The Roman Road

MARCH 22, 2023 STUDY NOTES THE ROMAN ROAD BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES INTRODUCTION Many Christians have memorized the “Great Commission,” Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. But few Christians today are obedient to the “Great Commission,” few are witnessing to the lost There are many excuses given for not being what is known as a “Soul Winner” (What is yours?) A “Soul Winner” is one who uses scripture to lead a lost person to receive Christ as their Savior Christians need to study and learn the scriptures that can be used as a witness to the lost The “Roman Road” is a well-known use of scripture to explain to the lost how they can be saved The “Roman Road” uses only verses from the book of Romans to explain the way of salvation In Romans it is easy to make a road map of scripture to follow and explain the way to Heaven All-of the verses used are from Romans, they are close together and easily found It is easy to mark your Bible and go from one verse to another, just follow your map The most common verses used are: 3:10; 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; 5:6-8; 10:9-13 Study these verses and mark the order of the verses you are going to use, follow your road map Suggestion: Make your road map by writing Romans 3:10 in the front of your Bible Then turn to Romans 3:10 and write beside it 3:23; then beside 3:23 write 5:12; beside 5:12 write 6:23; Beside 6:23 write 5:6-8; beside 5:8 write 10:9-13 Make you a Scripture map by marking each verse in the order you are going to use them Study and be able to explain the Scriptures that you are going to use It is good to memorize the Roman Road scriptures in case a Bible is not available Or if a person does not allow you to read the scriptures but allows you to pray (It has happened) You can pray through the Roman Road placing their name with the scripture Example: “I pray that ______ will understand that there is none righteous, no, not one” “I pray that he/she will understand that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God” “We all face the penalty of sin, which is death, but we can receive God’s gift of eternal life” “I thank you that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins” “I thank you that we can confess our sins and receive Jesus into our life” “Thank you that we can pray and call upon Jesus to forgive us of our sins and give us a new life” “Thank you that ______ can call upon Jesus and ______ shall be saved,” “Amen” Look at them and ask them, “would you like to receive Jesus, be saved and receive a new life?” Plan, prepare, and memorize your approach through prayer to lead someone to Christ But use your Bible when you can to assure them that what you are saying is from the Bible Point to each verse and show the person the verse that you are explaining Read the Roman Road scriptures over and over until they are familiar, it is helpful to memorize them You can point to the verse for them and quote it as you look at them and observe their response Study the verses so that you will be able to explain them to a lost person and lead them to salvation THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS—Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: “As it is written” means that God has said it, this is not something that man thinks or states It is what God has proclaimed in His Word, the Bible stands written as truth for today from God This is not something according to the standards that man has set for the path of life Ten men would possibly give 10 different opinions concerning the subject of sin and salvation Page 1 of 6 But God's Word stands as the authority on all subjects, especially of sin and salvation We will be held accountable to what God has written and not what man has said “There is none righteous, no, not one,” Righteous means: Good, right, just, upright, truthful Our life must be right in God's sight, we must be right according to God's standard of life We are all included in this verse, there is no exception, not one of us stands righteous before God Unrighteous is the general state of all mankind, the whole world is in-need of God’s righteousness In this verse it is highly emphasized that we by ourselves cannot be right with God On our own, left to ourselves, we cannot live right according to God's Word “None,” not me and not you, “No not one,” not one of us can stand righteous before God Never has there been a sinner who could, and never will there be a sinner who can God’s Word tells us that the only way to be right with God is through His Son, “Jesus Christ” Everyone without Jesus in their life is unrighteous and without the life God has for us When we accept Jesus, we are made right with God and receive the life of Jesus Christ When we are right with God, we can live right, without Jesus we cannot be right before God With Jesus in my life, I am right with God, sinners must receive Jesus as their Savior FOR ALL HAVE SINNED--Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Sin means to “miss the mark,” the mark is God's way of life, sin misses the life that was created by God God intended for us to live eternally when He created man, man was created without sin in him Sin is the things in our life which are not like God's character, sin is that which is unlike God The Bible says, “For all have sinned,” which does not mean that all have sinned to the same degree But it only takes