Here is a
typical online description of the “Roman Road”: “All you have to do is accept
that Jesus is your Savior, that you are a sinner, and he is the only way to get to
heaven. The bible passage for the Roman Road to Salvation, Romans 10:9 says
this: “That 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”
This Roman Road then explains the consequences of sin. Romans 6:23 says,
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord." This refers to spiritual death and separation
from God for eternity.
Next, this Roman Road teaches how God has provided this instant version of salvation. Romans
5:8 states, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us." While we deserve death, Jesus has offered a
way of life. He alone has provided a sufficient (and easy) answer to the sin and spiritual
death we face.
The Roman Road then teaches how we can receive this easy salvation. Romans
10:13 adds, "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved.'" Salvation is available easily and instantly to anyone who will turn to
Jesus for eternal life (John 3:16). This occurs when we believe Jesus is Lord
and that He literally came alive again from the dead.
Finally, the Roman Road shares the results of salvation. Romans
5:1 declares, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The result is a
relationship with God. This includes peace (Romans 8:1) and eternal security (Romans
8:38-39).
What’s
missing here? Except for the quotation of John 3:16, out of context, Jesus’
words aren’t included in this method of salvation.
And what did
Jesus say about this alleged “Road?”
Of course it
was devised long after his ministry. But he did have something to say
about Easy paths and Wide Gates like this. “NOT EVERYONE who says to me, “Lord,
Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, ONLY those who do the will of the
Father will enter.”(Matthew 7:21) So
much for merely calling upon the name of the Lord to “get saved.”
Also, in The
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had warned, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate
is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it
are many. For the gate is Narrow and the way is HARD that leads to life, and
those who find it are FEW.” (Matthew 7:13-14) The Roman Road is advertised as
an easy way to salvation, guaranteeing our seat in heaven by merely saying a few easy words.
How strongly
this contrasts with what Jesus preached about a life serving him would be like! He portrayed it as a difficult yet rewarding struggle that ended in the Kingdom
of Heaven. Doing the will of the Father means denying ourselves, leaving family
behind, serving others as we would want ourselves to be served, and living and
serving God completely.
Contrary to those who follow this Roman Road,
Jesus clearly calls us to do good works and serve others with those good works, and
explicitly says we will be judged by God by our works not our mere intentions
or even our vain words.
Jesus calls
on us to repent of our past misdeeds, and echoed John the Baptist’s preaching, ”bear
fruit worthy of our repentance.” (Matthew 3:8)
All of his
ministry is very far from this alleged Roman Road, and far from the preaching
of today’s Conservative Christian ministers, who are preaching a very different
Gospel than the one Jesus preached.
In fact, the one time Jesus addressed personal salvation, (Mark 10:17-22) he told someone who wished to have eternal life to keep the Commandments.
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