin is death, but this penalty of ours was paid by Jesus Christ, so that we no longer have to pay for our sins. We will not escape our physical death, but through faith in Christ we obtain eternal spiritual life. When we die, our spirit and our soul will go into Christ’s presence (Philippians 1:21, 23). We will be together with Him, united in eternity (1 Thessalonians 4:17). There will be a new heaven and a new earth, in which righteousness will reign (2 Peter 3:13). When Jesus returns from heaven (Acts 1:11)—for He will come to reign on this earth—and when we return together with Him, our bodies will be raised and we will live in new, resurrection bodies together with Jesus in eternity (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This is our blessed Christian hope (Titus 2:13).
When we speak of God’s gift, we must emphasize not only that Jesus is the Savior, but also that He saved us by sacrificing Himself for us. Because God is holy, His holiness requires punishment for sin, requires a sacrifice. Jesus Christ died for our sins. By sacrificing Himself for us, He paid the price for our sins. The question is, why did God pay such a high price for us? We find the answer to this question in Romans 5:8:
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Why did God save us? Because of His love. This is the reason Christ died for us—because of the Father’s love for people. Can we even imagine it? Jesus loves us so much that He died for us despite our inadequacy and sin. God demonstrates His love toward us, His enemies. This is love not only in words, but in deed.
At the end of this second step we can ask the question: “How does God save us?” The answer to this question is that He saves us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Golgotha. There Christ died in our place and so paid the price for our sins.
In this second step we have two verses—Romans 6:23b and Romans 5:8. God saved us through Jesus Christ, and He did it out of love.
THIRD STOP – OUR PART – SALVATION THROUGH FAITH AND CONFESSION
(Romans 10:9-10, 13)
Salvation exists, but how can I obtain it? How can I be saved? How do I receive the gift of eternal life? The third stop on the Road of Salvation deals with the way in which we must respond to God’s gift. And we do have to do something. These are not “works,” but they are a response—faith and confession (Romans 10:9, 10).
9 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. 10 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)
What each one of us must do at this stop is to believe—and to believe with the heart, not only with the mind—that Jesus Christ died for us and paid with His blood the price for our sins. Some might say: “We are many, and He is one. Can one man pay the price for all people?” He can, because He is the Son of God, He is sinless, He is holy, and His blood is more precious than the sins of all people in the whole world. That God the Father raised God the Son from the dead is proof that the price of Christ’s blood is sufficient for the sins of the whole world, which were laid upon Him on the cross.
To trust Him with all our heart—this is the only way to receive salvation for our souls. To believe not only in His death, but also in His resurrection. Only in this way can we take hold of the gift God gives us—salvation through faith in His Son. And this faith must be not only mental, but heartfelt. God’s gift is this—“eternal life.” But in order to receive this gift, you must believe in it—believe in Jesus, in His sacrifice, in Himself as the Messiah and Son of God, who died for our sins and was raised for our justification.
It is important, however, not only to believe in Him, but also to confess Him before people. Not to hide, but to make known that we have become Christians—followers of Christ. In Mark 8:38 the Lord Jesus Himself said:
38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)
We have nothing to be ashamed of in Jesus. Therefore, if we sincerely believe in Him, we must confess Him. When people ask us where we are headed on a Sunday morning, we must not dodge the question or lie and say we are going for coffee, for a walk, or to work. We must tell them: “I am going to church. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Savior. Come along too, and you will receive eternal life!” We must confess and declare Jesus before people. On social media we must reveal our faith and the fact that we are Christians.
How do we come to have faith? The answer to this question is given to us in Romans 10:17:
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17)
If you want to have faith, you must read the Bible and listen to sermons that explain and expound the word of Christ.
Perhaps you are asking yourself the question: “Does God hear me when I cry out to Him?” The answer to this question is given to us in Romans 10:13:
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
Jesus died to pay the price for our sins and to save us from death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Romans 10:13 assures us of this. Yes, if you call on God’s name, you will be saved. You may find it hard to believe that it is so easy, but it is easy!
At the end of this stop we can ask the question: “How are we saved?” The answer to this question is that we are saved through faith in and confession of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
At this third stop we speak of our part in the process of salvation, and it is faith and confession. The verses are Romans 10:9-10 and Romans 10:13.
FOURTH STOP – THE RESULTS OF SALVATION
(Romans 5:1; 8:1; 8:38-39)
The fourth and last stop on the Road of Salvation deals with the results of salvation. We began with sin—we need to be saved from sin. Then we spoke of God’s gift—“eternal life.” Then we looked at our part—what we must do in order to be saved—faith and confession. And now we are looking at the results of salvation.
