Romans 3.23-All Have Sinned and Thus Are Always Failing to Measure Up to the Glory of God
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday November 15, 2007
Romans: Romans 3:23-All Have Sinned and Thus Are Always Failing to Measure Up to the Glory of God
Lesson # 98
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 3:19.
We are currently engaged in a study of the third major section in the book of Romans, which appears in Romans 3:21-5:21.
This section is divided into four parts: (1) Divine righteousness is imputed through faith in Christ (Romans 3:21-26). (2) Divine righteousness is available to both Jew and Gentile (Romans 3:27-31). (3) Justification by Faith: The Example of Abraham (Romans 4:1-23). (4) The Results of Faith (Romans 5:1-21).
In Romans 3:21a, Paul teaches that the righteousness of God as revealed by the Person and Work of Jesus Christ during His First Advent is manifested through the communication of the gospel of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Through the gospel, the Holy Spirit offers the unbeliever the gift of God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.
In Romans 3:21b, Paul states that this offer of divine righteousness through the communication of the gospel is attested to simultaneously by the Old Testament Scriptures.
Last evening we studied in Romans 3:22 that the righteousness of God can be received by anyone whether Jew or Gentile, through faith in Jesus Christ.
This evening we will study Romans 3:23, which teaches that the reason why anyone, whether Jew or Gentile can receive the gift of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ and be declared justified by God is that both groups have sinned and thus are always failing to measure up to the glory of God, who is Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:19, “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God.”
Romans 3:20, “Because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”
Romans 3:21, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.”
Romans 3:22, “Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe for there is no distinction.”
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
“For” is the “causal” use of the post-positive conjunction gar (gavr), which presents the “reason why” anyone, whether Jew or Gentile can receive the gift of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ and be declared justified by God.
This causal clause teaches that both Jew and Gentile have sinned and are thus always failing to measure up to the glory of God, who is the impeccable, incarnate Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
“All” is the adjective pas (pa$), which is used in a distributive sense referring to “each and every” member of the human race without exception, both Jew and Gentile.
“Have sinned” is the verb hamartano (a(martavnw) (ham-ar-tan-o), which is used intransitively (without a direct object) and refers to any mental, verbal or overt act of sin that is contrary to the will and law of God.
The verb indicates that each and every member of the human race is not only a sinner by nature but also by practice.
Ecclesiastes 7:20, “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”
The verb hamartano means, “to miss the mark,” and which mark is the absolute perfection of God’s character, which is His holiness.
Each and every member of the human race has missed the mark of the absolute perfection of God’s character, i.e. His holiness that was perfectly manifested by the Lord Jesus Christ during His First Advent.
“And” is the “consecutive” use of the conjunction kai (kaiV), which introduces the result of the entire human race practicing sin since the fall of Adam.
“Fall” is the verb hustereo (u(sterevw), which means, “to fall short of, to fail to measure up to” the absolute perfection of the glory of God who is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the holiness of God incarnate or in other words, He is the perfect manifestation of the absolute perfection of God’s character, which is His holiness (See Mark 1:14-28; Acts 2:22-28).
John 6:67-69, “So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also, do you?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.’”
Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines “holiness” as “the quality or state of being holy; sanctity” and they define “sanctity” as, “sacred or hallowed character.”
One of the definitions that Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary gives for the adjective “holy” is, “entitled to worship or profound religious reverence because of divine character or origin or connection with God or divinity.”
One of the definitions for the noun “character” that Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary provides that applies to the context of our passage is the following: “the aggregate of features and traits that form the apparent individual nature of some person or thing.”
If we paraphrase these definitions, we would say that the God’s holiness refers to “the aggregate (i.e. sum total) of perfect features and traits that form the divine nature of God.”
Therefore, the term “holiness” refers to the absolute perfection of the character of God, expressing His purity of character or moral perfection and excellence, thus making God totally separate from sin and sinners.
He is totally separate from sin and sinners unless a way can be found to constitute them holy and that way has been provided based upon the merits of the impeccable Person and Finished Work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.
The presence of evil, sin and injustice is totally absent in the character of God, thus God does not tolerate evil or sin because it is contrary to His character, i.e. His inherent moral qualities, ethical standards and principles.
