Romans 3: “All Have Sinned and Fall Short of the Glory of God”
1. “Then What Advantage Has the Jew?”
“Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.” (Rom 3:1–2)
Paul anticipates the objection: if both Jew and Gentile are guilty, is Israel’s election meaningless?
He answers: no — privilege is real, but responsibility is greater.
The Jews were entrusted with divine revelation, the Law, and the promises.
St John Chrysostom explains:
“He honours their dignity, that he may more freely correct their pride. To be entrusted is grace; to despise the trust is guilt.”
(Homilies on Romans VII.1)
Privilege without faith is wasted treasure; yet God’s fidelity is unbroken.
2. “Does Their Faithlessness Nullify the Faithfulness of God?”
“By no means! Let God be true though every man be false.” (v. 4)
Human unfaithfulness cannot annul divine truth.
God remains steadfast, even when His people fail.
St Augustine comments:
“The lies of men do not diminish the truth of God; rather, they reveal it, for His faithfulness endures when ours fails.”
(Expositions on the Psalms 50.18)
Grace does not depend on human merit; it is the revelation of divine constancy.
3. “So That You May Be Justified in Your Words”
“That You may be justified in Your words, and prevail when You are judged.” (v. 4, quoting Ps 51:4)
David’s confession becomes Paul’s proof: God is justified when He judges, because His justice exposes sin in order to heal it.
St Ambrose notes:
“When God is justified, man is humbled; yet the humbling of man is the beginning of his justification.”
(On Repentance II.8)
4. “If Our Wickedness Serves to Show the Justice of God”
“If our wickedness serves to show the justice of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust to inflict wrath?” (v. 5)
Paul rebukes a twisted argument: if sin highlights God’s mercy, is sin therefore excusable?
The Fathers insist this reasoning is blasphemous.
St John Chrysostom:
“To glory in sin because grace abounds is to mock the Physician with our sickness.”
(Homilies on Romans VII.3)
Sin never honours God; repentance does.
5. “Why Not Do Evil That Good May Come?”
“And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying.” (v. 8)
Grace is never licence.
To claim that the end justifies the means is to deny divine holiness.
God’s goodness cannot be served by evil acts.
St Augustine declares:
“He who sins that grace may abound does not honour grace but despises it.”
(On Nature and Grace 61)
The Church later condemned this same error in moral theology (cf. CCC 1753–1759).
6. “None Is Righteous, No, Not One”
“As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God.” (vv. 10–11)
Paul gathers texts from the Psalms and Isaiah to portray universal sinfulness.
This is not hyperbole but diagnosis: all have turned from God.
Sin is not merely action but alienation — the disordered will turned inward.
St Bede the Venerable writes:
“He speaks not of those made righteous by grace, but of those left to themselves; without grace, none is righteous indeed.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.31)
St Augustine adds:
“All are under sin that none may boast; all are wounded that all may seek the Physician.”
(Sermon 131)
7. “Their Throat Is an Open Grave”
“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” (v. 13)
The corruption of the soul manifests in speech.
Language, meant to praise God, becomes a weapon of deceit.
Every bodily member is drawn into sin — throat, tongue, lips, feet, eyes — showing the universality of moral decay.
St John Chrysostom:
“He traces the disease through every limb, to show that the whole man is infected.”
(Homilies on Romans VIII)
Sin is total not in quantity of evil but in the corruption of nature apart from grace.
8. “There Is No Fear of God before Their Eyes”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (v. 18)
This is the root of all disorder.
The loss of reverence leads to the collapse of moral sense.
True fear of God is not terror but awe — the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10).
St Augustine remarks:
“When the soul ceases to fear God, it fears everything else.”
(Exposition of Psalm 128)
9. “Whatever the Law Says, It Speaks to Those under the Law”
“So that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” (v. 19)
The Law silences human excuses.
Before the divine standard, all are guilty.
The purpose of the Law is not salvation but conviction — to reveal need for grace.
St Ambrose:
“The Law is holy, but it shows the sinner his chains; Christ breaks them.”
(On the Spirit II.15)
10. “By Works of the Law No Human Being Will Be Justified”
“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (v. 20)
Here Paul defines the Law’s limits: it reveals sin but cannot remove it.
Moses shows the wound; Christ applies the balm.
St Augustine explains:
“The Law commands, grace assists; the Law threatens, grace delivers.”
(On the Spirit and the Letter 19)
Human effort cannot attain righteousness; divine mercy bestows it.
11. “But Now the Righteousness of God Has Been Manifested Apart from Law”
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, though the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it.” (v. 21)
The turning point of the letter: “But now.”
After centuries of preparation, salvation is revealed in Christ — apart from the Law, yet foreshadowed by it.
