The Roman Road (bullet points)
- Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
- Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Romans 10:9-10 – If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
More detailed explanation:
The Roman Road
Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
–We are all born with a sinful nature.
–God’s standard is perfection and none of us can reach that.
–For example, if you are go to a theme park, and the requirement for the ride is 150cm and you are just short of that, you will not be admitted in.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
–Firstly, sin has consequence as God is holy, righteous and just.
—The wages of sin is death. This is referring to spiritual death which is something that separates us from God. This also refers to the ultimate penalty of sin—eternal separation from God. Conversely, God wants to give us the free gift of eternal life.
Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
—God in his love provides us a way to come back into a relationship with him
–-Use the book illustration below:
Let’s imagine that this BOOK (use a thick book, preferably not the Bible) represents your life story. The first page records the time of your birth and goes all the way to the last page which is the end of your life. It is titled “This is my Life” Every wrong deed and thought is recorded in it.
This (hold out your left hand with palm up) represents you and the ceiling represents God (point to the ceiling). The Bible says that we are separated from God because of our sins (place book on left hand). Now God is so holy that he cannot look upon a single sin (Isaiah 59:2) He loves us, but his righteousness demands that he punishes us. He demands a perfect sacrifice for sin, and the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sin. Sin separates us from God.
This is Jesus (hold out your right hand with palm up). There is no BOOK between Jesus and God (point to ceiling) as He is the only perfect person that ever lived – The Bible says that “He was without sin”.
This is what happened when Jesus was crucified on the cross 2000 + years ago. God the Father transferred the sins of every person, of every age, for all time onto Jesus’ body. He poured his anger and punishment that should fall on you and I (the guilty ones), upon his own Son. (Transfer the book from left hand to the right).
To show that he had completely dealt with sin and punishment God raised Jesus to life 3 days later.
(Point to your left hand) How much sin remains on you now? – None. The punishment for your sin has been paid in full, you are forgiven and restored to God.
This forgiveness however does not apply automatically to every one. We need to believe and receive Jesus individually.
Romans 10:9-10 – If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
Thus, the final step to receive the free gift of salvation from God is to openly declare our intent to follow Jesus for the rest of our lives.
Sample Prayer of salvation:
Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that I am a sinner. I thank you for sending your son Jesus Christ to die on the cross and shed his blood for the forgiveness of my sin. I want to receive Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and follow him for the rest of my life. Thank you for receiving me as your child. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and teach me your way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.