The Road to Rome
An old adage says that all roads lead to Rome, and there may have been a time when all roads did lead to Rome; but this is not true anymore. I have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles in all fifty states and on every continent in the Northern Hemisphere plus Africa and Australia, but only a couple times has the road I was on led me to Rome.
Today, there is a new spiritual twist given to the old adage. The idea today is that all spiritual roads lead to heaven. I have heard it said that it doesn’t matter what religion you follow as long as you are sincere in your belief. I have been pointedly challenged by people who question how a God of love can reject good people because of their faith.
This whole perspective is literally set in concrete in the Baha’i temple in Chicago that has nine sides representing nine world religions and leaders. The sloping walls converge at the pinnacle representing the belief that all religions eventually focus on one central truth. The New Age Movement makes it even simpler with the teaching that the God we are all looking for is inside us anyway. No matter which path we travel, we all reach God because He has been inside us all along. No matter which teachers lead us – Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, or a spirit guide – they all essentially take us on a journey inside ourselves where we find divine enlightenment.
Unlike all other spiritual guides and teachers, Jesus did not claim to show us the road to heaven; He claimed to actually be that road Himself. He unashamedly made such declarations as: I am the way, No man comes to the Father but by me, and Anyone who comes any other way is a thief. There are some scholars today who teach that such claims as these were artificially put into His mouth by His disciples when they recorded His teachings; however, such an idea must be rejected because the very principles upon which this form of scholarly criticism is based demand that these statements be taken seriously. The uniqueness of the claims qualifies them for high marks on the authenticity tests, and the fact that the disciples were willing to risk martyrdom to defend these claims negates the possibility that they were fabrications of His followers.
When contemplating these claims, the philosopher C. S. Lewis concluded that any man who would make such proclamations had to be seen as either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. He would be a liar if he made such extravagant statements but did not believe them. If he really did believe these statements, he would have to be a lunatic. In either of these scenarios, the whole religion fostered by such a leader would have to be discredited. The only other option would be that His claims might actually be true and must be considered valid. In which case, Jesus must actually be who He claimed to be – Lord. Lewis concluded that, if he was going to believe Jesus at all, he had to believe in Him all the way and acknowledge His claims as the truth. Thus, the atheist became a devout follower of the man who was neither liar nor lunatic, but Lord.
When looking for the road to Rome, we see very divergent and conflicting directions which all claim to be going to the same place:
Hinduism teaches that there are multiple reincarnations leading to salvation (moksa) that is only attainable by males from the Brahmin caste. Buddhism counters that any male or female from any caste can reach nirvana. The Muslim declares that only those who have kept their five pillars will enter paradise. Jehovah’s Witnesses are looking for a select 144,000 who will be saved, while the Mormons claim that those who have lived by the way of wisdom can become gods themselves and populate their own little universes. Meanwhile, the Scientologists teach that everyone who has been cleared of his engrams (negative energy thoughts) will be restored to his original thetan (extraterrestrial superhuman) position of control over MEST (material, energy, space, time). Within the ranks of Christianity, the Jesus-only Pentecostals adhere to the idea that only Christians who have been baptized in Jesus’ name will go to heaven, while the Catholics propound the teaching that all baptized Catholics can go to purgatory to await deliverance to heaven if someone prays them out of this intermediate place. Most Protestants, on the other hand, hold to the notion that those who hold membership and are in good standing with the church can avoid the flames of hell. Stop and think! All these diverse concepts can’t be right!
The Bible, however, gives one simple plan of salvation that we often call the “Roman Road.” It is not the road to Rome, but the road to heaven as spelled out in the book of Romans. The first stop on this road is where we are required to acknowledge that everyone (including yourself) has sinned and fallen short of God’s expectations. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (verse 3:23) The next turn in the road takes us to where we see that the legitimate reward (or penalty) of our sinfulness is death, but that God has provided an alternate plan in which He gives us undeserved and unmerited life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (verse 6:23) The major intersection on this road is found where we come to a crossroads requiring us to make a decision as to which direction we will follow. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (verses 10:9-10) If we make the choice that is pointed out on this bold signpost, we will be on the road that does lead to heaven.
Following this road is what Jesus called being born again – an entrance into a new life which we can enjoy right here on earth, as well as in heaven. Even if you never find the road leading to Rome, you can be on the road to eternal life. I invite you to pray this prayer; it is the entry ramp to the freeway to heaven.
“Lord Jesus, I recognize that I – like every other human being, from the most notorious murderer like Hitler to the most revered spiritual leader like the Dalai Lama – have sinned and come short of what You expect of me. I realize that any amount of good deeds I could ever do would not be enough to cancel out my sins and that I am not worthy of anything other than Your judgment. I also realize that in Your divine graciousness You have provided a free means of salvation for me through Your sacrificial death on the cross. I believe that You were not a liar nor a lunatic when You claimed that it is only through You that I can find salvation. Therefore, today I choose the avenue of Your cross and acknowledge You as lord of my life. I genuinely believe in my heart that You are who You claimed to be and that, by making You the Lord of my life, I do become a new creature.
“I renounce all my old sinful habits, actions, and thought patterns; and I expect You to give me freedom from them and victory over them. I acknowledge my total dependence upon You and ask for Your strength in resisting the old life and embracing the new one.
“I thank You for Your wonderful gift of salvation and the promise of living with You each day of this life and in the eternal kingdom to come. I praise You and worship You for making the supreme sacrifice for me, and I dedicate myself to You for whatever service You may ask of me. Amen.”
Congratulations! You have now made your entrance onto the road to heaven. There is still a long journey ahead of you with many chances to get detoured, delayed, or even ditched along the route. Therefore, I want to invite you to do several things right away.
First, tell somebody about your decision for Christ. This will solidify the commitment by making it public. Then, make a habit of telling people about your faith in Christ. After all, don’t you want others to join you on this heavenly journey? Next, get a Bible and begin a habit of reading it on a daily basis. It is best to start in the New Testament. Even if you don’t understand everything (and some days it will seem that you don’t understand anything), keep reading; the part you do understand will make a powerful difference in your life, and you will eventually begin to understand the rest as well.
Additionally, you need to set aside a time each day for prayer. Just simply talk to God as if He is a close friend; the truth is, He really is your best friend. Tell Him all your problems, ask Him all your questions, look to Him for advice, and thank Him for being in your life and for all the things He has done for you. Then sit quietly and expect Him to talk back to you. His replies will probably not come in an audible voice, but you will be aware that He is hearing and answering you.
The next thing I want to ask you to do involves some give and take: find a church that honors Jesus and teaches the Bible as truth, not just as a good idea. Become an active member as both a learner and a contributor.
The rest of this volume will help you understand why these suggestions are so important.