St Bede:
“The Old Testament promised what the New fulfilled; both speak with one voice — Law prepares, grace perfects.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.31)
12. “The Righteousness of God through Faith in Jesus Christ”
“The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction.” (v. 22)
Justification is the free gift of divine righteousness — not our virtue but God’s grace applied to us.
Faith is the means, not the merit.
It opens the soul to receive Christ’s life.
St Augustine:
“Faith is the hand that receives, not the price that buys.”
(On Grace and Free Will 12)
There is “no distinction”: all are sinners, all invited.
13. “All Have Sinned and Fall Short of the Glory of God”
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (v. 23)
This is the human condition.
The “glory of God” means both divine likeness lost in sin and heavenly communion to which we are called.
St Ambrose comments:
“The glory lost in Adam is restored in Christ; we fell from splendour by pride, and are raised to it by humility.”
(On the Faith III.7)
14. “Justified by His Grace as a Gift”
“They are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” (v. 24)
Justification (dikaiōsis) means being made righteous, not merely declared so.
Grace transforms, not only pardons.
The redemption (apolutrōsis) is the price paid — the Blood of Christ.
St Bede:
“He who bought us frees us; He who frees us changes us; He who changes us glorifies us.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.31)
15. “Whom God Put Forward as a Propitiation”
“Whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.” (v. 25)
Christ is both priest and victim.
The “propitiation” (hilastērion) refers to the mercy seat — the place of atonement in the Temple, now fulfilled in His Cross.
His Blood satisfies justice and reveals mercy.
St Augustine writes:
“He is the priest who offers, the sacrifice that is offered, and the God to whom it is offered.”
(City of God X.20)
16. “To Show His Righteousness”
“This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins.” (v. 25)
The Cross demonstrates divine justice: God condemns sin but saves the sinner.
Mercy does not ignore justice; it fulfils it.
St Ambrose:
“He punished sin in the flesh of His Son that He might spare sinners in their own flesh.”
(On the Faith III.10)
17. “So That He Might Be Just and the Justifier”
“It was to prove at the present time that He Himself is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (v. 26)
Here divine paradox reaches perfection: God is both just (maintaining holiness) and justifier (granting mercy).
Justice and mercy embrace in Christ.
St Augustine marvels:
“He is just because He punishes sin; He is justifier because He forgives it. The Cross reconciles both.”
(On the Spirit and the Letter 45)
18. “Where Then Is Boasting?”
“Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By the law of faith.” (v. 27)
Faith excludes pride because it confesses dependence.
Boasting is the hallmark of fallen man; humility, of the redeemed.
St John Chrysostom:
“Faith shuts the mouth of boasting as surely as the Law shuts the mouth of guilt.”
(Homilies on Romans IX)
19. “A Man Is Justified by Faith Apart from Works of the Law”
“For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (v. 28)
This verse, misunderstood in history, never denies the necessity of good works.
Paul contrasts works of the Mosaic Law with faith in Christ.
The Fathers read it as the rejection of legalism, not of virtue.
St Augustine clarifies:
“Faith alone justifies, but faith is never alone — it works by love.”
(On Faith and Works 21)
20. “Is God the God of Jews Only?”
“Or is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.” (v. 29)
The unity of God demands the universality of salvation.
There is one Creator, one Redeemer, one Judge.
St Bede:
“One God, one faith, one baptism; as He made all, so He calls all.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.31)
21. “We Uphold the Law”
“Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” (v. 31)
Faith does not abolish the moral law but fulfils it by grace.
What the Law commanded, grace enables.
St Augustine concludes:
“The Law was given that grace might be sought; grace was given that the Law might be kept.”
(On the Spirit and the Letter 19)
22. Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation |
| Universal sin | None righteous apart from grace |
| Divine justice | God condemns sin, not man |
| Righteousness of God | Gift of grace, not human merit |
| Faith and justification | Faith receives what grace gives |
| Christ’s sacrifice | Priest, victim, and mercy seat in one |
| Exclusion of boasting | Salvation for Jew and Gentile alike |
| Fulfilment of the Law | Grace empowers true obedience |
St Augustine’s synthesis:
“The righteousness of God is His grace; the faith of man is his confession; justification is the marriage of mercy and belief.”
(On the Spirit and the Letter 46)
23. Moral and Spiritual Application
Confess universal need. Begin every prayer by remembering that all have sinned.
Trust not in works but in grace. Serve God as a debtor to mercy, not as a claimant of reward.
Fix your eyes on the Cross. There justice and mercy are one.
Live by humble faith. Boasting dies where faith begins.
Fulfil the Law through love. Grace enables what fear could never achieve.
24. Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
You revealed the righteousness of God in Your Cross
and poured out grace upon all who believe.
Deliver us from pride and presumption,
that we may live by faith, work through love,
and rejoice in Your mercy.
Make us just by Your grace and steadfast in Your truth,
that the glory we lost in Adam
we may regain in You, our Redeemer and our God.
Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 