Home About Us Sermons Songs
Ask The Preacher Bible Trivia Questions Audio Bible Links
I Have Kept The Faith Guest Book Search Mid-West Lectures
Kid's Stories/Coloring Bulletin Articles Comments Bible Courses by Mail
Youth Articles Summer Series Gospel Meetings

While searching the internet  I came across several instances of "The Roman Road".  In each case these pages were claiming to proclaim God's plan of salvation.  After reading several of these pages, I felt compelled to examine one of these pages in view of God's word.  As you will notice in the page which I copied, the author quotes several passages from the Book of Romans and infers that this is God's plan of salvation.  Of course, I must accept the scriptures that the author quoted from God's word, for they certainly are true.  I must however, take exception to the application and conclusions drawn from these passages.  Below you will find the page as presented on the net with my comments and scripture quotations highlited in red.  See if you draw the same conclusion as I have.
Back to the index
 

THE ROMAN ROAD…
 

GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION
 
 
 

  • Romans 3:10 – NO ONE IS RIGHTEOUS
    • "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one"
  • Romans 3:23 – All have sinned
    • "For ALL HAVE SINNED, and come short of the glory of GOD"
  • Romans 5:8 – God loves us and provided a way out
    • "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
  • Romans 6:23 – The penalty of sin is death
    • "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord"
  • Romans 8:1 – There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus
    • "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit"
    Here, I must ask a question of the author.  Since there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, how does one get into Christ Jesus?  He has not told us the answer to that question, has he?  Since he has not supplied the answer, then we must go to God's word to find that answer. Also since this is called "The Roman Road",  I will use an example from that book.
    Romans 6:3 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?"
    Why was this important verse omitted from "The Roman Road" if it is going to teach us God's plan of salvation?
  • Romans 10:9-10 –Confess your sins and believe on the name of Jesus that you are saved
  • Notice carefully what the following scripture actually says not what the author seems to believe that it says.
    • "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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation"
    Where in those two verses are we told to confess our sins?  I read that we are to "confess with the mouth the Lord.  Also what does the passage tell us to believe in our hearts?  Is it not that God has raised Christ from the dead.  Aren't these two verses telling us to believe on Jesus and in his resurection and to make confession of this belief, unto salvation?  No where does it say confess sin nor does it say that we are to believe that we are saved. It does tell us that belief and confessions leads us unto salvation.

     

     
     
     
     
     

    We at XX. XXXXXX hope and pray that if you don't know Him, you will accept God's gift of salvation.
    Just follow the Roman Road and submit your life to Christ.

    It is my hope and prayer also that one will submit to Christ through obedience to his will, however, so far on this road, the sinner is still living in sin.  No where has he been told to repent of his sins as the Lord Jesus has commanded in Luke 13:3  "But I tell you, Nay; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

    "Dear God, I have sinned and fallen short of your glory. I acknowledge that I am a sinner and that Christ died for my salvation and is now sitting at Your right hand. I accept Christ as my personal Savior right now and I willingly yield my life to Him."

    If you prayed this prayer from your HEART, the bible assures that you are saved from the penalty, power, and one day, the presence of sin.  Trust God with your salvation, you will experience the supernatural power of being saved. We encourage you to immediately unite with a church where JESUS is preached, His love is practiced and His ministry is provided.
    Now the author has the sinner praying a prayer that tells God that he accepts Christ and yields his  life to Christ.  In "The Roman Road" above where is the scripture showing us to do this?  Is there a New Testament example of a sinner praying over his salvation?  Certainly, Saul, who became the Apostle Paul and wrote the Book of Romans is a good example. We find this record in Acts 9.  Saul accepted Christ as savior on the road, for he ask "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" The Lord told him to go into the city and it would be told him what he must do.  Saul fasted and prayed for three days but still had his sins.  He had to wait for the preacher, Ananias, to tell him what to do.  Ananias told him to arise and be baptized and wash away his sins.  From this example we see that the writter of the Book of Romans still had his sins until he was baptized.  Notice also that the Lord told Saul
    that he would be told what he MUST DO.  Then the preacher, Ananias, told him to arise and
    be baptized and wash away his sins.

    The author then suggest that the "saved" person unite with a church.  The New Testament plainly teaches that the Lord adds the saved to the church.  Acts 2:47  If the individual was saved, then I have confidence that the Lord would add him to his church.  This page did not contain any reference to the sinner repenting, confessing Christ, or being baptized into Christ Jesus.  Yet, the author seems to be saying that the sinner was saved by following his "Roman Road".  Has he not read Mark 16:16 where the Lord says "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved".  Or, 1 Peter 3:21 where Peter tells us that baptism saves us.  Does he believe that one is saved out of Christ? Romans 6:3 Now, I ask you, has the author rightly divided the word of God?

    Comments to Don Thompson back to home page