Salvation: The Romans Road
- James Collazo
- Apr 26, 2022
- 12 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
The apostle Paul's letter to the Romans offers the most thorough exposition of soteriology—the study of salvation—rooted in his first-century Jewish context. Salvation, for Paul, encompasses faith, works, and the law—not as competing forces but as mutually sustaining expressions of covenantal relationship. Faith is active trust, and the law guides faithful living, both under God's grace. Too often, Christians reduce salvation to a minimum checklist, yet biblical soteriology is the maximum: a transformative relationship with Christ. As the apostle Peter declares, "Salvation is found in no one else" (Acts 4:12), and Jesus teaches that life is found through the narrow gate (Matt. 7:13–14). Paul's vision of salvation, then, is a narrow, covenantal journey—the true "Romans Road"—where faith, obedience, law, and grace intertwine in the disciple's life.
Order of Salvation
The three phases in the "order of salvation" (Latin: Ordo salutis) are justification, sanctification, and glorification. When most churchgoers profess to be "saved," they mean "justified." More accurately, salvation (Greek: sōtēria; 4991, "wellbeing" or "deliverance") is a lifelong process of discipleship and faithful practice of Jesus' teaching. No ritual saves us merely because a church leader performed it, whether baptism, an altar call, or a confession. Simply put, no one completes the order of salvation until death. Jesus himself teaches this, "but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matt. 10:22, 24:13). Paul agrees when he said, "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life" (Rom. 6:22).
God the Father draws us toward justification, to be declared righteous by the merits of Jesus alone. John wrote, "No one can come to [Jesus] unless the Father who sent [him] draws them, and [he] will raise them up at the last day" (John 6:44). Following our response to his call, the Holy Spirit leads us into living increasingly holier lives through sanctification. At the last resurrection, we receive new bodies for our eternal souls in a process called glorification (Rom. 6:19, 22, 8:30). Parenthetically, the Greek Orthodox view the three phases of salvation as an ongoing transformation called theōsis—to gradually be more like God and partake in his divine nature (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4).
In the West, Lutheran and Reformed churchgoers are familiar with these "five solas" that express a basic soteriological foundation:
soli Deo Gloria
"glory of God alone" (Rom. 5:2; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Cor. 1:20)
sola gratia
solus Christus
"Christ alone" (John 14:6; Acts 4:11–12)
sola fide
"faith alone" (Eph. 2:8–9)
sola Scriptura
"Scripture alone" (2 Tim. 3:16–17)
American scholar Theodore Engelder (1865–1949) and Swiss theologian Emil Brunner (1889–1966) only listed the "five solas" in their current form in the twentieth century. However, they based the concept on a lesson from the German reformer Philipp Melanchthon (1497–1560), a companion to Martin Luther (1497–1560): "Only by grace do we justify and only by faith are we justified" (Latin: Sola gratia justificamus et sola fide justificamur). Luther and the French theologian John Calvin (1509–1564) taught a similar formula, which has shaped the course of Christian theology ever since the Protestant Reformation (1517–1648).
British theologian N. T. Wright (b. 1948) challenges us: "For too long we have read Scripture with nineteenth-century eyes and sixteenth-century questions. It's time to get back to reading with first-century eyes and twenty-first-century questions" (p. 37). We must not impose our modern categories onto Paul but instead read him in his own context. The "five solas" help us frame salvation, but we must test them against Scripture in its historical and literary settings. They arose as a Reformation response to Roman Catholic soteriology and later adapted to confront Enlightenment skepticism (1685–1815). Our task today is not to discard them, but to refine their vocabulary so they align with biblical theology and exegesis. To recover a first-century New Testament faith for the twenty-first century, we may even need to reshape some of the solas into primas—foundational truths rooted in the world of Galilee and Judea, where Jesus and Paul proclaimed the gospel.
Justification: Making Us Right
The verb justify means "to prove something just, right, or reasonable." This legal term refers to when a courtroom judge issues a verdict of "not guilty" in favor of the defendant. However, this does not mean the defendant is innocent of wrongdoing, so rulings never include this word. In context, the judge merely ruled that the accuser did not meet the "reasonable doubt" standard of evidence (first-century Jewish courts did not have prosecutors). Lutheran and Reformed theologians refer to this as forensic justification, because God, the highest judge in the most eminent courtroom, declares us "not guilty" based on Jesus' atonement for our sins. The word "forensic" applies to the knowledge and method of justification. Therefore, the Lord saves us by faith; that is, trusting in the effectiveness of Jesus to keep us in God's heavenly court. This efficacy derives from Christ's death on the cross, removing the death penalty we deserve for our crimes against divinity.
Consequently, any righteousness before God is granted to us because Jesus endured our punishments and suffered for us (Isa. 53; Acts 8:26–35)—the doctrine of imputed righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). However, we must not confuse God crediting as righteous with obtaining or being infused with God's virtue, which is elusive to us. The founding Methodist theologian John Wesley (1703–1791) believed that God both imputes and imparts righteousness to us, meaning that he not only deems us proper with him but also transforms our minds to think adversely about sin (Jer. 31:33–34; Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18). When God justifies us, we are reborn "from above" through the Holy Spirit's breathing his life into us (John 3:3, 7; 1 Pet. 1:23). Through the prophet Ezekiel, God declared:
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. . . . you will be my people, and I will be your God (Ezek. 36:25–28).
Old and New Testaments declare that no one is righteous in God's sight, not even one person on earth (Ps. 14:1–3, 53:1–3; Rom. 3:9–11). The legal framework of justification begins with the Law of Moses, which God will use to judge all humankind on the last day from his bēma (G968, "judgment seat"), similar to "the bench" in a modern courtroom (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10). However, Paul informs us, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole'" (Gal 3:13; cf. Deut. 21:23). We meet God's intent for the Law of Moses by trusting in Jesus for our salvation.
