Romans 3:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

So also elsewhere he says, “Do you not hear the law? For Abraham had two sons” (Gal 4:21-22). Here he calls the Psalms “law,” saying, “We know that whatever the law says, it says to those under the law.”

Then the Apostle proves that this was said not simply for accusation, but because the law also prepared the way for faith.

Such is the harmony of the Old Testament with the New. Accusations and reproofs were made wholly so that the bright door of faith might be opened before the hearers.

Since the Jews were ruined chiefly by thinking highly of themselves, the law and the prophets first humbled their arrogance and cast down their pride.

The Apostle later observed this, saying, “Being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God” (Rom 10:3).

They were to come to knowledge of their own sins, lay aside every pride, and see themselves in extreme danger. Then they would run with great zeal to Him who grants forgiveness of sins, and receive grace through faith.

Hinting at this here also, Paul says, “We know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law.”

“That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Here he shows that the Jews, not daring to boast in works, are boastful and shameless only in words.

For this reason especially he used the expression, “that every mouth may be stopped.” He points to their shameless and unrestrained boasting, and to their tongue, which literally required stopping.

As a torrent is unrestrained, so their tongue rushed on. But the prophet stopped it.

When Paul says, “that every mouth may be stopped,” he does not mean that they sinned in order that their mouths might be stopped.

He means that they were accused because, while sinning in the same things, they did not recognize it.

“And all the world may become guilty before God.” He did not say, “the Jews,” but “the whole human race.”

By the words “that every mouth may be stopped,” the Apostle hints at the Jews, though he does not say this plainly, so that his speech would not be harsh for them.

By the words “all the world may become guilty before God,” he speaks at once about both Jews and Greeks.

This too is no small thing for humbling the pride of the Jews. Here also they have no advantage over the Gentiles, but, according to the word of salvation, are delivered up equally with them.

Properly speaking, the guilty man is the one who proves unable to defend himself and needs another’s help. Such was our condition when we destroyed the means of salvation given to us.

Not only the Jews, but the whole world becomes guilty before God. That is, it is condemned, deprived of boldness, not justified by its own works, and in need of help from another, namely the grace of Christ.

Why then do you boast in the law, O Jew, when you are guilty together with the rest of the world, since you are not justified by the works of the law?

“So that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Paul speaks this way because, when the Jews fell into sin, the whole world became guilty before God.

There is no doubt that the Gentiles were given over to crimes and dishonor. By this the whole world is cast down before God, so that it may ask forgiveness.

For the whole world consists of Jews and Gentiles, from whom the faithful have been separated.

When Paul shows that the Jews are subject to sin, though they received the law from God and were entrusted with the promise, no doubt remains that all Greeks are guilty of death. [...]

All need the mercy of God equally, Jews and Greeks.

“That every mouth may be stopped” does not mean that the Jews sinned in order that their mouths might be stopped. Rather, they were accused so that they might recognize their sin, as Chrysostom says.

The Apostle’s teaching on the sinfulness of all men does not contradict the Old Testament’s mention of many persons as righteous before God and as doing what was right.

The Apostle himself, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 11, cites a whole series of righteous men from the Old Testament. But they were righteous by faith, not by works of the law.

When he portrays those under the law in dark colors, the Apostle does not touch those justified by faith. More precisely, he does not touch their righteousness from faith.

He says that all men, even the righteous, while they hoped for salvation from works of the law, could not be justified.

The Apostle often explained these thoughts about the law for those who boasted in the law. He did this to show its true worth and meaning, and thus to restrain the pride of the foolish Hebrews.

The Apostle used the expression “all flesh” shall not be justified to indicate where the source of weakness lies. It is not in the law, but in us.

“As men bearing flesh, we cannot fulfill the law. Therefore there is no need even to think that anyone could be justified by the old law,” says Bishop Theophan.

In listing the kinds and forms of sinful men’s corruption, the Apostle points to a general turning away from striving to know God and serve Him.

He also points to the desire to walk in one’s own ways, to please oneself alone and not serve others, mutual deceit, secret ill will, slander, crafty and evil treachery, and readiness for the most dreadful murders.

