Romans Road

This is the Gospel

Law vs Grace

“Have you ever had a teacher who piled on so many rules that it felt impossible to keep up? Don’t chew gum. Don’t talk. Don’t blink too loud. That’s kind of what living under the Old Testament Law felt like—no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t get it all right. But Jesus shows up and says, ‘I’ve already handled the rules. Now you get to live in freedom with Me.’ That’s the difference between law and grace.”

Old Testament Law

Purpose: The Law (given through Moses, e.g. Ten Commandments and 600+ other laws) revealed God’s holiness and set Israel apart as His people.

Function:

Showed people right from wrong (God’s standards).

Exposed human sin and inability to live perfectly.

Pointed ahead to the need for a Savior (Galatians 3:24 “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” .

Key Verse: “Through the law we become conscious of our sin.” (Romans 3:20

Romans 3:20 ESV

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

In short: the Law showed God’s righteousness and our shortcomings.

New Testament Grace

Fulfilled by Jesus: Jesus didn’t abolish the Law, He fulfilled it perfectly (Matthew 5:17

Matthew 5:17 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Grace Defined: God’s unearned favor, given through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Function:

Offers forgiveness and righteousness apart from works (Ephesians 2:8–9

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Empowers us through the Holy Spirit to live transformed lives (Romans 8:1–4).

Replaces external rules with an internal relationship with God.

Key Verse: “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

In short: grace saves us and enables us to live for God.

Key Point: The Law shows us our need for Jesus; Grace saves us and empowers us to live for Him. The two aren’t enemies—grace fulfills the purpose of the law.

The purpose of tonight is to fully understand God’s grace through salvation.

Romans 1:1–7 ESV

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:16–17 ESV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

All have sinned

Romans 3:21–26 ESV

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Consequences of sin

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s Solution

Romans 5:6–11 ESV

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Who Is Jesus?

Jesus Christ is not only the central figure in Christianity but also the embodiment of God’s love and the key to our salvation.

He is the means of salvation, miraculously sent by God to restore the relationship that was broken by sin. 

On the cross, Jesus received the penalty for our sins so that we could receive the benefits of His perfect life.

God raised Jesus from the dead demonstrating His power over death and securing the promise of eternal life for all who trust in Him.

How to receive salvation

Romans 10:5–13 ESV

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 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. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

So What?

If you have already made Jesus your Lord now what? Are you living this truth out?

Maybe tonight this was the first time you heard the good news of Jesus Christ.

Do you know about God or know God personally?

What is a Christian?

A Christian is a forgiven and redeemed follower of Christ, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, dedicated to obeying God’s Word and growing more like him.

1 Peter 1:13–16 ESV

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”