Brad McClure

Jesus + Works? The Romans Road.

Brad McClure -

”I’ve got Jesus, but I understand that’s not enough. I know you have to work as well to keep it…”

That’s probably not an exact quote, but close to what a man told me the other day as I was headed to the post office.

Sadly, that man must not be familiar with the book we are reading through currently on our journey through the Bible. (Day 345)

The Book of Romans is a favorite of mine to teach. It’s a book where Paul makes clear that salvation and sanctification are by faith alone in Jesus Christ.

Sanctification isn’t a word we use a lot outside of church, but it refers to the time period between when you are saved up until we die and go to heaven. It’s the process of growth we go through.

Romans has a pretty clear outline. Here's a rough look at it:

  • Chapters 1-3 cover the sinfulness of mankind.
  • Chapters 4-5 cover Salvation by faith alone.
  • Chapters 6-8 cover sanctification by faith.
  • Chapters 9-11 cover the sovereignty of God.
  • Chapters 12-15 cover our service for God.
  • Chapter 16 is Paul’s conclusion to the book.

The Romans Road

If you’ve been in church long at all, you’ve probably heard someone mention “The Romans Road.” That phrase refers to a group of verses often used to explain salvation to someone who is lost.

There are plenty of verses outside of Romans that one could go to, but these are closely located in Romans and simple to explain. I like to start in Romans when sharing the plan of salvation with someone.

If you’re unfamiliar with this plan, here’s where I like to start. Maybe take your Bible out and read through these verses to become familiar.

  1. Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23: These verses show that we all are sinners.
  2. Romans 5:12 is a place I sometimes go to next. If I want to go more in-depth into how we inherited a sinful nature from birth because of Adam and Eve…this is the place.
  3. Romans 6:23 shows us that the wage or payment for our sins is death. (Here, I usually jump out of Romans for a second and go to Revelation 20:14-15)
  4. Then, we go back to Romans 5:8 to show God’s love for us. Here, I take time to explain who Jesus is, as well. How is he qualified to die in our place? What made His birth unique?
  5. Then, I’ll typically end in Romans 10:9-13. To receive this gift of salvation, we must ask by faith. It’s not a work we earn. Jesus paid the price. We ask and receive by faith.

That’s a quick rundown of The Roman’s Road. For some of you, that's extremely familiar, but I wanted to write it out for those of you who maybe aren’t as familiar with it.

If I need to go into more depth on that, send me an email, and I can maybe even do a podcast on it sometime.

We are less than three weeks away from finishing our journey through the Bible! If you have been reading the YouVersion plan along with us this year, I'd love to hear from you. If this is your first time ever reading through the Bible, I'd love to hear from you and celebrate with you.

As we transition to 2024, I'm open to hearing from you. What places in the Bible are you interested in exploring deeper on the podcast? What questions would you like me to consider answering on the podcast?

Have a wonderful week!

Brad