THE ROMANS ROAD
 
I realize many people reading this may know the Romans Road; however,some people don't and I just have this feeling inside of me that they may desire to understand this because if people in their lost condition don't grasp this and respond accordingly they will die. Of course I'm going to explain what I mean by this but let me just say a couple of things first. Imagine a very refined man or woman. They dress well, say the right things,smile,but in reality only a trained eye will be able to discern weather their spirit has been changed by God through His Son Jesus Christ. I will admit it is a little bit of a mystery why people don't come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior when presented with the Gospel message even though I do believe in choice.
 
I will tell you what I have observed in people. I think it depends on the situation; apathy,non interest in what you are trying to show them, more of an interest in temporal things than eternal things. A stronghold of unbelief in their spirit-that is they have their mind set on some kind of religion or philosophy and that is it. They just don't want to hear the Gospel message. This becomes a situation where they are over there and you are over here. The two shall never meet unless they have something earthly in common with each other. In other words they already had their mind made up before any Christian approached them with the saving message of Jesus Christ. There's the "I'm fine" response meaning that this person just simply does not understand the awful sin predicament that he or she really is in without Jesus Christ. There is the "I believe" response; however, it is more of an intellectual agreement rather than a heart response. A person like this will often respond "and besides I'm a......" That blank space could be anything in place of Jesus Christ. I have actually witnessed the internal Gospel backwalk. At the very least this is what I would call this reaction. It is when a person deep down knows that God is going to hold them to their decision in accepting Jesus Christ into their hearts. I would say "Amen" because God knows so much more than we do. Whatever God has for us is greater than we could possibly even imagine for ourselves. This is the grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ. This is built into people by God Himself and this is a reason why some people back off. I have seen people very reserved because they had a lot of fear in their hearts. They just could not see themselves taking this step of faith because they were scared. There have been times when I have seen so much bitterness that God was the very last thing on their mind. These next two verses are not an exact match on what I am talking about but the principle is there.And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord,suffer me first to go and bury my father (22) but Jesus said unto him,Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.Matthew 8:21-22. If we were to be blunt wasn't Jesus saying something to the order of "don't give me any excuses, you are either going to follow me or you are not?" Jesus Christ can read people's hearts and He knows people can excuse themselves straight into hell. There are probably numerous reasons why an individual would not come to know Jesus Christ but if you are one of them do you really want to be left on your own? I don't. Not only are we as individuals complex but the World is becoming near close to impossible to understand and besides it is a very dangerous place.The thought of being left alone to my own devises without Jesus Christ is a weight that I just simply would not be able to carry, yet people do it all the time in this World and that is why everything is just spinning out of control. A heart without the guidance of Jesus Christ has to look for something outward and it is very interesting to me that everybody's external rendition is different. When you really stop to think about this at least a group of Believers in Jesus Christ can be bound together through Him in peace even though their prism or view of the World may be very different because our Savior has broken down the middle wall of partition according to Eph. 2:14.
 
What I would like to talk about is what each and every one of these individuals understood before they received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, when they actually came to a saving knowledge of Him. It is called the Romans road. What I have found is most people really don't understand that sin is a condition that has to be saved, not patched up. Romans 5:12 says "By one man sin entered into the world,and death by sin,so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Just observe the average person's view of sin. If you look around people see sin as a behavioral problem rather a dreadful condition that has passed onto all people. If you listen to some individuals they talk as if they can confess a couple of their biggest sins and then be OK with God. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are one of these people that believes this what about the sins you don't confess or even know about? This is why Romans 5:12 makes it very clear that all people have this sin condition and death is the result. This is bad news but since God has so much love and mercy He gave mankind a provision. In Romans 5:8 the Bible says "God commended his love toward us,in that,while we were yet sinners,Christ died for us." I ask myself often "Is there somebody on the Earth that would die for me?" I always answer "I don't know of anybody that would do this." People do die for others but when you give your life for somebody that is the ultimate sacrifice. That is what Jesus Christ did for mankind. God's love is so much greater than man's love and I don't believe anybody could ever really comprehend this incredible truth about Him.
 
Knowing that man has a sin condition (Romans 5:12) and that God already provided a provision through His Son Jesus Christ by dying on the cross as mankind's perfect sacrificial atonement for our sins we can then understand that God the Father raised His Son from the dead on the third day (Romans 5:8). This was physical proof that Jesus Christ was victorious over sin.
 
People have to realize that they have to make a personal decision according to the Bible to accept Jesus Christ as their very own personal Savior. According to Romans 10:9.the Bible says "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead,thou shalt be saved." In the beginning of this article I gave some reasons as to why people would say no to this provision through Jesus Christ but delaying is really a risk when you stop to think about it. There is no guarantee of tomorrow. You could die tonight or Jesus Christ could come in the Rapture, I personally believe at any moment. How would anybody know if there is a tomorrow in their Life? You certainly could never prove it in a court of law because it is an unknown. What I have observed is people usually like to push this decision off for tomorrow but that day may never come. No wonder the Bible says "today is the day of Salvation." 11 Cor 6:2. There are a lot of things precious in life but what could be more meaningful and important than this decision? Your life will take on a purposeful direction and your eternity will be changed from Hell to Heaven. Both of these places are very real and people that passed on are in one of these two destinations. Hell is a horrible place. It amazes me how much people minimize Hell as "not so bad."  According to Luke 16 the intensity of suffering and torture is really horrendous and there is no getting out once a person goes there. The book of Revelation makes this very clear; however,Heaven is a place of holiness,love and joy. If I were the devil I would try and make a joke out of Heaven and Hell and trivialize the whole thing but the truth of the matter is they are opposite in nature. One is love (Heaven) and one is fear (Hell). The decision you make regarding Jesus Christ will depend upon where you spend eternity. Just think about this for a moment--do you really want to fool around with your eternal destiny?  Eternity for the lack of a better definition is time without end. Wherever we go our fate will be sealed and we will then experience the reality. Do you see why man's condition (Romans 5:12), God's provision (Romans 5:8) and your decision (Romans 10:9) are vitally important for you not only to understand but to respond accordingly?
 
There is a fourth and final verse in the Romans road and that would be Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death,but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What this verse is simply saying is when an individual confesses with their mouth the Lord Jesus and believes in their heart that God hath raised Him from the dead they were saved from the pits of Hell (Literally) because "the wages of sin is death,but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. I look at the Good News of the Gospel and I really wonder how anybody could say "no" to this when presented with all the facts. It is beyond me to understand this yet people die all the time on this Planet and most will unfortunately be separated from the love of God through His Son Jesus Christ for all eternity according to Matthew 7:23. I would have to believe this must break God's heart.
 
Think about these four key verses in the Romans Road.
 
                           Man's Condition
By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Romans 5:12.
 
                           God's Provision
God commended his love toward us,in that,while we were yet sinners,Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.
 
                           Your Decision
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead,thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9.
 
                           Your Destination
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23.
 
How can anyone say no to this incredibly love that God has for us through His Son Jesus Christ?
 
Bob D.