Sanctification: Making Us Holy
The verb sanctify means 1) "to set apart to a sacred purpose," 2) "to free from sin," and 3) "to impart or impute sacredness." Sanctification also underlies the definition of the word "church," which the New Testament writers applied to the Greek noun ekklēsia (G1577), a compound word meaning "called out" (ek, 1537; kaleō, 2564). Sanctification is the action of faith; we are to live in faithfulness to God. The doctrine of prima fide—an approach more fitting of biblical theology rather than the systematic theology of sola fide—refers to the primacy of faith over works as the believer's response to God's calling. However, it does not and cannot eliminate the importance of works in the life of a Christian. Calvin agreed when he said, "It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone" (Acts of the Council of Trent with the Antidote, Sess. 6, Can. 11).
However, James of Jerusalem, who was Jesus' brother, said it better: "You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone" (James 2:24). Therefore, sanctification is the process of living into one's justification, but must not be confused with earning it. It is a posture of gratitude and obedience. Often, church leaders use Paul's words in Ephesians 2:8–9 ("For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast") to downplay works in opposition to James. Luther wanted to remove James' letter from the New Testament canon because of this, dismissing it as an "epistle of straw." He also added the word "alone" to Romans 3:28 ("For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law") in his German translation to maintain justification by "faith alone." However, Paul's teaching aligns with James, as he agrees, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph. 2:10). This way of life represents our sanctification.
The original proponents of the "five solas" inadvertently excluded the Holy Spirit, even while invoking the Father and the Son. To speak faithfully of the Trinity, we must reformulate the "solas" so they reflect all three divine Persons. This omission has also fueled the false dichotomy of faith versus works, when in truth Scripture calls us to see them as reciprocal—faith generating works and works confirming faith. From a paleo-orthodox perspective, we gain a stronger soteriological foundation by restoring the Spirit's role alongside the Father and the Son, grounding salvation in the fullness of the triune God.
soli Deo gloria
"glory of God alone" (Rom. 5:2; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Cor. 1:20)
prima gratia
solus Christus
"Christ alone" (John 14:6; Acts 4:11–12)
prima fide
"faith first" (Matt. 28:19; Eph. 2:8–10; James 2:24)
prima Scriptura
"Scripture first" (John 10:35; 1 Cor. 4:6; 2 Tim. 3:16–17)
solus Spiritus Sanctus
"Holy Spirit alone" (Eph. 1:13–14; Heb. 6:4; 1 Pet. 1:2)
sola ecclesia
"church alone" (Matt. 16:18–19; Mark 16:16; 1 Tim. 3:15)
The enhanced concept of solus Spiritus Sanctus reveals how faith and works converge in the intentional pursuit of holy living. Sanctification brings us into the "called out" community of God's set-apart people known as the "church" (see "Church: Called-Out by Christ"). This definition gives rise to the concept of sola ecclesia, which means that there is no salvation outside the church to which Jesus entrusted the keys of God's kingdom (Matt. 16:18–19). Prima gratia implies that God's prevenient grace first makes us expect continued piety and holiness. Finally, prima Scriptura maintains the Bible's primacy over Christian tradition, reason, and experience in understanding God's will for us (i.e., Wesleyan quadrilateral).
Another misunderstanding based on sola fide is the assumption that God does not expect Christians to be perfect. The bumper-sticker phrase, "Christians are not perfect, just forgiven," exemplifies this error. The scriptures tell us that God's forgiveness leads us into sanctification, the Holy Spirit's process of making us perfect. He is not satisfied with abstract religious belief but more so with a life of holiness in response to being forgiven. Repentance (metanoia; G3341, "change of mind") is a continuous process of mental and spiritual transformation that inspires us always to choose to do good over evil (Rom. 12:2, 21). So when Jesus tells us, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48), this is not some notional advice but his expectation for us. Therefore, faith and works—as well as law and grace—are two sides of the same coin in the Bible's historical and grammatical context. Translators render the Greek noun pistis (4102, "trust") as both "faith" and "faithfulness." In other words, faithfulness is both the result and action of trusting in God.
Glorification: Raising Us in Glory
The verb glorify means 1) to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration, 2) to elevate to celestial glory, 3) to light up brilliantly, and 4) to make better than the original condition. Yes, this last phase in the order of salvation is the resurrection of the living and the dead in Christ! Paul writes this description about our glorified selves when God resurrects us:
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being;" the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man (1 Cor. 15:42–49).
John also wrote about glorification during his exile on Patmos: "Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years" (Rev. 20:6).
Conclusion
Paul's letter to the Romans unveils the power and depth of salvation. When we read his words in their historical and cultural setting, we see that faith, works, law, and grace do not oppose one another—they advance together in God's sovereign plan. Too often, people treat salvation as a single decision, a ritual, or a moment to check off—but Scripture tells us otherwise. Peter declares salvation comes only through Jesus (Acts 4:12). Jesus commands that the way to life is narrow, demanding unwavering dedication (Matt. 7:14). The "Romans Road" is not a list of steps—it is a battlefield and a pilgrimage, a daily walk of surrender, obedience, and steadfast faith. Salvation is not an event but a life forged in Christ, a journey that transforms the heart, hones the spirit, and calls us to endure until the very end.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe; for you draw our hearts to you. Guide our minds, fill our imaginations, and control our wills so that we may be wholly yours, entirely dedicated to you. Then employ us as you will, always to your glory and the welfare of your people, through Jesus the Messiah, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
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