All this happens with complete forgetfulness of fear before God, the Giver of recompense.

It is clear that sinners of this kind cannot obtain justification from God by themselves. Little by little, they also bring corruption into the whole earthly world.

Everywhere they produce discord, disorder, and malice, so that men have become beasts and deadly serpents toward one another. Many Roman writers of that time clearly testified to this.

But the Apostle Paul depicts human sinfulness on the basis of more ancient and more trustworthy God-inspired writings. By this he removes every foundation for the arrogance and haughtiness of the Hebrews.

They boasted vainly in the works of the law. Paul urges all to run to God with complete repentance and to receive grace through faith.

The Apostle's aim is to deprive the Jews of every pretext by which, to their own self-deception, they could free themselves in their thoughts from God's judgment and condemnation.

His whole discourse to the Jews is directed toward this, from the first mention of them together with the Gentiles (see Rom 2:9-10) until now.

"That every mouth may be stopped." As for the Gentiles, there is nothing more to say. They are without excuse.

But you also, even if you had something to say in your own defense, cannot put it forward. By your unfaithfulness you deprived yourselves of every privilege, and the Prophets rightly condemn you. You also are without excuse.

Thus every mouth is stopped. No one can present anything in his own defense.

Saint Paul gives us to understand that the Prophets saw from afar that you would try to wriggle out from under judgment. Therefore they accused you so severely, in order to stop your mouths.

They did this so that, having looked into the matter, you would recognize their condemnation as just. Then you would accuse yourselves, come to repentance, and seek justification where the Gospel shows you to seek it.

Saint Chrysostom sets forth the flow of the Apostle's thought in this way: "By this the Apostle proves that this was not said simply as an accusation, but so that the law might also prepare the way for faith.

"Such is the harmony of the Old Testament with the New. Its accusations and reproofs undoubtedly had as their aim the opening of a bright door of faith in the hearers.

"Since the Jews were especially destroyed by thinking highly of themselves, and since they did not understand God's righteousness, they sought to establish their own righteousness. Therefore they did not submit to God's righteousness.

"For this reason the law and the Prophets beforehand tamed their arrogance and cast down their pride. Then, coming to the knowledge of their sins and laying aside their conceit, they would see themselves in extreme danger.

"They would then flee with full zeal to Him Who gave them remission of sins, and receive grace through faith.

"Paul gives this very thing to be understood here when he says, 'that every mouth may be stopped.' He shows that although the Jews do not dare boast in deeds, they are boastful and shameless in words.

"Therefore the expression, 'that every mouth may be stopped,' is used in its proper sense. It portrays the shameless and excessive boasting of the Jews, and also that their tongue had to be restrained with all force.

"It was uncontrollable, like a rushing torrent, but the Prophet restrained it. When Paul says 'that,' he does not mean that they sinned in order that their mouths might be stopped.

"Rather, they were reproved so that, after having sinned, they might acknowledge it."

"And all the world may become guilty before God." "Guilty before God" means culpable before God.

The Gentiles do not dispute this, but acknowledge themselves to be such. If you also now accept the reproof of the Prophets and confess that you have nothing by which to justify yourselves, then the whole world is guilty before God.

This will be true not only by external judgment, but also by its own consciousness.

All must acknowledge that the wrath of God revealed from heaven, judgment and condemnation, is righteous and unavoidable.

"He did not say, 'the Jews will be guilty,' but 'the whole human race.' For just as by the words, 'that every mouth may be stopped,' the Apostle chiefly aims at the Jews, though he does not say so plainly, lest the speech become cutting,

"so the words, 'all the world may become guilty before God,' refer together to Jews and Gentiles.

"Yet this too serves greatly to crush the arrogance of the Jews. In this respect they have no advantage over the Gentiles, but in the matter of salvation are placed on the same level with them.

"For properly speaking, one is called guilty when he cannot defend himself and needs help from another. Such is our position, he says as it were, after we have squandered the means granted us for salvation" (Saint Chrysostom).