Romans 3:23 Commentary and Bible Study

‘For there is no difference.’ This phrase should be part of verse 23. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile – those are the only two groups that Paul is comparing. He is summarising what he has proved before when he says this. There is no difference in their sinful state, and he will go on to say there is no difference in the way they obtain salvation by faith alone. It is not one way of salvation for the Jew and another for the Gentile. There is no difference in the way God credits righteousness to them, for that is necessary for all.‘All have sinned’ – past tense. The sin we have committed in the past cannot be undone. Only God can deal with it and remove it from our record, from our account. ’And come short of the glory of God’ – present tense: they even now fall short of the glory of God. Various interpretations of this phrase are suggested. The context requires that it is about something in fallen human beings, a failure on their part. But it is a failure to keep the law, and the result is that we never reach his standard, and never conform to the image of God and his glorious holiness. Only that perfect standard can justify us by our own works, but that is out of reach for all of us.