Thus, God’s holiness is related to all of His divine attributes or in other words, it is simply the harmony of all His perfections or attributes.
The perfect character or holiness of God is the excellence of the divine nature and is the very antithesis to sin, evil, moral blemish or defilement.
Holiness is used often to describe the Person of God.
Leviticus 22:2, “Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the LORD.”
The title “His Holy Name” refers to the perfect character of the Person of God.
This absolute perfection of God’s character is celebrated throughout the Scriptures.
Revelation 4:8, “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.’”
The Lord Jesus Christ revealed the holiness or character of God during His 1st Advent.
John 1:18, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
Since the Lord Jesus Christ is the incarnate Son of God, He is the holiness of God incarnate, thus making Him totally separate from sin and sinners.
Therefore, in Romans 3:23, the verb hustereo means, “to fall short of, to fail to attain” or “to fail to measure up to” the absolute perfection of God’s character, i.e. God’s holiness, which was manifested in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth who is the Christ and the glory of God.
The present tense is a “customary” or “stative” present signifying an “ongoing state” or “unbroken process.”
Therefore, the “stative” present signifies that the entire human race is “continually” or “always” failing to attain or measure up to the perfection of God as manifested in the Person of the incarnate Son of God Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
“The glory” is the noun doxa (dovca) (dox-ha), which refers to the manifestation of the absolute perfection of God’s character, which is His holiness.
Moses asked the Lord to see His glory and the Lord responded with a description of what His glory entails in Exodus 33:18-19.
Exodus 33:18-19, “Then Moses said, ‘I pray You show me your glory!’ And He (the Lord) said, ‘I Myself will make all my goodness (divine perfection) pass before you, and will proclaim the Person of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.’”
The Lord goes on to say in Exodus 34:6-7a.
Exodus 34:6-7a, “Then the Lord passed by in front of him (Moses) and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding grace and truth; Who keeps grace for thousands, Who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.”
Therefore, from these passages, we can see that doxa is used for the manifested character and nature of God and refers to who and what God is and His modus operandi.
It also was used in the OT for the Shekinah Glory or the visible presence of the Lord in Israel in both the Tabernacle and the Temple (Ex. 29:42; 40:34; 1 Kings 8:11; 1 Chron. 5:14; 7:1; Isa. 6:3; Ezek. 1:28).
The glory was also manifested ultimately in the Person and Finished Work of Jesus Christ in hypostatic union during the First Advent (Matt. 17:2-5; John 1:14; 1 Cor. 11:7; 2 Cor. 4:4, 6; Heb. 2:9; Rev. 19:1, 7).
The glory of God is revealed through creation (Matt. 6:29; Luke 12:27; Rom. 1:29) since it is a manifestation of His omnipotence and wisdom.
The glory of God is also revealed in and through believers by means of the function of the new nature (John 17:22; 2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 1:18; 3:16; Col. 1:11, 27; 2 Pet. 1:3, 7, 11; Heb. 2:10).
All things exist for the glory of God (Ex. 33:18; Psa. 19:1; Isa. 6:3; Matt. 6:13; Acts 7:2; Rom. 1:23; 9:23; Heb. 1:3; 1 Pet. 4:14).
God’s glory was before all creation (John 17:5), and it will exist after human history as it did before.
The Lord Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God is the glory of God since He manifested through His words and actions the absolute perfection of God’s character, which is His holiness.
John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Hebrews 1:3, “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
In Romans 3:23, Paul teaches that there is absolutely no one in the human race who measures up to the perfection of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ who is the glory of God.
He is the glory of God in that He is the perfect manifestation of the absolute perfection of God’s character, which is His holiness.
Therefore, in Romans 3:23, Paul is teaching that the reason why anyone can be justified through faith in Jesus Christ is that each and every member of the human race has sinned and as a result is always failing to measure up to the impeccable incarnate Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus, Paul is saying that the standard of God’s holiness is not the Old Testament Scriptures but the Person of Jesus Christ, who the Old Testament Scriptures speak of and predicted, would come to provide salvation for all men and reign in Israel and over the entire earth.