What is the Romans Road to salvation?

 The Romans Road to salvation is a way of explaining the good news of salvation using verses from the book of Romans. The Romans Road is a simple yet powerful method of explaining why we need salvation, how God provided salvation, how we can receive salvation, and what are the results of salvation.

 The first verse on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent. Romans 3:10-18 gives a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our lives.

 The second Scripture on the Romans Road to salvation, Romans 6:23a, teaches us about the consequences of sin: “For the wages of sin is death.” The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!

 The third verse on the Romans Road to salvation picks up in the middle of Romans 6:23b: “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus’ death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus’ resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus’ death as the payment for our sins.

The fourth stop on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved! Romans 10:13 says it again, “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

 The final aspect of the Romans Road to salvation is the results of salvation. Romans 5:1 has this wonderful message: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have this precious promise of God from Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 Would you like to follow the Romans Road to salvation? If so, here is a simple prayer you can pray to God. Saying this prayer is a way to declare to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ for your salvation. The words themselves will not save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ can provide salvation! “God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness - the gift of eternal life! Amen!”

 Have you made a decision for Christ because of what you have learned through the Romans Road to salvation? If so, please click on the “I have accepted Christ today” button below.

What does it mean that Jesus Christ conquered death?

Most obviously, the statement that Christ has conquered death refers to His resurrection. He who was dead is now alive (see Revelation 1:18). These three words—Christ conquered death—define the most important difference between Christianity and all other religions. No other religious leader ever predicted his own death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21), based his claims about himself and his teaching on that prediction (John 2:18 –22; Matthew 27:40), and then kept that promise (Luke 24:6).

Jesus’ resurrection marks the first time in history that someone rose from the dead never to die again. Others who were resurrected eventually died a second time (see 1 Kings 17:17–24; 2 Kings 4:32–37; Mark 5:39–42; John 11:38–44). Jesus’ resurrection was a true and total defeat of death. As the Holy Son of God, Jesus overcame death once and for all, as Peter explained: “It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:24). The triumphant, risen Christ said, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). Keys are a symbol of authority. Jesus is sovereign over death. Christ’s conquest of death was permanent and eternal.

Christ conquered death because He was sinless. The curse upon mankind in the Garden of Eden, brought about by their sin, was plainly stated: “You will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). Ever since, we have seen the truth of Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death.” But Jesus Christ had no sin (1 Peter 2:22); therefore, death had no power over Him. Jesus’ death was a voluntary sacrifice for our sin, and, given His sinless perfection, His resurrection logically followed. “I lay down my life,” Jesus said, “only to take it up again” (John 10:17).

The fact that Christ has conquered death has eternal consequences for us. The good news—the gospel—is grounded in Christ’s victory over death. Without the resurrection, there is no gospel; indeed, there is no hope for us at all: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). But Christ has risen, and, as fellow conquerors with Him, Christians “have passed from death to life” (1 John 3:14). Christ “has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).

The fact that Christ has conquered death means that believers have also been granted victory over death. We are “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Christ is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20), which means that Jesus’ resurrection is the first of many: believers who have “fallen asleep” (died) will be likewise resurrected. Jesus promised His followers, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).

The fact that Christ has conquered death is a fulfillment of prophecy. The psalmist predicted the Messiah would overcome death: “You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay” (Psalm 16:10). Other prophets filled God’s people with the hope that the Lord would one day abolish death: “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:8), and “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?” (Hosea 13:14; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:54–55).

Death is the devil’s most powerful, terrifying weapon against us. At the cross, Christ defeated Satan on behalf of us helpless sinners: “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31; cf. Colossians 2:15). With the empty tomb, Christ destroyed the devil’s most powerful weapon, death. Satan, our accuser, is now powerless to condemn Christians. We will not share his fate (Revelation 12:9–11; 20:10, 14).

When Christ conquered death for us, He removed the “sting of death,” sin (1 Corinthians 15:56)—that is, we will not be judged by God according to our sins; rather, we will stand before God robed in Christ’s own perfect righteousness. That is why believers in Christ “will not be hurt at all by the second death” (Revelation 2:11), and “the second death has no power over them” (Revelation 20:6). Christ has received our death penalty for sin and, through His death, has conquered death (Revelation 20:14).

Believers “are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). What can separate us from the love of God in Christ? “Neither death nor life” (verse 38). Christ has conquered death, and believers stand firm on Jesus’ words: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die” (John 11:25–26, BSB).

Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost

 

Pentecost was a major Jewish festival long before it became a Christian feast. All adult male Jews living within 30km radius of Jerusalem were obliged to participate in the festival. In addition, many Jews and converts to Judaism from all over the world went on a pilgrimage to attend the festival. Thus, the Acts of the Apostles attests that on that faithful day, which became the first Christian Pentecost: ‘Now, there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem…. Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs’ (Acts 2:5, 9-11).

