Gospel
The Romans Road
A short walk through Romans: why we need Jesus, what he has done, how to trust him, and the peace that follows.
All have come short
God does not grade people on a curve. The letter to the Romans tells the truth about every one of us: we have all sinned. We have turned from the God who made us, in what we have done and in what we have left undone.
Good manners cannot close that gap. We come short of the glory of God — his goodness and his right way.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
What sin earns, and what God gives
Sin pays a wage, and that wage is death. This is more than the end of a heartbeat. It is being cut off from God, who is the source of life.
The verse does not leave us there. God gives what we could never earn: the gift of God, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. A wage is paid for work. This gift is given through Jesus.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Love, shown while we were still sinners
God did not wait for us to improve. While we were yet sinners, he showed his love toward us: Christ died for us.
The cross is not God looking away from sin. Jesus took the death our sin earns, so that we can be forgiven.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Confess the Lord Jesus, and believe
Paul tells us how a person receives this gift. It is not by building a better record.
To confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus is to say, truthfully, that he is Lord, not only a good example. To believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead is to trust that Jesus really died, really rose, and really can save you. The heart believes unto righteousness. The mouth makes confession unto salvation.
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.
Call upon his name
This promise is wide open. It is not kept for religious people, or for people with a tidy past. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord — turning to him to be saved, rather than to themselves — shall be saved.
If you are ready, you can call upon him today.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Peace with God, and no condemnation
If you have trusted Christ, you do not have to live unsure of where you stand. Faith in Jesus puts a person at peace with God.
There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. That does not mean you will never struggle or fail again. It means your standing rests on Jesus, not on your best week. The promise is for those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
A prayer you can make your own
You can talk to God in your own words.
If it helps, you can use the prayer below to express your faith. These words are not a formula. Saying them does not save you; Jesus saves everyone who truly trusts him. Pray this only if you mean it.
Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned and that I come short of the glory of God. I cannot save myself. Thank you for dying for me and for rising from the dead. I confess you as the Lord Jesus, and I trust you now. Please forgive me, give me the eternal life you promised, and teach me to follow you. Amen.
What next
Trusting Christ is a beginning. If you have turned to him, these are good next steps. You do not have to take them alone.
All Scripture quotations are from the Authorised King James Version.