The first verse from the fourth stop on the Roman Road is found in Romans 5:1:
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1)
This is a wonderful result of our salvation. Justification restores harmony in our relationship with God the Father. We are no longer at war with Him. Our relationship is restored, and we are at “peace with God.”
Another result of our salvation is given in Romans 8:1:
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, (Romans 8:1)
How do we enter into Christ Jesus? Through baptism. When we believe in Him and are baptized, we identify ourselves with Him, we become part of Him. From that moment there is no condemnation for us.
Because of Christ’s sacrifice for the sins of humankind, the people who have believed in Him will not be condemned for their sins, because they are forgiven in Jesus Christ.
The third verse from the fourth stop on the Roman Road is Romans 8:38-39. Because we have believed in Christ, we must be assured that nothing can separate us from the love of God. At this stop on the road comes the turn of one of the most wonderful of God’s promises, which gives us the assurance that whatever happens to us in this life, nothing of all that is listed in these verses will be able to “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
God’s love is so great and so mighty that nothing can separate us from it.
At the end of this step we can ask the question: What are the results of salvation? The answer is justification from our sins through faith, and peace with God.
Knowing the results of salvation well is important because, even after we surrender our life to the Lord Jesus Christ and are even baptized in water and saved, Satan will come and begin to accuse us and make us feel guilty for the sins we have committed. That is why we must remember the results of our salvation and not give in to his provocations. After you believe in Jesus, even though you are saved, you are still a sinner. You may do something bad in your life; you may fall into sin. And then Satan will come and begin to accuse you. He will say to you: “You see, you are a sinner; you are no longer worthy of God! You no longer have the right to set foot in church! You no longer have the right to cry out to God, because you are a sinner!” That is why we must remember the results of our salvation and not yield to his provocations. If we remember the results of our salvation, then when the devil comes to accuse you, you can say to him: “Yes, I am a sinner, but I have believed in Jesus Christ. He shed His blood for my sins, and He rose for my justification. I believe in Him with my heart, I confess Him with my mouth. I am saved, and for me there is ‘no condemnation’! For I walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. God has put His Spirit within me, through whom I cry, ‘Abba, Father!’—My Father!”
The verses in this fourth stop are three—Romans 5:1; 8:1; 8:38-39.
The map of the Roman Road to Salvation is simple—there are four stops: sin, the gift, faith, and the results. All the verses are in one book—the Letter to the Romans. Learn these verses, these references, and share them with people. When they ask you about your faith, you can show them the biblical verses from Romans and say to them: “Look what it says here.” Because this is the way people will be saved. They will see something different in us. Because the people of this world, however satisfied they may be with games, entertainment, fashion, riches, and everything else this world offers them, suddenly sense that this cannot satisfy them. Because, as Blaise Pascal said: “In every person there is a God-shaped vacuum that nothing else can fill.” Whatever a person tries to do in this world, it will still feel empty to him. Only God can satisfy him. When people see that we have joy, that we are content because God is with us, then we can tell them about this love and show them that they too can be saved. And when they ask how—we can explain it to them, using the verses from the Roman Road to Salvation. “You are a sinner, just as I am, but there is salvation. You must believe, and then you will be saved and restored to harmony with God.”
TRAVELING THE ROMAN ROAD
Traveling the Roman Road to Salvation is personal. Each person must do it for himself. If you believe that the Roman Road is the true road, you can accept God’s free gift of salvation this very day. Here is how you can make your own personal journey along the Roman Road:
- Admit that you are a sinner, and understand that as a sinner you deserve eternal death, or eternal separation from God.
- Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from sin and eternal death.
- Receive by faith Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and confess before people that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Very important in all of this is the personal element. Not to say that “Jesus is Lord of all,” but to say: “Jesus, You are my Lord! I receive You into my life. Take Your throne—the first place in my life.” When we do it personally—it works. If we invite Him personally, Jesus will come into our life, and it will be the most blessed life we can have.
The Roman Road to Salvation:
- First stop – mired in sin
(Romans 3:23; 3:10-18; 6:23a; 5:12) - Second stop – God’s gift – Jesus Christ
(Romans 6:23b; Romans 5:8) - Third stop – our part – salvation through faith and confession
(Romans 10:9-10, 13) - Fourth stop – the results of salvation
(Romans 5:1; 8:1; 8:38-39)