one sin to make a sinner, just one sin in our life is why we are not like God The history of man is sin, the first man Adam sinned, “I” have sinned, and “You” have sinned But throughout history, many sinners have been saved from sin by being born again spiritually “I” have been saved, “You” can be saved, if God saved “me,” He can save “You” If God has ever saved one “Sinner,” He can and will “Save any Sinner” Jesus can save us because He paid the penalty for our sin, He died on the cross for us Jesus died on the cross because we “All” have “come short of the glory of God” It only takes one sin to come short of God’s Glory, we are sinners, God is Glory “Glory” is a description of God's Person, describing His character, His excellence, His perfection “Glory” identifies His Person; His splendor; His holiness; His righteousness; His power “Glory” represents His divine standard; His plan for man; His life that is to be lived in man The “Glory” of God is the life that God had for man when He created him Anything short of His Glory is sin and describes an imperfect life Because of sin man comes short of the image of God in man, without Jesus we “Come Short” Without Jesus Christ in our life, we cannot be what God wants us to be “Come short” is written in the present tense and stresses a continuous action, the action of our daily life Without Jesus, life keeps on falling short, without Jesus, life will never measure up to what it should be Without Jesus, life will always fall behind, be lacking, be inferior, be incomplete, and meaningless Without the source of life there are no resources for life, to receive Jesus is to receive life Jesus can save us because He paid the penalty for our sin, Jesus is the only one who could pay the penalty THE PENALTY OF SIN IS DEATH--Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: “One man’s sin” takes us back to the beginning of creation, when the world began The beginning of the human-race was Adam Sin entered-into the world thru Adam and now “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23) Romans 5:12 tells us why Romans 3:23 is true, sin and death had its beginning in the first man Physically, man is in the likeness of Adam, also “in sin” man is in the likeness of Adam Sin has passed from one generation to another, all the way to our generation Our generation will pass sin on to the next generation Page 2 of 6 We are each one personally accountable to God for “our sins” Adam cannot stand before God in our place because of his own sin that led to our sin Only Jesus can stand before God for us, because He had no sin, He could die for our sins Death is the evidence of sin, mankind dies because of sin, “death passed upon all men” Man cannot deny the truth of death, we are reminded of the fact of death every day Death is a picture of sin, death is a lifeless state, sin is a lifeless state separating us from God’s life Regardless of what the world says, sin is not “living it up,” to sin is to die The penalty of sin is death, “so, death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” Each one has sinned, death makes its way to each one, death follows sin, the penalty for sin is death Sin separates us from God and separation from God is “death” Adam immediately died spiritually when he sinned, and eventually he died physically “Separation” is the best definition of what the Bible means by “death” The Bible refers to at least three types of death: Spiritual death; Physical death; Second death The word “separation” explains each of the three types of death, all death is because of sin When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they immediately died spiritually They were physically alive but spiritually separated from God, eventually they died physically To be separated from God is spiritual death, sin has separated us from God All are spiritually dead until they are saved, salvation is a spiritual birth unto spiritual life By the grace of God those who are spiritually dead can be made spiritually alive Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body When a person who is spiritually dead, dies physically, they enter-into the second death The second death is an eternal separation from God Which is normally explained as “going to Hell” when you die Lost people who die physically will die an eternal death, eternally separated from God We all face physical death because the wages of sin is death We can be delivered from eternal death by receiving God’s gift of eternal life THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH--Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Today it is common for people to laugh and joke about sin Anything as deadly as sin is nothing to laugh or joke about All that sin will ever pay is destruction, sin always pays its servants, sin will not miss a payday We can see the payment of sin in a disturbed mind; a broken heart; a diseased body; a defeated life “Wages” identifies that which you have personally earned or deserve because of what you have done It is the pay you receive for the work you have done, the “wages” you receive for sin is “death” If this verse had nothing else to say, then life would be hopeless, no hope for today or eternity If the previous verses that we have studied in Romans was the only truth presented in the Bible We would all be eternally lost if there was nothing but “none righteous” (Romans 3:10) “For all have sinned” (Romans 3:23) “Death passed upon