 OUTDOORING THE CHURCH:-

Beloved, the Church was born in the life, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It then had to be outdoored. The timing and circumstance of its outdooring was very crucial. Our God, being the most strategic One, wisely chose the Pentecost festival, which had such great attendance and great network of people, to outdoor the Church with the spectacular outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-12).

 

By this strategic choice of God, as many as three thousand people would become Christians on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41). Many of these converts would become a great network to spread the good news of salvation to various parts of the world.

 Among the manifestations on that Pentecost day, there was the ‘tongues of fire’, the medium by which the Holy Spirit filled the disciples (Acts 2:3-4). The rest of this homily focuses on the significance of the tongues of fire.

 We will consider:

 * The presence of the Holy Spirit as fire

* The significance of the appearance of the Holy Spirit as tongues

* Tongues of fire

 THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS FIRE:-

Water, we know, has no shape or form but takes the shape of its container. Similarly, the Holy Spirit, the Living Water (John 4:10-15; 7:37-39), has no physical form, but manifests His presence to us in various forms. On the day of the baptism of our Lord, the Holy Spirit took the form of a dove (John 1:32). On the day of Pentecost, He appeared as fire (Acts 2:3). What is the significance of this? There are several lessons from this, but I wish to limit myself to three of them.

 Firstly, fire is used to purify metals (e.g. gold). Similarly, the Holy Spirit purifies us. He applies the precious blood of Jesus to purify us – to cleanse us of our sins. To purify us, He first convicts us of our sins (John 16:8). That is, He pricks our conscience and makes us aware of our sins, feel guilty about them and then readily confess them. Thus, on Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit convicted thousands of people who were listening to the sermon of Peter. The burning of the spiritual fire in the hearts of the people made them ask the Apostles how they could be saved: ‘Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”’ (Acts 2:37). Peter then admonished them: ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 2:38).

 Beloved, like the Pentecost day converts, may we feel in our hearts the merciful and yet purifying heat of the fire of the Holy Spirit anytime we sin. With such spiritual burning sensation, let us not waste any time to seek God’s forgiveness; when we confess may He instantly cleanse us of our sins. Amen!

 We have elaborated on the fact that the presence of the Holy Spirit as fire signifies His purifying work. The second lesson is derived from the fact that fire destroys things. Similarly, the Holy Spirit destroys things. However, being holy fire, being the fire of ‘Love Divine’, He does not destroy good things. The holy fire destroys only evil. Thus, we read in Acts 13:6-12, how Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, defeated the evil of Elymas the magician. Similarly, beloved, may the fire of the Holy Spirit destroy any evil that may approach us. Amen!

 Thirdly, fire is powerful. This is evident in its ability to destroy things. Fire, therefore, signifies the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, on the day of Ascension, Jesus instructed His apostles to remain in Jerusalem until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). Ten days thereafter, they were empowered by the Holy Spirit to boldly witness to Jesus as risen from the dead and the Saviour of the world.

 Similarly, beloved, may the fire-power of the Holy Spirit make us all great witnesses or ambassadors of Jesus Christ. Amen!

 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE APPEARANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS TONGUES:-

Human tongue signifies speech. Therefore, the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues means that He is the One who enables us to proclaim the good news. Thus, in our Creed, we affirm that the Holy Spirit ‘has spoken through the prophets’. May He continue to touch our tongues and speak through us. Amen!

 

TONGUES OF FIRE:-

On Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit appeared not merely as tongues but specifically as ‘tongues of fire’. We know that our tongues cannot remain silent when touched by something hot. When, for instance, a very hot food touches our tongue, we cannot but speak even if we do not understand such heat-on-tongue induced utterances. Similarly, the tongues of fire of the Holy Spirit signify His spiritual burning of the timid and silent tongues of the Apostles. Peter, who became timid from the moment of the arrest of Jesus, became not only courageous to stand before thousands of people but also eloquent (Acts 2:14-41; cf. Acts 4:31).

 Beloved, may the spiritual fire of the Holy Spirit set our tongues on fire so that we eloquently proclaim the good news of salvation. Amen!

 CONCLUSION:-

Beloved let me sum up. On this Pentecost day and beyond,

* May fire of the Holy Spirit purify us, destroy any evil that approaches us and empower us to be credible witnesses of Christ.

* May the Holy Spirit who appeared as tongues touch our tongues.

* May the spiritual fire of the Holy Spirit set our tongues on fire so that we eloquently proclaim the good news of salvation. Amen!