Kerygma: Week Three Follow-up

Week Three: Don't Rush the Romans Road

Welcome to week three of our study on the message of our faith! So far we have examined some of the confusing ways in which people talking about the cross in comparison to how the early apostles talked about Jesus' death and resurrection in the book of Acts. This week, we're going to take a quick look at a popular method of communicating the Gospel called the Romans Road. This technique utilizes several key scripture verses from Paul's letter to the Romans to explain: (1) who needs salvation, (2) why (3) how God provides it, (4) how we receive it, and (5) the results. The Romans Road can take a few different forms and can be flexible on the verses it uses, but it typically looks something like this:

1. Everyone needs salvation because all have sinned. (Romans 3:10-12, 23)
2. The cost of our sin is death. (Romans 5:12; 6:23)
3. Jesus died for our sins, effectively paying our cost. (Romans 5:8)
4. We are saved through faith in Jesus. (Romans 10:9-10, 13)
5. We are brought into restored relationship of peace with God. (Romans 5:1; 8:1, 38-39)

The Problem with Speeding

There's a reason we have speed limits when we drive. When we drive too quickly, we become careless and put others in danger. The convenience of getting to our destination quicker causes us to make silly mistakes, pay less attention to detail, and possibly send ourselves or others careening off into a ditch. There is similar danger in rushing through Paul's logic in Romans! More accurately, though, we create problems when we try to shortcut the scriptures into neat little bite-sized pieces. The big problem with the Romans Road is that it mashes together different metaphors that Paul uses to describe salvation. Let's take a moment to look at the above references in a little more depth. 

In chapter 3, Paul is not simply trying to convince people that they are all sinners and deserving of death. That people have all sinned is assumed. The main thrust of this chapter is that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile because all have been welcomed in by the new covenant in Jesus Christ. All, both Jew and Gentile, have sinned (3:23) and all are justified by the grace of Jesus (3:24). No one has any advantage in God's kingdom.

In the first half of chapter 5, Paul notes what an assurance we can have in Jesus who chose to give his life for us even while we were sinners. Strangely, those who use the Romans Road always seems to equate "God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us" (5:8) with "Jesus paid our penalty." But Paul is not saying that Jesus' death appeased God's wrath by taking our punishment. Paul is saying that we are made righteous (justified) by faith through Jesus' death (5:1-2)...and much more by his life (5:10)! In the second half of the chapter, Paul introduces the idea that Jesus as a sort of "new Adam" (5:14-15). Just as one man, Adam, brought sin and death upon all humanity, we are given life and righteousness through one man, Jesus.

Now the idea of Christ "paying our debt" comes from the redemption image Paul uses in chapter 6. When Paul says, "the wages of sin is death" (6:23), it is within the context of a larger image - God purchasing us out of slavery. A slave could be purchased from one master in order to serve another. Sometimes this may entail a significant upgrade in working conditions for the slave. On rare occasions, a benefactor may even purchase freedom for the slave by paying the price and demanding no service in return. Who is the debt being paid to? The price is obviously not being paid to God in order to avert His own wrath. That wouldn't make any sense! Paul is creatively saying that we have somehow sold ourselves into slavery to sin, but God graciously provides a way out.

Finally, the truth we see in chapter 8 and chapter 10 is that we have been given the Holy Spirit to show us how to live in this new freedom, and all we need to do to receive this new life is to give Jesus his rightful place as Lord of our lives. Paul extends his image of redemption from slavery to show how the Law of the old covenant only seemed to identify our problem. God had rescued them from slavery once before, and yet humanity kept returning to its old master out of fear and anxiety. It took a final act of divine grace to prove to us that nothing could separate us from God's love.

Mystery and Images of Salvation

So within these chapters we see a few different images and strands of thought: (1) all are in the same broken condition and benefit equally from this new covenant that Jesus is announces, (2) we are made righteous before God through Jesus' life and death, (3) righteousness comes through Jesus just like sin came through Adam, (4) God purchases into a new and wonderful life in the midst of our bondage to sin, and (5) we are now able to live with God's Spirit within us to live full and wonderful lives in the kingdom of God.

As you may be able to see, not all of these images operate with the same logic. Paul, along with other NT writers, are not setting out to provide a once-and-done explanation of salvation. What Jesus has accomplished for us is so huge and mysterious that it takes multiple images to try and capture its beauty and mystery. Jesus saves and heals and pays debts and provides rest and brings back to life...its all just too wonderful to capture at once, and we will never finish talking about it. The good news is that its worth taking about!

Join us next week as we examine some more of the New Testament images of salvation!

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