Intro: according to many studies, only a small percentage of people who profess Christ as their Savior, ever lead anyone else to the Lord. It isn’t because they don’t love people, or they don’t see the need for Christ in others, but it is just a matter of never being trained in personal evangelism. When I was younger, someone gave me the Romans road to salvation, a tool that is handy for every Christian to possess. Lauri, gave me this copy the other day, so if you want a copy of the Roman roads, she will make them available to you.
The Romans Road to Salvation
I. The Universality of Sin—the first important point in witnessing to people, is that we are all born sinners. No matter how good of a person we might be, without Christ our best isn’t good enough. A good question to ask someone that we share Christ with, is do they believe they are a sinner. If they say no, then the next question is, have you ever done anything that you know was wrong? That wrong or rebellion is defined as sin. And if you commit one sin you now are officially defined a sinner in need of a Savior.
· Romans 3:10—there is none righteous, no not one. Here we have it, God will not accept our morality, our goodness. Romans 3:23- For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. God’s glory is His holiness and perfection. We at our very best are not even close to the infinite beauty of God’s glory. No amount of works can save us, Ephesians 2:8—explains that the work of salvation isn’t earned by man, but given to man as a gift of God, it is called grace. No one is innocent, we are all guilty of God’s judgment. When we share Christ with someone, we must convince them of their need of repentance, turning away from sin, turning to Jesus Christ as Savior.
II. The Penalty of Sin—sin has a terrible price tag with it. Romans 6:23-the wages of sin is death—a good question to anyone we are sharing Christ with is the question of mortality. Why do we die?
· We die because of Adam’s disobedience in the garden that brought sin into the human race. When we are born we are born with a sinful nature because in this flesh there is a natural rebellion to God’s laws. It must be stressed that this death isn’t just physical death, but eternal separation from God. Sin alienates us from God, because God is holy.
III. The Gift of God—the last part of Romans 6:23 says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. God gave this world Jesus to save us from our sins. Romans 5:8-God demonstrated His love to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus paid the price for our sins. He died so that we can live.
This is called God’s grace, where sin abounded, grace abounds more—Romans 5:20 What sin did to separate us from God, Jesus removed from us, and broke down the wall between us and God. He became a curse, so that we might receive a blessing.
· Romans 10:9- if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. This is an act of faith that comes from hearing the Word of God.
Accepting Jesus as Savior is to believe that the work on the cross was sufficient to wash away all our sins.
· Romans 10:13- everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Salvation is found in no one else, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. Sometimes because this act of faith seems so simple, people stumble over it. They just can’t receive that God did for us what we can’t do for ourselves through giving Jesus to die for us.
IV. Life of Justification—the last aspect of sharing Christ with the unbeliever is to share the joy of salvation. It is freedom from sin, it is the removing of the curse off of our lives.
a. Romans 5:1-therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a good time to share with the unsaved, the peace that comes from knowing we are not guilty anymore. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.
b. Romans 8:1- there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Someone condemned to die has no hope for tomorrow. When someone is lost, when death is the only thing they see in their future, they will live a life of despair. It is when you lose that condemnation that you are set free in your spirit. The joy of the Lord becomes your strength.
c. Finally, we have the promise of God in Romans 8:38-39 that neither death, nor life, neither angels or demons, neither things present or future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. As Christians we can walk in confidence that God’s love will remain true, as we remain faithful to Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Christ in us, the hope of glory.
Close: one of the most encouraging verses in the Word of God explains the results of soul winning
It is James 5:20—he that converts a sinner from the error of his ways, shall save a soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins. When you share Christ with someone who is lost, and they give their heart to Jesus Christ. It is the most wonderful experience you can ever know outside of your personal salvation experience. To know that God used you to set someone else free, is a wonderful blessing. I believe the reason so many Christians have so little joy in their walk with God, is that they are unfulfilled because of not making impact on other people. This Romans road should serve as assistance in winning the lost. May God anoint you as you spread the good news into all the world.
