I. Who is In Need of Salvation?–The Romans Road Part 1
So, we’re off! Thank you for looking into the Romans Road and what it means for you and all who believe. I hope you find this information helpful and that the information leads to some answers and further discovery for you. The first part of the Romans Road asks the question: Who is in need of salvation? There are three short sections of the Bible I’d like to share with you. Romans Chapter 3 verses 10-12, Romans Chapter 5 verse 12, and Romans Chapter 3 verse 23. In these verses, you will discover or reaffirm that we are indeed all in need of salvation.
Romans 3:10-12
10 As it is written:“There is no one righteous, not even one
11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
This section can be seen as hopeless, depressing, or just plain wrong depending on where you are coming from in your life. To understand this, we should also look at “where it is written.” David (King David; David and Goliath; Star of David) wrote a lot of Psalms (or Praises). In the 14th Psalm (there are other parts of the Bible that talk about the same thing, like Psalm 53:1-3 and Ecclesiastes. 7:20), he starts it this way:
1 The fool[a] says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.2 The Lord looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
Look at the world today. There are a lot more people in the world that say “There is no God.” This may be you right now, or someone very close to you. I urge you to continue reading on as there is still hope in all situations. The Romans Road is one that comes full circle with good news.
When I first started attending church as an adult, we studied Romans verse by verse up to this point. The first three chapters talk about a lot of sin that was running rampant in his day and age (and still today). I felt like I was too broken or evil for God to ever accept me. If you find yourself thinking the same, please continue to read. You will be surprised.
I wish I had taken a picture of a sign at a church building I saw on the road over the weekend. It said, “No Perfect People Allowed.” At first, I laughed. Then I thought about it and remembered myself waiting until I fixed some things in my life. If you are waiting to be perfect enough to come to God, then you will never get there. No one is good, not even one. Jesus Himself said, “No one is–except God alone.” Don’t let your imperfection be an obstacle on this road. Continue!
Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
Sin entered the world through one man. Which man was this? Adam of Genesis. God told Adam and Eve that they can have any fruit off of the land except for one tree. When they ate off of that tree, they disobeyed God. Sin is basically disobeying God, or separating yourself from Him.
Here’s the thing: everyone sins. No one is perfect. It is easy to look at a saint or someone who is trying to do good in the world and see that he or she lied, or cheated, or used foul language, or acted hatefully. You have to look at every single person on the planet. If they say that they have never sinned, they, right there, are sinning.
It is because of this sin that death has entered the world. Mankind was meant to live in that Garden of Eden and not perish. God is a righteous God, it is almost like any sin deserves the “death penalty.” However, don’t let that be a stumbling block in the road. All have sinned, which means no one is above the penalty of sin. This is a part of life as we know it.
Am I telling you all of this because I am better than anyone? No, not at all. I have come to realize in my life how much of a sinner I am. I know I need salvation because of that (like a judge waiving the death penalty!), and others need to know as well. We’re all in the same boat here–everyone.
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Again, this is everyone! If our purpose on earth is to have a standard that matches God–we have failed…miserably! There is no way anyone can be that perfect. It is completely impossible. Everyone has sinned. Do you find yourself outside of this group? I really hope you answered, “no.” I answer this question with a resounding “NO!” Who can compete toe to toe with the creator of the universe?
What’s next?
These are just three small sections of scripture in the book of Romans that points out how absolutely flawed we are. There are so many ways we can try to see ourselves as superior to other people. No matter what we think about how we compare to one another, we are nothing compared to God. At this first step in the Romans Road, we answer a question. That question is: “Who is in need of salvation?” So, what do you think?
There is overwhelming evidence to point you in the right direction of that answer. That answer is: Everyone. Everyone is in need of salvation. So what’s your first step? Admit you are a sinner. I admit that I’m a sinner. I will not hesitate to tell anyone in the world that. However, I am secure in what comes next on the road. If you are a sinner, you need salvation from the death penalty that is prescribed since the beginning of mankind.
There is good news. Stay tuned for the next page on part two of the Romans Road: Why do We need Salvation?
Closing
Do you have any questions about this? Do you have prayer concerns or something you need to come to terms with while you wrestle with this step? Let us know below, or privately via email: prayer@newtoworship.com. Your concerns are always confidential and you will never be judged by us. God bless you!
Next Up: Why Do We Need Salvation