Way Truth Life Apologetics

(original post 6 Nov 2019)

The last command Jesus gave to His followers is to make disciples throughout all the world (Matt 28:19-20, Acts 1:8). Christians have been doing this for centuries which is one of the main reasons why Christians exist today. Over time, Christians have adjusted their approach to evangelize non-believers, in an effort to be relevant and effective in their outreach. One such approach is crafting an outline of certain Scriptures which summarize the Gospel message. The “Romans Road” is one such device we’ll briefly explore.

Depending on the individual and how they learned the Romans Road, the Scripture verses used could range from 4 to 8 or more. As I learned it, I use 7 verses highlighted below.

Romans 3:10—”As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one”: Paul is referencing Ps 14:1-3 and Ps 53:1-3 in making the point that no person is good. We are the problem; we are what is wrong in the world spanning all the way back to Adam and Eve disobeying God in the Garden of Eden. There is extra emphasis in case the point is missed, “none righteous, NO, NOT ONE.” This hasn’t started off well for us at all. We’re in a pretty bad way. (Our General Situation)

Romans 3:23—”For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”: Try as we may to do good and follow the laws and rules, we will mess up. Young children do not need to be taught how to lie, steal, and covet what someone else has. Infants are selfish and self-serving (and many youth and adults never grow out of that mentality, too). What this all boils down to is God’s perfect standard of what is “good” gets violated, and it only takes one instance to ruin a perfect record, which every single person in the world has or will manage to do. (Our Situation Specifically Toward God)

Romans 6:23—”For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”: In the Garden of Eden, the warning God gave to Adam concerning what would happen if the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil were eaten is that Adam would “die” (Gen 2:17). Reading further in Genesis, we see Adam didn’t drop dead upon taking a bite, rather he lived several hundred more years. What happened to Adam and Eve is their perfect life began to break down. God had to send them away because He could not be in the presence of sin. Adam and Eve broke fellowship with God in what they did. Their action brought a curse upon their bodies and all of Creation. This curse spread through their descendants of which you and I belong. God did not leave them or us hopeless, though. God put into motion His plan to redeem mankind and Creation (Gen 3:15). (What Our Situation Results In & God’s Plan To Correct It)

Romans 5:8—”But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”: Along with Romans 6:23, the narrative begins to shift from our hopeless condition in sin (dead to God) to our hopeful restoration (alive in Christ). Even in our wicked condition, living in rebellion, making selfish decisions without care for how anyone else may be affected (let alone God), even mocking and doubting God’s existence, Jesus fulfilled His Father’s plan by becoming our atoning sacrifice. Jesus lived a perfect life, keeping God’s law without a single misstep, took the punishment we deserve (God’s wrath), and laid down His own life on the cross. In doing this, God presented (commendeth) to the world how much He loves us all. (How God Redeems Us)

Romans 10:9-10, 13—”That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation…For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”: It seems so simple, all we have to do is confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in His work on the cross, and we receive salvation. That’s not exactly all there is; let me explain further. Jesus is very clear in John 6:44 that no one comes to me (Jesus), except the Father…draw him. God initiates our calling to Him, His truth, and our need for salvation. The Holy Spirit makes first contact and then the individual responds by submitting to Jesus OR rejecting Him. I shudder to think how many people have been emotionally caught up in a message, worship song, or seeing a friend respond to an altar call and have come forward themselves. If God was not involved in the process, true conversion / salvation does not seem possible. However, God is the One Who knows who is saved and who is not; I cannot tell with any certainty—I can’t see a person’s heart to know if they are truly one of God’s children. What Paul illustrates in these passages is that confession of who Jesus is plays a huge part in salvation. If a person is truly saved, they shouldn’t be able to stay quiet about it. (Think of Kanye West—God knows if he’s truly been saved and his actions of late seem to point towards that as a reality). Additionally, there should be no doubt or uncertainty here. If we confess Jesus as Lord, we “SHALL” be saved.

The Romans Road is a summary of the Gospel message. The word Gospel means good news. We can’t appreciate good news unless we have bad news. The bad news is we are sinners, separated from God, and facing His wrath (Rom 3:10,23, 6:23a). The good news is God established a way to free us from that reality and be restored to Him, through His Son, Jesus (Rom 6:23b, Rom 5:8, Rom 10:9-10, 13). As stated earlier, the Romans Road is an evangelism tool to guide people when sharing one’s faith. Paul’s writings point out our condition, God’s provision, and our confidence in His salvation.

~In Christ!