🛤️ The Romans Road to Salvation

A Journey Through Paul's Letter to the Romans — KJ3 Literal Translation

What is the Romans Road?

The "Romans Road" is a collection of verses from Paul's letter to the Romans that clearly explains God's plan of salvation. These verses, read in order, form a "road" or path that leads a person from understanding their need for salvation to accepting God's gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Each verse builds upon the previous one, creating a clear and simple presentation of the Gospel message. Follow this road through six essential truths:

  1. All have sinned — Our universal need
  2. Sin brings death — The consequence we face
  3. God loves us — His amazing grace
  4. Confess and believe — Our response
  5. Justified by faith — Peace with God
  6. No condemnation — Eternal security

Your Progress on the Road

1
All Sinned
2
Death/Life
3
God's Love
4
Believe
5
Peace
6
Secure
1
All Have Sinned — Romans 3:23
▼

"for all sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

Romans 3:23 (KJ3)

📚 Understanding This Verse

This verse establishes a universal truth: every person has sinned. The word "all" leaves no exceptions — rich or poor, religious or irreligious, young or old. We have all "fallen short" of God's perfect standard.

The phrase "the glory of God" refers to His perfect moral character. Like an archer whose arrow falls short of the target, our best efforts cannot reach God's perfect holiness.

Key Truth: Sin is universal. This isn't about comparing ourselves to others, but measuring ourselves against God's perfect standard — a standard none of us can meet on our own.

💭 Reflection Questions

• Why is it important to recognize that "all" have sinned?
• What does "the glory of God" represent in your understanding?
• How does recognizing our sinfulness prepare us for the Gospel?

🔑 Memory Help

3:23 → "ALL fall short"

Think: "All" starts with 3 letters, chapter 3

2
The Wages of Sin & Gift of God — Romans 6:23
▼

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is everlasting life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 6:23 (KJ3)

📚 Understanding This Verse

This powerful verse presents the sharpest contrast in all of Scripture:

  • Wages = what we earn; Gift = what we receive freely
  • Sin = our action; God = the Giver
  • Death = the penalty; Everlasting life = the blessing

"Wages" means something we've earned — sin pays a terrible salary. But God offers something we could never earn: eternal life as a free gift.

Key Truth: Sin earns death; God gives life. We cannot work our way to heaven — salvation is a gift received, not wages earned.

💭 Reflection Questions

• Why does Paul use "wages" for sin but "gift" for eternal life?
• What kind of "death" is Paul referring to?
• How does understanding this contrast change how you view salvation?

🔑 Memory Help

6:23 → "WAGES vs. GIFT"

Think: 6 letters in "WAGES" — chapter 6

3
God Demonstrates His Love — Romans 5:8
▼

"but God demonstrates His love to us in that we being yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8 (KJ3)

📚 Understanding This Verse

This is the heart of the Gospel! God didn't wait for us to clean up our lives or become "good enough." While we were still in rebellion against Him — while we were still sinners — Christ died for us.

The word "demonstrates" means to prove beyond doubt. The cross is the ultimate proof of God's love. It's not just words; it's action at the highest cost.

Key Truth: God's love is not based on our worthiness. He loved us first, while we were still His enemies, and proved it through Christ's sacrifice.

💭 Reflection Questions

• Why is it significant that Christ died for us "while we were yet sinners"?
• How does the cross "demonstrate" God's love?
• How does this truth affect how you see yourself?

🔑 Memory Help

5:8 → "God DEMONSTRATES love"

Think: "God" has 3 letters + "love" has 4 = 7... wrong! But "five-eight" rhymes with "demonstrates"!

4
Confess and Believe — Romans 10:9-10
▼

"Because if you confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation."

Romans 10:9-10 (KJ3)

📚 Understanding This Verse

This passage reveals the two essential elements of receiving salvation:

  1. Believe in your heart — Internal faith. Not just mental agreement, but deep trust in who Jesus is and what He did (especially His resurrection).
  2. Confess with your mouth — External declaration. Faith expressed outwardly, acknowledging Jesus as Lord.

Notice the order: heart leads to mouth. True belief naturally overflows into confession. And note the promise: "you will be saved" — not might be, not hopefully, but will be.

