Road to Salvation
Romans 10:8b – 13
Let start off with a brief history lesson. The Roman Empire in the time of Jesus was well known for building an elaborate and extensive road system. It was an outstanding transportation network extending from Britain to the northwest, to the Tigris-Euphrates river system in the southeast, from the Danube River in Germany all the way to Spain and spanned the length of Mediterranean Sea across northern Africa. In fact, there were Roman roads constructed throughout Judea, Galilee, throughout the Biblical middle east.
As the Roman legions blazed a trail through Europe, these routes ensured that the Roman military could out-pace and out-maneuver its enemies, but they also aided in the everyday administration of the Empire. Their numerous feeder roads extending far into the Roman provinces led to the proverb “All roads lead to Rome.”
The Roman Road system made possible the Roman conquest and influence over millions of people. Later it provided highways for the great migrations throughout the empire as well as a means for the eventual spreading of Christianity throughout the entire footprint of the Roman empire from the middle east into northern Africa and all the way to Spain, Britain, and Germany in Europe.
The Roman Road system was created for the powerful Romans to quickly reach and control the lands that they had conquered but after the Roman empire was defeated, the roadways remained for centuries facilitating disciples to reach those that had not heard and had respond to the Good News.
Friends the Roman’s Road system which began to help powerful men to conquer and control everything and everyone that they could see, would eventually be the same road system that would ensure the spread the Christianity with its promise of spiritual freedom and eternal salvation.
I guarantee you that among the footprints that were left on those cobble stone roads there would have been the footprints of Paul and the other disciples, likely even Jesus himself. What was created to accomplish man’s designs for the world became one of the means by which God brought salvation into a broken world.
Our message lesson in Romans today, is offering all of us a reminder of another available and necessary Roman Roadway, a Road to Salvation which provides for us as either new seeker, recalcitrant, stubborn believers or as reaffirming and repenting Christians, seeking to reclaim what the season of Lent is about.
Many souls have been led from their brokenness and back into a relationship with God through the words that Paul offers up in the Book of Romans. This Road to Salvation is also known as the Roman’s Road to Salvation. This Road to Salvation bears the Roman name but unlike the roadways that I just described, it is one that clearly is not predicated on purposes of conquering man through military and political conquest but rather as a way of helping sinful man find their way down the narrow path to the narrow gate on the way to salvation.
This Roman’s Road of Salvation is a sort of roadmap, directional signs along the life’s spiritual journey through various gospel truths that someone, years ago, put together by selecting key verses out of Romans.
Starting in Romans 3 we are told, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God“…and “the wages of sin is death“. This is intended to shock mankind with the bad news that we are all hopelessly lost, going in the wrong direction in life. But soon enough it comforts us with the good news that we find in our message lesson today in Romans 10 that promises us salvation for “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”.
The Roman’s Road of Salvation is basically a series of key verses that take us through Paul’s words in the book of Romans and explains for us in a simple, shorthand form, the Good News as well as our subsequent need to respond to it. On this “road” there are four “directional signs” along the road that identify the four different salvific needs of mankind.
The first is the acknowledgement of the Human Condition which confirms the state of every human as sinful and the state of God as holy. These verses are found in Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23. The Road to Salvation begins with these words:
“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;” (Romans 3:10)
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23)
And after establishing and reminding us that “all have sinned,” the first half of Romans 6:23 explains the depth of this problem and its consequences. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a). To Seekers, for someone that is responding to Prevenient grace that is a painful pill to swallow. But the second half of the verse gives us a glimmer of hope through Jesus when Paul proclaims “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The second stop on the Road to Salvation then is promise of Humanity’s Hope through Christ. Even though we are sinful and sentenced to pay our sin debt with our blood, in Romans 5:8 Paul tells us that “God demonstrates his own love for us with these words: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Even though we are sinful beings, God loves each and every one of us and desires us to live with him in Eternity. So, he sends His incarnated son to us, to live with us, to live like us and to die for us to pay our debt thus giving Humanity Hope.
Now then, we come then to message lesson for today, the third epiphany point on our Road to Salvation, which is the need of the Sinner to respond to God’s grace in our lives. Once we understand our need for a Savior and recognize that Jesus Christ is that Savior, we must respond by calling out to Jesus.
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10) This response is not available for just some but is possible for everyone. “For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Romans 10:13)
Three things to understand about in our lesson today. First Anyone can Believe, but for one to have salvation, they must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. It’s not enough simply to believe there is a God; it is not enough to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, we must believe in God’s existence and Jesus’ continued Sonship, so faith must also include the truth of Jesus’ resurrection.
As we know from our previous lessons in 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us that for believers Christ’s resurrection is required theology. It is what makes the Gospel work, it is the powerful work of salvation and redemption and Good News. Jesus Christ was not raised by his own power; “God raised him from the dead.” Therefore, believing in the resurrection of Christ affirms our faith in the existence of God.
Secondly, “Anyone can Confess”. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Thirdly Anyone Can Come, salvation is available to all. Our scripture lesson today says that “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” None of us have an upper hand, a more direct path to salvation, we are all the same in God’s eyes and we all have the same needs and requirements of and for salvation.
Hear the Good News my friends………..
All of this then leads us to the most important part when it comes to our Road of Salvation, which is if we follow the road signs along the way, if we pay particular attention to the signs, follow the turns that are required and obey the road closed signs then we can all reach our destination, which is Salvation.
The fourth part of the Roman’s Road to Salvation mentions two gifts: peace and salvation. After a sinner decides to declare and believe in their heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, through that faith in Jesus Christ, sinners will enjoy peace with God, no longer separated from holy God by sin. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” (Romans 5:1-2)
This, my friends, is the result of following the Road to Salvation. Before faith in Christ, all who have sinned were condemned by their sin and destined for death. But now with faith in Christ, “there is no condemnation” and believers are gifted eternal life with God. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”
The question is then what does this have to do with entering Lent? Lent is the time of the year that as Seekers and Believers, we come to live into a call for a deeper and more spiritual living, to travel once again a pathway, a roadway laid out for us by others for our benefit, encouraging us remember times of repentance, of self-examination, and to an understanding that we are a broken people, souls damaged by our connection to the Original Sin brought into the world by the Evil One.
Whether you have traveled or are presently traveling the Road to Salvation it is always beneficial to our hearts and souls to retrace those steps that led us to a relationship with our Heavenly Father through the actions of His son, our Savior. Lent requires us to take that trip once again, down those roads that we led us to where we are today and a remind us of where we are going by taking that spiritual journey once again, down the Road of Salvation! Amen.