all men” (Romans 5:12) “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) Thank God that is not the end of the story of life, there is more, there is a contrast in Romans 6:23 Rom 6:23B “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” The “gift of God” is in-contrast to the wages of sin A gift is something that someone else has purchased and provided for you A gift is not something earned or deserved because of your own efforts If you work for it or earn it in some way, it cannot really be called a “gift” A true gift is unearned, the result of love, God’s “gift” is because of God's love for the sinner God is the giver, Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Note: Memorize and quote John 3:16, but stay with the Roman Road scriptures) There is a contrast between death and life, the gift “is eternal life” Page 3 of 6 Sinners “earn” death, because of God’s love He “gives” life “Eternal life” means that it is God's own life that is given Instead of our life being separated from God forever, God wants us to have His Life forever “Eternal life” means both quality and quantity, quality of life today, the quantity is forever Salvation is God’s Life living in us today and we are going to live with Him throughout eternity Salvation means that we have a “New Life” to live as long-as we live on this earth It is the best life that a person can live upon this earth, and it goes on beyond physical death There is only one way to have this New Life, you must receive Jesus Christ The gift of “eternal life” is given to us only “through Jesus Christ our Lord” If there was any other way that God could have given us eternal life, even just one other way Then Jesus would have never died on the cross for our sins Eternal Life is only “through Jesus Christ Our Lord” Gifts that are given to us are normally wrapped The “Gift of Life” is wrapped up in Jesus, the gift of “eternal life” is Jesus Himself A gift is never complete until it is in the possession of the one it was purchased for God gave us Jesus so that we can have “eternal life” But we must accept and receive Jesus before the gift of life is complete for us The joy of a gift comes at the time of receiving it, once it is opened and you know what it is Even the joy of purchasing a gift comes at the time when it is received Heaven rejoices when sinners receive Jesus Christ, Luk 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Note: Memorize and quote Luke 15:10, but stay with the Roman Road scriptures) WHY IS IT THAT THE GIFT OF LIFE CAN ONLY BE RECEIVED THROUGH JESUS CHRIST? Because it was Jesus who died for our sins, Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Lost sinners are in a state of helplessness, ungodliness is helplessness, sin is weakness Without Christ in our life there is no authority over sin, the penalty of sin is death Jesus died in our place, at a time determined by God, Jesus died on the cross for us, Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. It would be a rare case for someone to die for a respectful person How many would die for an innocent person? Who would die for someone who is extra kind and generous to others? Human love is very seldom that strong, the question is, who would die for a sinner? The answer is, Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God proved His love for sinners; for His enemies; for the helpless and the hopeless God gave His Son to die in our place, God “so loved us that He gave us His Son” His Son, Jesus Christ, loved us enough to die for us, “Christ died for us” Jesus proved His love for us by dying in our place We were the sinners with the penalty of death upon us, but Jesus paid the price of our sin That is why we must personally accept Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for us HOW CAN A LOST SINNER ACCEPT JESUS AS SAVIOR?--Rom 10:9 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. To “confess” is to speak the same thing or to agree with God To “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus” is to agree with what the Bible says about Jesus To confess with your mouth is to make a public declaration of what you believe about Jesus Page 4 of 6 To “confess” is to openly state your belief in the person and work of Jesus It is to openly state that you believe that Jesus died for you because you are a sinner The mouth must reveal the true character of your life, the truth of what is in your heart The mouth tells who you really are and what you really believe To “confess” is to proclaim Jesus as your Lord, when you give Him the supreme place in your life When you are ready to obey God and live for God, when you give your life to God you receive salvation “And shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead” The heart represents the real you, the heart of a man is the very person of that man Within your heart is the very desires and wishes of your life Your heart must believe that Jesus Christ is alive today You must believe that Jesus died for your sins and that He arose from the grave and now lives And because Jesus is alive you desire to live with Him, you want Him to live in your life today To believe in your heart is to say, I don’t want to be separated from God any longer I want God living in me, I want to give my life to Jesus, I want Jesus to give me His life I want to live for Him today and as long-as I continue to live, I want to be saved “Thou shalt be saved” is a promise, you will no