Today we leave behind Galatians and move on to the next book in the chronology of Paul's writings: Romans. I must admit to being intimidated by this wonderful book and especially by how long it will take to explore it.
According to the exhaustive work of Matthew McGee1, Paul wrote the book of Romans on his 3rd, long stay in Corinth, during the winter of 57-58 A.D. While staying and ministering in Corinth, Paul was near the end of what is called his "third missionary journey". After leaving Corinth he would go on (mostly by boat) to several cities (Acts 20-21), ending up in Jerusalem (spring of 50 A.D.), where he preached to the Jews, who imprisoned him for about 2 years. Best I can tell, this was before he actually went to Rome (post-conversion) in 60 A.D.
Warren Wiersbe2 shares in his introduction to Romans that this Pauline letter was transformatively inspirational to both John Wesley (that great Methodist evangelist) and Martin Luther (the Father of Protestantism). They are not alone.
When I was a child, being taught how to evangelize (win others to a saving belief in Jesus Christ), a simple tool called "The Roman Road" was used. I still have it written in the front of my old Bible, the one I received as a teenager. (That's the picture at the top of today's post.)
I began to wonder where this short, to-the-point tool originated. After doing a little research, I found the answer online3. In the mid-20th century, there was an independent, Baptist preacher named Jack Hyles. His ministry was based in east Texas. In a sermon he preached at his church, Hammond Baptist, in 1970, he claimed to have originated this little plan, some 22 years earlier, in 1948-49.
If you have not heard of it, here it is, with brief explanation3. (All scriptures from the NET version)
1. Who is "good enough" to earn eternal salvation and Heaven?
Romans 3:10
"There is no one righteous, not even one."
2. Who are "sinners"?
Romans 3:23
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".
3. Where did sin come from?
Romans 5:12
"So then, just as sin entered the world through one man {Adam}, and death through sin, and so death spread to all people, because all have sinned."
4. How costly is sin?
Romans 6:23
"For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, in Jesus Christ our Lord."
5. Who can pay the price?
Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
6. What is the one and only way to escape Hell?
Romans 10:9-10
"Because 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 thus has righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation."
7. How can we be confident of our salvation?
Romans 10:13
"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
From just this little peek down the road, you can get a glimpse of the joyous journey ahead. I am so excited to be taking it with you. We'll begin tomorrow in Romans 1.
Father, thank you for your incredible gifts! Number one is, of course, the gift of your Son, by Whom we can come into Your very presence. Second, I am so grateful for your Holy Written Word, every word of which is divinely breathed out, from Your Spirit into ours. Open our hearts to the riches you have for us, in personal relationship with You, through our study of that magnificent, holy book. In Jesus' name, amen.
Sources:
1. http://www.matthewmcgee.org/paultime.html
2. Wiersbe, Warren W. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2007, pp. 410-411. Print.
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