Illustration: Someone once said, All roads lead to Rome. Paul gave us a great road map to lead others to saving faith in Christ in the book of Romans. Few seem to have yet appreciated its riches. Let us learn how to appropriate it in all aspects of our relationships, witnessing experiences and correspondence.
1. Rom. 3:10 "As it is written, ’There is none righteous not even one." People tend to hesitate to call themselves a sinner, but no one would be so foolish as to declare they are perfect. This puts everyone in the same predicament that they cannot make it into heaven unless they are perfectly righteous in the eyes of God.
2. Rom. 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Sin is anything that displeases God. Sin is anything that misses the mark of perfection in what we say, think or do. Without the forgiveness of sin there can be no salvation for anyone.
3. Rom. 5:12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin and so death spread to all men because all sinned." Every person has inherited Adam’s sinful nature from our parents. We cannot escape it or abrogate it, expiate it or eliminate it. We all stand condemned unless we look to the one solution, Jesus Christ for the substitutionary forgiveness of sin.
4. Rom. 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Sin has eternal consequences that will send millions to hell unless they believe, accept and embrace the free gift of eternal life only provided through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who paid for our past, present and future sins through His death, burial and resurrection.
5. Rom. 10:9,10 "If you confess with your mouth, Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation." Admit you are a sinner and need forgiveness found only in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Believe in your heart by totalling trusting in Christ’s finished work on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and Savior and you will be saved.
Illustration: Pastor Joel Osteen, of Lakewood Church in Houston asks people to pray this simple prayer each week. "Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins and ask you to come in to my life as my Savior and Lord." That is a great summary of Rom. 10:9-13
5. Rom. 10:13 "For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." Call out to the Lord for His saving power to rescue you from the kingdom of darkness, from self-destructive sinful chains and from a life that is headed for hell, judgment and eternal separation from God. Do not just think you can do this with a flippant attitude. Just as the man cried, "Jesus save me." Do it with total sense of your need for salvation, for forgiveness and for deliverance from sin, judgment and hell and He will give you the free gift of eternal life that can never be taken away."
Concluding Thought: The Romans road is simple to remember if you will underline these verses in your Bible. Ask the Lord to use you to share this simple presentation of the gospel with everyone you possibly can through email, correspondence and through personal interactions with those you come in contact with. May the Lord multiply you in many ways for His greater glory, kingdom and families sake.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God