Key Truth: Salvation requires both internal belief and external confession. Faith in Christ's death and resurrection, combined with acknowledging Him as Lord, brings salvation.

💭 Reflection Questions

• Why is belief in the resurrection so central to salvation?
• What does it mean to confess Jesus as "Lord"?
• How are believing and confessing connected?

🔑 Memory Help

10:9-10 → "CONFESS & BELIEVE = SAVED"

Think: 10 fingers: 5 on each hand — one hand = HEART (believe), other hand = MOUTH (confess)

5
Justified — Peace with God — Romans 5:1
▼

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"

Romans 5:1 (KJ3)

📚 Understanding This Verse

"Justified" is a legal term meaning "declared righteous." It's as if we've been in a courtroom, guilty as charged, but the Judge declares us "Not guilty!" because Christ paid our penalty.

"By faith" — not by works, rituals, or our own efforts. Faith is the means by which we receive what Christ accomplished.

"Peace with God" — Before salvation, we were enemies of God (Romans 5:10). Now the war is over. We have peace — not just a feeling, but an actual new relationship status.

Key Truth: Faith in Christ results in justification — being declared righteous before God. This brings true peace: the hostility between us and God is ended forever.

💭 Reflection Questions

• What does "justified" mean in everyday language?
• How is "peace with God" different from "peace of God"?
• Why is it significant that this peace comes "through our Lord Jesus Christ"?

🔑 Memory Help

5:1 → "JUSTIFIED = PEACE"

Think: 5:1 — "Five won" — We've won peace through justification!

6
No Condemnation — Eternally Secure — Romans 8:1, 38-39
▼

"There is therefore now no condemnation to the ones in Christ Jesus, not walking according to flesh, but according to Spirit."

Romans 8:1 (KJ3)

"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39 (KJ3)

📚 Understanding These Verses

Romans 8:1 declares the believer's new status: NO condemnation. Not "less" condemnation, not "reduced" condemnation — NONE. The verdict is final.

Romans 8:38-39 provides the most comprehensive list in Scripture of things that cannot separate us from God's love:

  • Death nor life — Nothing in existence
  • Angels nor rulers nor powers — No spiritual force
  • Things present nor things to come — No time period
  • Height nor depth — No dimension of space
  • Any other creature — Absolutely nothing created
Key Truth: Those who are in Christ are eternally secure. Nothing — absolutely nothing — can separate us from God's love. Our salvation is not dependent on our performance but on God's faithfulness.

💭 Reflection Questions

• Why does Paul begin chapter 8 with "therefore"?
• What gives Paul such confidence (he is "persuaded")?
• How should the truth of eternal security affect how we live?

🔑 Memory Help

8:1 → "NO condemnation"
8:38-39 → "NOTHING separates"

Think: Chapter 8 = the "Great Eight" — greatest promises of security!

📝 Romans Road Review Quiz

Test your understanding of the salvation verses.

🧠 Verse Memory Practice

Fill in the blanks to practice memorizing the Romans Road verses.

🙏 Responding to the Gospel

You've traveled the Romans Road and seen God's plan of salvation. Now the question is: What will you do with this truth?

If you've never received Christ as your Savior, you can do so right now. Salvation is not about a magic formula or perfect words — it's about a sincere heart turning to God in faith.

A Prayer of Faith:

"Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and fall short of Your glory. I understand that the wages of my sin is death, but You offer me eternal life as a free gift. Thank You for demonstrating Your love by sending Jesus Christ to die for me while I was still a sinner.

I believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord and that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I receive Your gift of eternal life right now.

Thank You for justifying me by faith and giving me peace with You. I rest in the promise that there is no condemnation for me now that I am in Christ, and that nothing can ever separate me from Your love.

In Jesus' name, Amen."

📖 Summary: The Romans Road

Step Verse Truth
1 Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short
2 Romans 6:23 Wages of sin is death; gift of God is eternal life
3 Romans 5:8 God demonstrates His love — Christ died for us
4 Romans 10:9-10 Confess and believe = salvation
5 Romans 5:1 Justified by faith — peace with God
6 Romans 8:1, 38-39 No condemnation — nothing can separate us