November 11, 2025

A man came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. for no one could perform the miracles you are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

– From the New Testament, the Holy Bible (John 1:1-3).

If you wish to know how to be born again, you may journey down what is called the “Roman Road.” No, this is not one of the ancient highways built by the Romans around the Mediterranean basin. This is a spiritual journey, and the map is found in another book of the New Testament called “Romans.” It is a divinely inspired letter to the Christian church at Rome, penned about twenty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you are sincerely interested in making peace with God, these verses will help you achieve your goal. But don’t make a mistake.

Some people believe that they will go to heaven because their behavior meets certain standards. Or they reason that if they make some sort of sacrifice to appease God for stealing, lying, murdering, or committing adultery, that God will be satisfied. Others actually believe that killing their enemies in the name of their god will actually help them get to heaven. Absurd! God is love.

In western cultures, many mistakenly believe they are saved because they submit to water baptism and follow the practices of their churches. Some feel that if they treat other people reasonably well, or contribute to those in need, they will will satisfy almighty God. They don’t understand that occasional good works won’t help them reach heaven, nor save them from eternal judgment.

The Bible points out the obvious: None of us can achieve God’s holiness on our own. Since the idea of our buying our way to heaven by doing good works or making charitable donations, or satisfying certain laws appeals to our pride, most of us search for a religion that teaches these things. Others unconsciously create their own religion by establishing their own a set of rules that seem to work for them, even if they contradict one another. But all who try to make their own way to heaven wind up living confused lives that won’t satisfy God, for his righteousness requires that he balance mercy with justice, and penalizes the unjust just as he will reward the faithful.

We were born to live sinless lives, but we have failed, and in our pride most of us try to earn our way to heaven by doing occasionally doing something good. Picture the rich men of history who very likely accumulated their wealth by breaking laws and harming countless people. Yet, at the end of their lives, they sensed that they may have gained the whole world, but lost their own souls. Then, in a futile attempt to correct their past lives, they gave away large amounts of money. Too late they discovered that life is short, and a godless eternity is without end. Statesman, artist, scientist or engineer, you may have developed your talents, but your genius did not come to you from this world.

And rich or poor, weak or strong, you cannot live long enough to make up for the evil things you may have done. Perhaps a memory just flashed through your mind, a glimpse back at the past. That would be the work of the Holy Spirit of God, reminding you of some sin, and attesting to these truths. Those times when we did something bad represent gaps in our days when we should have been doing good things. They are like potholes we dug in our own pathways, traps that hindered and stumbled others. We cannot go back and repair them or smooth them over. The damage is done, and cannot be undone. The opportunity to correct the damage was gone the moment we committed the act. We all know that words spoken in anger cannot be retrieved. And even when we try to smooth things over, we leave behind broken hearts and ruined lives—even our own. So while we try to excuse ourselves, we cannot undo the damage we have caused to others. But God can heal where we often harm.

If we want to go to heaven, we must make peace with the God of heaven. We need to take the narrow path that leads to God. We must not rely on our own works, but rather on what God has already done for us.

What we call “The Roman Road” is something like a road map, step-by-step directions that show you God’s plan of reconciliation. If you follow it, it will lead you to eternal fellowship with God. So here it is:

1. First, you must acknowledge God is the Creator of everything, accepting your humble position in God’s created order and purpose:

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:20-21).

2. Then you must confess that you are a sinner and that you need forgiveness. None of us are worthy.

“For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).

3. You must understand that only God makes forgiveness possible. He showed us His love by giving us the potential for life by trusting Jesus Christ who died in our place to take the punishment for our sins.

“But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

4. You must consider your sins, be truly be sorry for committing them. Then you must truly repent and turn from ungodly practices. If you remain a sinner, you will die, but if you turn from your sins, and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will have eternal life.

”For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).

5. You must yield yourself to Jesus Christ as Lord of your life. Don’t worry, he loves you a lot more than you do. And he has the power to help you. Only you must truly believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved.

”That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10).

It’s so simple that it seems unrealistic. But there are no religious formulas or rituals required. Just call upon the name of Jesus Christ and you will be saved!

“For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Don’t wait! Do it right now! Make Jesus Christ the Savior and Lord of your life.

“For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36).

Well, that’s it! That is the Roman Road. That is what you need to do in order to satisfy God’s requirement that “You must be born again.”

Are you ready to cast off the guilt and burden of the sin you bear, to feel the purity and joy of being a born again child of the King of kings and Lord of lords? Are you ready to accept God’s gift of salvation now? If so, go back through those five verses above. Believe in what Jesus Christ did for you when he died for you on the cross. Repent of your sins, and commit the rest of your life to Him.

Consider saying a prayer something like this one:

Father, I know that I have broken your laws, and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayers. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey,to teach and protect me, to guide me, and to bring blessings to my life. I commit myself to doyour will, and thank you that, when this life is over, I will live with you forever. It’s in Jesus’ name that I pray. Amen.”

If you decided to receive Jesus today, welcome to God’s family. Now, as a way to grow closer to Him, the Bible tells us to follow up on our commitment.

• “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

• Be baptized in water as commanded by Christ.
• Tell someone else about your new faith in Christ.
• Spend time with God each day. It does not have to be a long period of time. Just develop the daily habit of praying to Him and reading His Word, the Bible. Ask God to increase your faith and your understanding of the Bible.
• Seek fellowship with other followers of Jesus. Develop a group of believing friends to answer your questions and support you.
• Find a local church where you can worship God.

And God will bless you richly!

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Note: The concept of the “Roman Road to Salvation” is commonly attributed to Jack Hyles, a pastor from East Texas. He introduced it in the 1940s, basing it on key verses from the book of Romans, and used it in his 1962 book, Let’s Go Soul Winning. I actually had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Hyles about 1976 when he pastored the huge First Baptist Church, in Hammond, Indiana. It was during one of his annual pastor’s schools, with over 5,000 in attendance. We were passing in a hall when he stopped to ask me, “Is it raining outside.” I later joked that I’m probably one of few pastors of whom Hyles ever asked an opinion. It was through the sale of his books to thousands of people from all over the world that helped spread the “Roman Road” globally.