Roman's Road

The Roman’s Road. No this isn’t an Italian highway, or a street in a swank new subdivision, it’s a simple way to explain or understand God’s plan of salvation.  Let’s start by opening you Bible to the book of Romans.  If you don’t have one, get one.  Many places and churches give them away.  Now,  with a highlighter and pen/pencil in hand, yes I want, and encourage you to write in the Bible, open to Chapter 3:23.  “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.”  There it is, original sin, our legacy from Grandpa Adam is holding us back from God‘s fullness.  So what does mean and what do we do?  Well, flip over to chap. 6:23. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Sounds like a good news/bad news scenario, doesn’t it?  This lousy inheritance comes attached to a death sentence, but God offers a free gift.  Hmmm, there must be some fine print on this deal, so let‘s take a closer look.  Fair enough, turn back to 5:8.   “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Wrap your head around that statement for a minute.  Jesus died for us, repairing the damage our sins had incurred, even while we were still sinning!!  Wow, that’s pretty hard to comprehend, but it sounds like an offer one would be foolish to refuse. Where do I sign up, and what do I have to do? Keep going to 10:9. “If you confess with your mouth 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 confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” If this appears too good to be true, be reassured it‘s legit.   Our sins have convicted us to death, but by God’s grace, combined with our confession, earnest repentance and solid belief in his plan, we are pulled out of the fire! The road continues in 5:1-2 “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”  And  the confirmation letter is written in 8:1. “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”  The shackles are removed, sin is gone and the gift of eternal life is ours, where there was once a hopeless, joyless void.  So with total confidence in what God has done we can say, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  By His blood the debt is paid, and eternity is secured for all who believe.  What are you waiting for, the road is open,  get out of the driveway and spread the word!