The Problem of Sin

If we do good works and we are, in general, a good person, isn’t that enough to earn
our salvation? The Romans Road initially starts describing the sinful nature of man.
According to Romans 3:10, we all start in the same condition in which we are sinners.
No man is righteous, not even one.

Romans 3:23 backs it up by saying we have all sinned, with no exemption nor
distinction. And that we are all at a far distance from God’s holy presence. How did
that happen? Romans 5:12 tells us that it was because of one man, Adam, sin entered
the world. Being the first of God’s human creations, he passed that sin to us,
generation to generation.

You can argue that you are generally a good person compared to others who do awful
things like steal or cheat. That’s our human standard, and that’s how we define being
“good.” However, Paul here reminds us that the bar is not another person nor us. It is
God. And when we compare ourselves to His holiness, we don’t stand a chance. None
of us do.

The Wages of Sin

What then is the result of that sin? The first part of Romans 6:23 is straightforward:
death is the only way to pay for that innate sin. He’s not only talking about physical
death but spiritual death as well. That’s how serious the problem is, and that’s how
grave the consequence is.

When we die, our soul detaches from our body. That’s physical death. Spiritual death,
on the other hand, is when our soul gets separated from God. What’s frightening about
this is that this separation is not temporary but eternal. If we die while we are in our
sinful condition, we no longer have that chance to live a life in eternity with the Lord.

Because of sin, we have to face the inevitable and painful consequence

of dying physically and being eternally separated from God.

The Gift of God

But God, being rich in grace and mercy, made way for us to reconcile with Him. He
gave us hope for a life lived in eternity with Him, and that hope is through His only
Son, Jesus Christ. That is what the second half of Romans 6:23 presents to us.
God does not want to abandon us in our sinful position. He doesn’t want our story just
to end there. His love for us is so great that He was willing to make way for us to get
out of that hopeless situation. Romans 5:8 shows us the evidence of God’s love.

Paul reminds us in this verse that even while we were still living in deep sin, Jesus had
already made the ultimate sacrifice of dying in our place. As it affirms in Isaiah 53:5,
Christ bore our sins, suffered, and died for us so that we may be healed and have
peace. Because of His suffering, death, and resurrection, we can have that peace,
hope, and assurance that we can spend our eternity with God.

How, then, should we respond to this?

Our Response to God

When someone gives us a gift, we usually respond with gratitude, right? With this
beautiful present that God offers us, can we just respond with a simple “Thank you,”
and that’s it?

Let’s go back and recall the first two parts of the journey: the problem of sin and its
penalty. Thinking about it, it’s not an ordinary matter nor a small dilemma that we can
fix quickly by ourselves. The problem involves our soul and our life in eternity. That
is why God calls us to respond thoughtfully and sincerely as well. Paul tells us
in Romans 10:13 that we are to call on the name of the Lord for us to be redeemed.

We should also understand what calling on the name of the Lord means. The verses
from Romans 10:9-10 explain that to us. We are not only to verbally declare that Jesus
is Lord, but we must also believe with all our hearts that God had raised Christ from
the dead. It asserts in John 3:16 that because God loves the whole of humanity, He
sent His one and only Son to be the ultimate sacrifice. And that whoever believes in
Jesus will not perish but rather have eternal life.

So it is both by openly declaring this and accepting that Jesus is Lord entirely with our
hearts that we will receive our salvation. That’s how sincere our response should be,
for God had bought us with a high price.
The Outcome of Salvation
Now that we had responded sincerely to this gift from the Lord, what is in it for us?

The next destination in this Romans Road map is the verses Romans 5:1-2. It tells us
that our faith has made us right with God once we genuinely received Jesus as our
Lord and Savior. We can now enjoy that peace with God because sin can no longer
separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). Romans 8:1 says that because we now
belong to Christ, there’s no more condemnation for us. He is pleading and vouching
for us (Romans 8:34)!

Can we then continue doing what we used to do and still follow our own will and
desires? Paul strongly reminds us in Romans 6:1-4 that we had died to our sins when
we decided to follow Christ. That just means that we have departed from our old
corrupt lifestyle. Following Christ simply means turning away from wickedness and
turning to God.

We can now live a life led by the Holy Spirit. We are now empowered to say no to sin
and enjoy the peace we have with God.
Taking the Next Step
Romans Road Prayer
If you feel it in your heart that you are ready to accept this wonderful gift from God,
you can start with this simple Romans Road prayer:

“God, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and that I deserve to pay the price for my
sins. I believe with all that I am that you sent Jesus Christ, Your Son, to take that
punishment for me and save me. So that through my faith and belief in Him, His
death and resurrection, I would receive Your forgiveness. With your help and by Your
grace, I put my trust in You for my salvation. Thank You for Your love, mercy, and
grace. Thank you for giving us the gift of life in eternity with You. In Jesus’ name.
Amen!”

Growing in Faith
Now that Romans Road has jumpstarted your journey with Christ, you might be
wondering, what’s the next step for you?

Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes from hearing the Word, the Good News of
Christ. We must spend time praying and reading the Bible every day for our faith in
God to strengthen.

Joshua 1:8 reinforces this as it tells us to meditate on God’s Word day and night. By
doing so, it will help us in obeying His commands and following Him. We also need
to spend time in fellowship with fellow believers in a church that shares the same faith
and belief as ours.

Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forget coming together and that we continue to
encourage one another.

As we openly declare our faith in Jesus Christ, let us also share this with our
friends, family, colleagues at work, and everyone we encounter. That is the great
commission of Christ before he ascended back to heaven (Matthew 28:19-20).

In Summary
Throughout the Bible, God has expressed His plan of salvation for humanity. The
Roman’s Road to salvation presents us with a concise and precise method. While it
is short and reduced to a few verses, it still offers an accurate design of the path to our
redemption with God.

The Romans Road is one excellent method to introduce others to the basic
foundations of Christianity. And if you are passionate about sharing the Good News,
it is also an excellent resource to share your faith with others.