The Romans Road: Part 1 Of 5

The Romans Road: Part 1 of 5

Bible Blast: Read Romans 3:21-26

Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 3:23

Have you ever thought about what sin is? Take a minute to think of your definition of sin. A lot of people would say that sin is when we do something bad or wrong. Did you know the word sin is actually an old Hebrew archers’ term? When that skilled archer took an arrow from his quiver and shot at a target, what was he aiming for? The bull’s-eye, right? When the archer hit it, he celebrated. When he missed it, he called it “sin.” It didn’t matter if the arrow was a millimeter away from the bull’s-eye or whether the arrow missed the target altogether. Both were “sin” or “missing the intended target.”

God made you and everything about you. He knows what the “bull’s-eye” is for everything in your life—from how you talk to your parents to the effort you put into your homework. He has a “bull’s-eye” for you that enables you to live exactly as you were designed to live. When you miss it, that’s “sin.” It doesn’t matter if you miss big time—by robbing a bank—or just a tiny bit—by “borrowing” a quarter from someone’s purse. Both are equally bad in God’s eye.

Our focus verse for today, Romans 3:23, says that everyone has sinned and come short of God’s “bull’s-eye” plan for us. That’s everybody. So everybody needs Jesus.

Today we’re starting a five-part devo series on something called “The Romans Road.” The Romans Road is a series of five verses in the book of Romans in the New Testament that clearly explains God’s plan of salvation and our need for salvation. If you take the time to memorize these five Scripture verses over the next five days, you will always be prepared to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in a clear, truthful way.

There’s no better place to start with a friend who doesn’t know Jesus than Romans 3:23: “Everyone has sinned.”

Girl Gab: Draw a picture of a target on a piece of paper. Make sure you draw the bull’s-eye in the center. You may want to write something like “God’s Truth” in the middle of the bull’s-eye. On the outside of the bull’s-eye, write some things down that “miss the mark” of God’s best for you—things like lying, complaining, cheating, and laziness. Take some time to pray with your mom, asking God to help you do what you know you should do during times of temptation to sin.