Romans 3:23–24

Context

In Romans 1:18–3:20, Paul argues that Gentiles and Jews alike are under sin and arrives at the conclusion "There is none righteous, no, not one" (3:10). A turn begins in 3:21 with the words "But now," as Paul declares that "the righteousness of God without the law is manifested." Verses 23–24 stand at the heart of this section. Verse 25 goes on to say that God set forth Jesus "to be a propitiation," and verse 26 concludes that God is "just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

Interpretation

• "Come short": The Greek verb hystereō means to lack or to fall short, and it appears here in the present tense. It is read as describing not merely a single past act of sin but an ongoing condition of falling short of the glory of God. Some interpreters connect "the glory of God" with the image of God that humanity bore at creation.
• "Freely" and "by his grace": The two expressions restate the same idea, emphasizing that justification has nothing to do with human merit. The passage is a principal basis for the Reformation principles of sola gratia (grace alone) and sola fide (faith alone).
• "Redemption": The Greek apolytrōsis refers to the release of a slave upon payment of a price. The term evokes both the redemption of the Exodus and the imagery of the emancipation of slaves.

Debates

Protestants have understood justification as a forensic declaration of righteousness, whereas Roman Catholics have understood it to include the process of actually being made righteous by grace. Another long-standing question is whether hilastērion in verse 25 should be rendered "propitiation," which appeases the wrath of God, or "mercy seat" or "means of expiation," which covers sin. The former rendering emphasizes a penal substitutionary understanding of the atonement, while the latter emphasizes the connection with the mercy seat (the cover of the Ark of the Covenant) in Leviticus. See also the article on Atonement.

In the Korean Church

Romans 3:23 serves as the first verse of the so-called "Romans Road" method of evangelism, which explains the gospel by moving through Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, and 10:9–10 in turn. It is frequently cited in evangelism training materials and gospel tracts as the verse that explains human sin.

Related Passages

• Romans 3:10–12
• Romans 3:25–26
• Ephesians 2:8–9
• Galatians 2:16