What is the Romans Rudder?
The Romans Rudder refers to verses in the book of Romans that serve as steering courses, helping sailors navigate to salvation and the kingdom of God.
Although the apostle Paul was not a professional sailor, he traveled extensively across the Mediterranean region on his missionary journeys, including travel by sailboat. He likely learned a lot about sailing by watching the crews handle the small sailboats he traveled on. Acts 27:13-44 describes a voyage in which Paul went through a storm, including a shipwreck, and relied on faith to get everyone through safely.
The apostle Paul was no stranger to sailing, and his verses in the book of Romans, in particular, are like courses to steer that help sailors navigate to salvation. I call them the “Romans Rudder to Salvation” or just “Romans Rudder” after a similar concept originated by Jack Hiles in his book, Let’s Go Soulwinning,” where he describes for landlubbers the Romans Road to Salvation. See Works Cited to learn more.
The following verses in the book of Romans make up the Romans Rudder to Salvation:
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
This verse says two things. First, it says that men and women fall short of the glory of God. In my opinion, it is hard to argue otherwise. God is eternal and the creator of all things. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere. God is perfect, holy, and incapable of error or moral failure. Men and women are just the opposite. We are susceptible to disease, aging, death, poverty, etc. Men and women were brought into existence by God and are frail, finite beings with little power. Second, it says men and women are subject to moral failure. This moral failure means men and women are sinners. Sin is part of their nature. For these reasons, all of mankind falls short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Since men and women are subject to moral failure, they are sinners. God hates sin, and this verse says the punishment for sin is death and separation from God. Genesis 3 describes the story of Adam and Eve in detail. Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit even though God had told them that if they did so, they would surely die. This resulted in sin entering the world, and the consequence of sin entering the world was separation from God and eventual death. This condition was inherited by all mankind, so all men and women are sinners who, in the eyes of God, deserve death and separation from God.
Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This verse says that even though men and women are sinners, God still loves us so much that he sent his only son Jesus Christ to die for us. Even though Jesus was without sin, God sent his son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin. Jesus was a sacrificial lamb that was slaughtered in our place so our sins could be forgiven. Since Jesus was without sin, when Jesus died on the cross, he was paying for our sins, not his own.
Romans 10:9: “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.”
God has a plan for man. The plan in general was for God to send his Son Jesus, who was without sin, to die in mankind’s place to pay the debt we have incurred as sinners. However, this plan was not automatically extended to everyone. To be saved, you must accept Jesus as your personal savior and Lord of your life.
This verse means that if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Salvation is a gift from God, not something you earn. Also note that no works are involved here. The only path to salvation is through Jesus. You cannot earn your way to salvation. It is a gift from God. All you must do is accept it and believe to gain salvation.
Romans 10:13: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
This means that if you call on the name of the Lord, as described in Romans 10:9, you will be saved.
Romans 8:1: “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
This verse says that once you receive the free gift of salvation, all your past, present, and future sins are forgiven. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our lord Jesus Christ.”
The death and separation from God that we deserve because of our sins are no longer remembered by God. This verse says that if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, God sees you as righteous. The penalty for your sins is paid in full forever.
The apostle Paul was the most educated of the apostles and obviously had an analytical mind. It is great that he put these things down in writing, but one must not get too caught up in trying to analyze salvation. Salvation is a mystery no one will ever fully understand, and these verses are not meant to explain everything about the process of salvation.
Jesus says in Matthew 18:3, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
These words of Jesus show that you cannot think yourself into being saved.
Although it is impossible to be saved without hearing the gospel message, hearing the gospel message is not enough. Being saved comes from an act of faith on the part of the believer. Ministers like the apostle Paul have the job of telling the gospel story. Our job is to hear the message and respond to it and directly, as a child would. You have to understand the message and believe the message.
Becoming a Christian is an act of love. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Once you understand that God loves you, you know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him.
The children's hymn, Jesus Loves Me by Anna Bartlett Warner, shows the childlike way we need to be. The Lyrics are below:
Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.”
Evangelical Christians believe that God is active in the world today as the Holy Spirit. If you are wondering whether you should believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit may be calling you to repent and believe in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.
This calling is a powerful summons from the Holy Spirit to your intellect and emotions to accept him as your Savior. John 3:3 says, "Jesus replied, Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” If you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you will likely feel an immense feeling of relief and joy as you become saved and a part of the family of God. From that point forward, God will consider your sins forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as yours. This is an overwhelming feeling, and you truly may feel like you have been born again.
Works Cited:
Let’s Go Soulwinning, Hiles, Jack, Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1962.
Holy Bible, New International Version, Cambridge University Press, 2015.