All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
The most level verse in the Bible. Why 'all' is actually good news.
The episode in a glance.
- 01'All' includes the religious, the moral, the kind — no exceptions.
- 02'Fall short' is the image of an arrow not reaching its target — a miss, not a rebellion.
- 03It levels everyone, which means grace can level everyone too.
- 04Verse 24 finishes the sentence: '…and are justified by his grace as a gift.'
Read along.
Romans 3:23 says, 'For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.' It's short, blunt, and famous. It's also rarely read with verse 24, which finishes the thought.
'All' is the operative word. Paul has just spent two chapters arguing that the moral people, the religious people, and the irreligious people are all in the same boat. No one gets graded on a curve.
'Fall short' is an archery image. You aimed for the target, and the arrow didn't make it. That's a more honest picture of sin than most of us carry. It isn't always rebellion. Often it's a sincere attempt that falls short.
Why is that good news? Because if everyone falls short, then no one gets in by being above average. The whole system has to be grace, not grading.
Verse 24 finishes it: 'and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.' Don't read 23 without 24.