1. All Have Sinned

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23 “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Romans 3:10-12 You must help people comprehend how true salvation involves being contrite over their sin. Unless a person is ready to repent and turn from their sinful ways, to walk in wholehearted obedience to Christ as their Lord and Master, they cannot be saved.

2. The Wages of Sin

“For the wages of sin is death” – Romans 6:23 To be truly redeemed, a person must realize their sin is an offense to our Holy God. They must understand, unless they turn to Jesus, they will be judged for their iniquities and suffer the consequence of eternal condemnation. When Jesus shared the gospel with Nicodemus He explained, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). For too long the pendulum in the church has swung far away from preaching hellfire and brimstone. I get it. We don’t want to scare people into salvation, but it’s Christ’s love that compels us to warn them that their sin must be judged. And without Christ, they stand condemned and without hope. It’s been said that Jesus warned more about the consequence of hell than the blessings of heaven. Let us learn from His example.

3. God’s Free Gift

“but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8 Be aware that many people who’ve used, or responded to, the Romans Road often miss the vital point of repentance and wholehearted devotion to Christ as their Master. Giving the impression that simply “accepting Jesus” will bring earthly blessings and heaven’s reward, at no personal sacrifice to the sinner, is a watered-down gospel that will “tickle the ears” of people who want to believe that Christianity is all about them and their happiness. Salvation is and always has been about God redeeming mankind for Himself, not the other way around. While some believe God’s free gift costs them nothing, others mistakenly believe that practicing religious rituals is what God requires. Either extreme misses the way to receive God’s true gift of redemption. The Bible is clear that salvation comes through grace alone (Ephesians 2:4). But we can’t give people the impression that believing is all they have to do to be saved. We must follow Jesus’ example, during His earthly ministry, when people asked Him how to be saved. For example, when the rich young ruler asked Jesus how to be saved, He didn’t say, “Good, you believe. Awesome! Now go live your life and I’ll see you in heaven when you die.” Rather, Jesus looked lovingly into the man’s heart and knew that his wealth was the sinful idol keeping him from following Christ. “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross and follow Me. But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (see: Mark 10:17-22). Notice, Jesus’ loving-kindness toward the man. Oh that God would grant us His heart to share the gospel with such gracious compassion. Realize, it’s not the man’s wealth that kept him from salvation. It was his refusal to turn from everything in his life that was more important to him than following and serving Christ.

4. Confess Jesus Is Lord

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 “for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 You might be thinking, What’s all this talk about counting the cost and wholehearted devotion? It is a red flag if someone says, “I believe in Jesus, but I’m just doing my own thing right now.” Belief as mentioned in John 3:16-17 is describing one point and time action with a continuing life-changing result––not a mere mental assent to who Jesus is and what He accomplished on the cross. A person unwilling to obey The Lord is likely not born again. A true believer will confess with their mouth Jesus as Lord and believe that God has raised Jesus from the dead––and they will be saved.

Proclaim the Gospel

Sharing the gospel can be intimidating but by the power of the Spirit indwelling, you don’t shrink back. God wants you and I to boldly proclaim the good news. So arm yourself with the powerful gospel of peace and prayerfully ask Jesus to open doors for you to share the good news with those He is drawing to repentance and salvation.