The literal meaning of the word “gospel” is: good news. But the gospel is more than just good news. It’s the best news! It gives meaning and purpose to our existence, and points the way to eternal life in a perfectly restored world.
Today I want to share the gospel with you, the essence of the Christian faith.
The Romans Road.
In his letter to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul laid out the fundamentals of Christianity. The “Romans road to salvation” is a selection of key verses from that letter that succinctly present the gospel message.
We’re going to examine those verses, and delve into their meaning and application. I encourage you to read the entire book of Romans so that you can appreciate the verses in their full context.
Bad news first.
The first few chapters of Romans are a bit of a downer. Paul is “setting the stage” so to speak, and the picture he paints is quite grim. It turns out that no matter how good you are, you’re not good enough to earn God’s favor. God judges you against His standard of perfection, and you simply do not measure up. You have sinned (an archery term meaning: missed the mark); you fall short.
Key verse:
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Romans 3:23
It gets worse.
Ok, so you’ve sinned. Is it really that big of a deal? As it turns out, yes. Our sin is an affront to a holy God, and the penalty is death. Not just physical death, but an eternal separation from God, the source of all that is good.
Key verse:
For the wages of sin is death…
Romans 6:23a
We are all guilty of sin, and therefore, we are all sentenced to death. The importance of this truth cannot be understated. Until a person realizes they are a sinner facing eternal punishment, they cannot see their need for salvation.
For the hard-hearted, the seed of the gospel dies here. The proud man will not acknowledge he is a sinner. He shakes his fist at God in defiance. Such a man is doomed if his heart does not change. But for those who acknowledge the sinful nature inside themselves, a nature that behaves contrary to God’s laws, there is hope.
The solution.
The second half of Romans 6:23 is our first look at the good news.
…but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23b
Yes! A reprieve! A gift that replaces death with life! A gift made possible by Christ Jesus.
The obvious questions are: “how does Jesus provide this gift?” and “how does one receive it?”
The ultimate sacrifice.
Because God is just, He cannot let sin go unpunished. But because God is merciful, He made a plan to both punish sin and forgive sinners like you and me. How did He accomplish this? He came to earth as a man: Jesus. He lived a perfect, sinless life. Then He took our penalty upon Himself, and suffered death in our place. The blood He spilled on the cross paid our ransom in full.
Key verse:
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Romans 5:8
Salvation.
Jesus’s death on the cross paid for our sin. His resurrection confirmed that He had the power and authority to make this atonement on our behalf.
Now we come to the nuts-and-bolts of salvation: repentance and faith.
Repentance means admitting that you are a sinner, and turning 180 degrees from your sin toward God. It means acknowledging that God is right, and you are wrong. It means confessing to God your personal need for forgiveness, and asking Him for it.
Faith means trusting that God will make good on His promise. It means believing that because of what Christ did for you, you have been made holy in His eyes, and will not suffer His righteous judgement.
Key verses:
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:13
When you repent and put your faith in Christ, you receive the gift of salvation. As a result, you become a new creature (see II Corinthians 5:17). Christ becomes your King. This is what it means to be a Christian.
Blessed assurance.
Our journey down the Romans road ends with reassurance that our hope in Christ is not misplaced.
Key verses:
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.
Romans 5:1
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1
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.
Romans 8:38 – 39
If this is your first exposure to the gospel, or if you have heard it before but never responded to it, I pray that the message pierces your heart. May you be moved to repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ.
If you are already a Christian, let the gospel encourage and inspire you. Thank God for your blessed hope, and look for opportunities to share the good news with others!
