In many of my blog posts I talk about restoring or strengthening our relationship with God. I talk about it so often that I tend to assume that we- you, me, and those you share the post with- are saved. I assume that we all know Christ and that we have just made a wrong turn on our walk with God. With that assumption, I offer ways for us to draw closer to God and how to renew our faith in His promises. I quote scriptures and sometimes send you to your own bible and translation to find the scripture for yourself. That last act involves another assumption that you actually own a bible or know how to find scriptures online. Finally, after I make all of those other assumptions, I assume that you have someone that you can bring all of your questions to, who will biblically and accurately answer them for you. Yes, I give you options to bring questions/comments/prayers to me (click here), but that’s with the assumption that you feel comfortable bringing those things to me, Jane Blow, a woman that you may not even know in real life.
Whew!!!
That’s a lot of assumptions!
And you know what they say about when you assume…
Well, today the Holy Spirit told me not to assume.
In fact, He told me to make things clear.
He said that if we (I always want to include myself because I am learning and growing as I share with you) want to walk with Him, we must know how to walk, where to walk, and why we walk.
So, beloved, let’s take a walk…
A Roman walk to salvation.
Today, I am trusting God to help me take you on the most basic introduction to faith through the New Testament book (in the Bible) of Romans. Open your Bible or Bible app to Romans and follow along in your translation, as I quote in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) version.
*Disclaimer- this is a blog post, it is not intended to be the replacement for independent or corporate Bible study. I will explain each passage to a certain extent, but I highly encourage you to consult with a trusted member of clergy, in person, to further discuss if you have any questions. I am always available if you wish to ask questions, but please know that this post was not designed to make you full, but instead leave you hungry for more spiritual nourishment.*
Bible basics:
There are 66 books of the Bible and the Bible is divided into two parts- the Old Testament (39 books) and the New Testament (27 books). The Old Testament occurs before the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus; the New Testament covers that period and beyond. The book of Romans was a letter written by the apostle Paul to the Romans.
Romans 3:10 “as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one;’”
To effectively begin a walk to salvation through Christ, we must first realize that none of us- not me, not you, not mama’nem, not daddy’nem- is righteous. According to Google (and we bless God for Google), the word Righteous is an adjective, meaning “morally right or justifiable; virtuous.” Yeah, that ain’t us. Man’s definition of morally right will never match up to God’s, and while some humans may feel that we are morally good, God’s word says otherwise. We must get to the point where we trust God’s word (the Bible) over man’s assumptions.
None of us are righteous and…
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Can we take a moment to emphasize that word ALL?
Not some.
Not a portion.
Not a selection.
Not just the Democrats.
Not just the Republicans.
Not just the Independents.
All.
All have sinned.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Every. Last. One. Of. Us.
A-L-L.
We all have sinned and continue to fall short of the glory of God.
Not one person who currently roams this earth is righteous or without sin; [Romans 3:23].
We really need to understand this verse because we tend to think that we are different or better than others. Nah boo, we just sin differently. My sin may not look like your sin in our human eye, but to God, a sin is a sin. A liar is no more loved than a thief, and a murderer is no more hated than an adulterer. All sins are equal, and all are equally wrong in God’s eye.
None of us are righteous; we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God because…
Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—”
If you’ve never read Genesis chapter 3, now would be a good time to read it. Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent and they ate fruit of the forbidden tree. We emphasis Adam and Eve because although the serpent spoke to Eve only and she bit the fruit first, Adam was there and the covenant with God was made through him, so he was equally (if not more) to blame for Eve biting the fruit…but that’s a message for another day. When that event occurred, sin entered the world and continues to pass down from generation to generation through man. As mentioned in the disclaimer, this is the part where a true Bible study needs to happen. This short scripture has way too much meat for me to cover in one blog post. Just know this:
None of us are righteous; we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God because sin entered the world through the sin of one man and…
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
A natural occurrence in life is receiving a consequence for undesired behavior.
If we speed, we will get a speeding ticket.
If we rob a bank, we will get arrested.
If we sass our mother, we will get knocked back into our youth (okay, maybe that one was just for me) 🙂 ♥.
The point is, as Newton said, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When we sin, there must be a consequence…and that consequence is death. The Bible details that there are three different kinds of death: physical, spiritual, and eternal. Again, this is a scripture that is best addressed in a Bible study class, but I will say this, the “death” referenced in Romans 6:23 is a spiritual death. Sin separates us from God. In the Old Testament, when sin occurred, a sacrificial offering was made through the shedding of blood of an innocent animal. The blood of that animal cleansed the sinner of their sin. Romans 6:23 introduces the fact that for us, that innocent blood that was shed was the blood of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.
None of us are righteous; we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God because sin entered the world through the sin of one man and the wages of sin is death but…
Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
Truthfully, if you have read the other verses with the eyes of your heart, then this verse is self-explanatory. But I will make one more assumption (that you have not read with the eyes of your heart) and explain this.
Knowing that we are not righteous, that we were born into and to sin, and that the price of sin is spiritual death and separation from God, God still chose to love us. In His infinite and unconditional love for us, He sent His only Son to the world to live, die, and be raised again for us. We are justified (declared or made righteous in the sight of God) by the shedding of the blood of Jesus.
I hope you aren’t tired yet! Drink some water and re-up; we are almost finished with this walk!
None of us are righteous; we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God because sin entered the world through the sin of one man and the wages of sin is death, but God showed His love for us by sending Jesus to die for us while we were in our sins and…
Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
So, you’re saying that although I was born into sin and with the propensity to sin, if I truly believe in Jesus the Christ as my Lord and Savior, believing that He bled and died for my sins, and I confess that with my tongue and in my heart, that I will be saved???
Yep.
Just. Like. That.
Well, thank You, Lord! Sign me up, please!
Religion and ritual tell us that a person must do this, that, and the other in order to be saved. Whereas relationship and scripture tell us that this is all a person must do to be saved. Reread this passage and let its words sink into your heart and being.
None of us are righteous; we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God because sin entered the world through the sin of one man and the wages of sin is death, but God showed His love for us by sending Jesus to die for us while we were in our sins and if I confess with my heart and mouth the Lord Jesus, I will be saved, for…
Romans 10:13 “for ‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
Just like that, beloved.
Call on His name and be saved.
Be saved from all that this world will try to throw at you.
Be saved from your pain and your despair.
Be saved and be secure in the Christ.
As we end the Roman walk, it’s time to take our own walk with God. It is time for us to truly realize and acknowledge every step of this road to salvation and then continue to walk with the Christ.
Will your walk be easy?
No, ma’am; no, sir. In fact, it may be harder.
Will it be worth it?
Yes; undoubtedly.
None of us are righteous; we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God because sin entered the world through the sin of one man and the wages of sin is death, but God showed His love for us by sending Jesus to die for us while we were in our sins and if I confess with my heart and mouth the Lord Jesus, I will be saved, for whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Say this prayer with me:
Dear Lord,
I confess that I am a sinner and unworthy of Your love and grace, but today I lay aside who I thought I was and ask to be born again in You. Please forgive me of my sin and take me into Your loving arms. Allow me to walk in the salvation that is offered through the acceptance of Jesus the Christ as my Lord and Savior. Save me from myself and give me rest in You. You are the true Lord and God. Guide my life, Father.
In Jesus’ name, I pray; Amen.
Be blessed.
God Happened To ME Ministries, LLC 