The Roman Road - Guide to Salvation
One of the easiest ways to explain why we all need salvation and how we come to that salvation is what is commonly referred to as “The Roman Road”. This is a collection of verses from the book of Romans in the Bible. Below, we walk through each of these scriptures and what it means. If you have questions on these or simply need someone to speak with we urge you to find a local church and speak with a Pastor or you can contact us on our forum and we will be happy to help in any way we can.
I’m a good person, Isn’t that enough?
Romans 3:10 (WEB): “As it is written,'There is no one righteous; no, not one. . .’”
Romans 3:23 (WEB): “. . . for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; . . .”
Romans 5:12 (WEB): “Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; so death passed to all men, because all sinned.”
The first step on the road to salvation is understanding that we all need to be saved, no matter how good of a life we feel we might have lived. The reality is that all of us have sinned and in God’s eyes sin is sin - whether you told a “white” lie or murdered someone you have sinned equally in the eyes of God. This might seem unfair at first, however, it is important to remember that while God loves the sinner He cannot abide sin - it is against His very nature.
ok, so i’m a sinner - so what?
Romans 6:23 (WEB): “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The just punishment for our sins is our eternal death and separation from our Father in Heaven. The good news is that God, out of His grace and mercy, gave us the gift of salvation that is available in Christ Jesus.
Salvation may be possible for some, but you don’t know what I’ve done.
Romans 5:8 (WEB): But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
One of the my favorite scriptures in the entire Bible is the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32. This parable tells the story of a son who did just about everything that a young Jewish man should not do and then returned to his father assuming that any chance at true reconciliation was lost due to his choices. What he found was a father with unconditional love waiting for him with open arms - that father represents our Heavenly Father who loved us so much that He sent His only son to die for us on a cross so we could have new life in him. It doesn’t matter how bad you think you have messed up, God is waiting for you with open arms.
How do I gain salvation?
Romans 10:9-11 (WEB): 9 that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart, one believes resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”Isaiah 28:16
John 3:16 is probably the best known verse in the Bible, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” If you believe that and are willing to show obedience to God’s Word and declare it with your mouth then you can be saved.
It is important to remember, however, that it is not some magic spell. You don’t say a couple of pretty words and then magically become saved - it is about the position of your heart and your faith in Jesus; the prayer is simply and outward act of obedience to express the faith you are placing in Jesus.
If you would like to be saved simply pray the prayer below with faith in your heart:
Heavenly Father, I come to you now as a sinner. I thank you that you gave me a way home to you. I believe that you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins and that you raised him from the dead so I could have new life in him. I declare Jesus as Lord of my life and ask the Holy Spirit to guide me from this moment on. It’s in Jesus name I pray. - Amen
What now?
Romans 10:17 (WEB): So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
There are two things that you need as a new believer.
First, you need a Bible.
John 1:1 tells us “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” The Bible is the living word of God and it will guide you as you begin to walk with Jesus and will allow you to come into a closer relationship with your savior. We would love to send you a Bible - simply click the button below and fill out the short form and we will be happy to send you a Bible.
Second, you need a good local church to attend.
Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us:
“Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Christianity is not meant to be done alone, in fact, community is vital to our lives as Christians. We need a place that we can learn, grow, celebrate our victories, mourn our losses, and be protected from the things that can pull us away from God. If you need help finding a church we want to help, email us at info@thefaithchallenge.org and we will help you to find a local church.