longer be separated from God now that you are saved The promise is that Jesus will be living in your life today To be saved means that you have received the gift of eternal life THE WAY TO BE SAVED--Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. This verse repeats what verse nine said, it is for emphasis, assurance, and clarification The order of verse nine is reversed in verse ten Verse 9 is, confess and believe--Verse 10 is, believe and confess Paul does not say that two separate things must happen before you are saved Paul is saying that both are united, they are one and the same, and must happen in order to be saved Belief does not take place without confession, confession will only take place when there is belief Believe and confess are two ways to say the same thing The person who believes in Jesus will confess Jesus The person who has confessed Jesus is the one who believes in Jesus The person who accepts Jesus into the heart will confess Jesus with the mouth “And with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” Salvation is believing unto righteousness, salvation is righteousness received Romans 3:10 teaches that without Jesus no one is righteous But when we receive Jesus, we are saved and made righteous The result of heart faith and mouth confession is the righteousness of Christ in us NO DISAPPOINTMENT--Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. The thought in this verse is not the idea of being ashamed of Jesus Paul says that if you trust in Jesus, you will never be put to shame You will never be disappointed with the life that Jesus gives you You are not going to wish later that you had never been saved The life of faith in Jesus will never lead to defeat and disappointment, but the lack of faith will WHO CAN BE SAVED?--Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. This is another great promise from God, I have been saved, “you can be saved today” Sinners are not divided into categories according to their sin God does not forgive according to the degree of sin God does not save one person a little bit and another a whole lot, to be saved is to be saved Page 5 of 6 To be forgiven of sin is to be forgiven, to be made righteous is to be made righteous “Is rich” does not refer to earthly riches but to the spiritual riches we can now experience in Christ The saved will experience the “riches” of Christ throughout eternity THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO BE SAVED--Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This verse says exactly what verse 9 and 10 explained to us To call upon the name of Jesus is to believe that Jesus died for you You must believe that Jesus arose from the grave and is now alive To call upon the name of Jesus is to believe that Jesus will give you a new life You will receive your new life when you give your life to Him You must confess with your mouth that you want Jesus in your heart To be saved is to pray and confess with your mouth what you believe in your heart Salvation is your prayer accepting God's gift of eternal life in Jesus Pray and tell Jesus that you want to be saved, that you want Him in your life The promise is that anyone who believes in Jesus and confesses Him will be saved HOW TO CLOSE OUT YOUR PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL WITH A SINNER Pray for them something like this, Lord, “I thank you for letting me talk to _____________” “I am thankful that _______listened to the scriptures” “I pray that _______is ready to pray and accept you as their Savior” (Do not close your prayer) Give them an opportunity to pray at this point--Say to them ________________ while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed, would you like to pray? They will probably say that they don’t know how to pray, guide them in their prayer if necessary If you guide them in prayer let them know that it is okay for someone to help others pray Tell them that someone helped you pray when you accepted Jesus as your Savior Tell them that they are talking to Jesus and not to you And you believe that you know what they want to tell Jesus Tell them that they should not repeat anything after you that they do not mean or want to say Everything they say should come from their heart Then ask them to repeat after you, “Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner--I know that I cannot save myself--I believe that you died on the cross for me--I believe that you are alive today--I ask you to forgive me of my sins--I ask you to be my Savior--I give you my life--I want to receive your life” Close with a prayer thanking God for saving them, give them the assurance that God has saved them It makes no difference who you are, Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. The promise is, Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Assure them that if they meant what they prayed Jesus meant what He said He would do when they prayed FURTHER ASSURANCE Eternal life is in Jesus, 1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. If you have Jesus, you have life, 1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. You know that you have Jesus because you believed in Him and called upon Him, 1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. The one who believes in Jesus and calls upon Jesus will be saved When you call upon Jesus to be saved you can believe that you have been saved You can believe that you now have eternal life Page 6 of 6