Many who desire to lead others to Christ will present what is called the “Roman Road”. This method of evangelism lists several verses from the New Testament book of Romans as the path to receiving Christ as your Savior. Typically, the presentation goes like this.

First, Rom.3:23 points out the universal need for salvation— “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Then, Rom.6:23 states what the penalty of our sins will be, while offering a much better alternative— “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

From there we go to Rom.5:8, which says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The crucifixion of Jesus is of course a crucial element of any presentation of the gospel message.

The road continues to Rom.10:9-10— “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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Here, faith and confession are shown to be key parts of our response to the grace that God offers us through Jesus.

The Roman Road, as it is usually presented, concludes with Rom.10:13, which states, “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” The presenter of this method will then assure anyone who has followed these steps that they are now saved.

Those who have a thorough knowledge of what the Bible says to do to be saved will quickly notice a glaring omission in the above presentation of the gospel—there is no mention of baptism.

Baptism is a crucial part of our response to the gospel message. This truth is seen over and over in the New Testament. Jesus and his apostles consistently preach that those who want to be saved are to be baptized. Jesus links baptism with salvation (Mark 16:16) and so does the apostle Peter (1 Pet.3:21). According to Luke, the author of Acts and the historian of the early church, baptism is the occasion of our sins being washed away (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Matthew, recording the words of Jesus in the Great Commission (Matt.28:18-20), points out that baptism is the very first thing you do to make someone a disciple of Jesus. These Scriptures, and many others, tell us that baptism is commanded by God to those who want to be saved.

So, the “Roman Road”, as presented by many, is in much need of repair. And it is more than just a pothole that needs to be patched. The road is washed out and therefore impassable. Is the Roman Road damaged beyond repair? Thankfully, no, it isn’t.

Rom.6:3-4 says, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” There it is! Baptism is clearly a part of the “Roman Road”.  

God, in his infinite wisdom, has carefully paved the road to heaven for all who would receive Jesus as their Savior. Let’s make sure that we lead them down the right road!