The Church Fathers on this verse
THEOSIS
Get the app

Romans 3:23Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For all have sinned and do need the glory of God.

Douay-Rheims

παντες γαρ ημαρτον και υστερουνται της δοξης του θεου

Greek (Byzantine text)

What does Romans 3:23 mean?

Paul removes any advantage of Jew over Gentile: all have sinned. John Chrysostom and Theophylact of Bulgaria explain that the Jew learned from the Law only how to recognize sin, not how to avoid it; he too offended God and lacks glory. This is not meant to cause despair, for all are justified freely by God's grace.

Summary drawn from the commentaries of the Church Fathers. Based on John Chrysostom, Theophylact of Bulgaria, Theophan the Recluse.

The Church Fathers on this verse

11 Church Fathers comment on this verse

John Chrysostom

4th centuryChurch Father

“For all have sinned.” Do not tell me that this one is a Greek, this one a Scythian, and that one a Thracian. All are in one and the same condition.

Although you received the law, from the law you learned only one thing: how to know sin, not how to avoid it.

Then, lest the Jews say, “Although we sin, we do not sin like the Gentiles,” the Apostle added, “and fall short of the glory of God.”

Thus, although you did not sin in the same way as the others, you also are deprived of glory. You are among those who have offended God.

The offender belongs not to those who are glorified, but to those put to shame.

But do not be afraid. I said this not to cast you into despair, but to show you the love for mankind of the Master.

Therefore the Apostle added: “Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness.”

Theophylact of Bulgaria

11th centuryChurch Father

This righteousness, he says, that is, the justification by which God justified us, descends upon all through faith.

When we offer faith, we are all justified, Jews and Gentiles. For there is no distinction.

The Jew is not preferred to the Gentile because he received the law. For he too sinned, since from the law he learned only how to know sin, not how to avoid it.

Even if he did not sin as the Gentile did, he is equally deprived of glory, because he offended God. The offender reaps not glory, but dishonor.

But do not despair. All are justified freely by the grace of God, and this grace comes through redemption, that is, through the complete liberation accomplished by Christ.

For He justified us by giving Himself as a ransom for us.

Cyrill of Alexandria

5th centuryChurch Father

I know that it is written of certain persons that both were righteous, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of Christ.

The text of the commentary has Τοῦ Χριστοῦ instead of the usual and more fitting reading, “of the Lord,” τοῦ Κυρίου (NA, RP), in Lk 1:6.

Blessed Paul also said that, according to the righteousness in the law, he was blameless (Phil 3:6).

But the one who is blameless in this respect has not yet accomplished that by which he will be renowned and glorified.

For blessed Paul himself said that he counted everything in the law as loss and regarded it as refuse, so that he might gain the surpassing excellence of the knowledge of Christ (Phil 3:8).

Read more (312 words)

On the other hand, the law condemns transgressors. Therefore in another place the Apostle says, “If the ministry of condemnation had glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory” (2 Cor 3:9).

Since the commandments in it were numerous, it was altogether inevitable that even a strict keeper of the law would stumble in something and become a transgressor of the law.

That this was truly burdensome, the divine disciples clearly confessed, saying, “Why then do you test God by desiring to put a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (Acts 15:10).

Therefore, when the Greeks were under sin because they did not know the Creator, and the Jews because they were guilty of transgressing the law, those living on earth necessarily needed Christ, who justifies.

For we are justified not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy (Tit 3:5).

He was the One who also spoke of old through the prophetic voice: “I, even I, blot out your iniquities, and I will not remember them” (Is 43:25).

But justifying grace extends equally to all, I mean to Jews and Greeks, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

By the glory of God one may rightly understand both ignorance of transgressions and the natural incapacity to sin. Yet created being yields to the prerogatives of the Godhead, for even some of the angels slipped.

Nevertheless God was pleased to unite all things under Christ as Head (Eph 1:10). He justifies freely by His grace, for He is set forth as a propitiation in His blood through faith.

Since His own blood became the redemption of the life of all, He saved the world beneath heaven. He made the heavenly God and Father merciful and gracious toward us.

Ephraem the Syrian

4th centuryChurch Father

For there was no distinction between the one and the other, whether he sinned or not, because all sinned and fell short of that glory which God was to give them through justification.

Ambrosiaster

4th centuryChurch Father

This must be taken generally, as referring to all, both Jews and Greeks, for there is no distinction, as Paul says. "All" even includes ministers, so that it may be seen that without faith the law gives nothing. The law itself was given in such a way that faith was contained within it, the faith that gives hope of salvation. Therefore the death of Christ brought benefit to all. Here, in our life, it taught what to believe and what to keep. In the life to come, it will deliver all from Hades.

Irenaeus of Lyon

2nd centuryChurch Father

We must not be proud or revile the ancients. Rather, we ourselves must fear lest, after receiving Christ, we do anything displeasing to God and no longer receive forgiveness of sins, but be cast out of His Kingdom.

Severian of Gabala

5th centuryChurch Father

Paul nowhere says that they were all impious. He says that all sinned, indicating the universality of sin, not of impiety.

Ivanov A.V.

19th centuryChurch Father

"They are deprived of the glory of God." They need the glory, or grace, of God, namely the forgiveness of sins. Since deprivation of God's glory is the consequence of sin, some refer it to the primal blessedness, or to the image of God. That image was man's glory and the image of his perfection, but with his fall it was darkened and distorted. Yet it is more accurate to refer this glory to justification before God. All men have sinned and therefore are deprived of the possibility of justifying themselves before God. Yet they are justified before Him freely, by His grace.

Michail Cheraskov

19th centuryChurch Father

The arrangement of the salvation of all in Christ Jesus (Rom 3:21-31).

The order of the Apostle’s thoughts in unfolding this theme is as follows.

First, a new means of justification has been revealed in faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 3:21-23). The law and the prophets also testify to this.

“Now,” that is, after it has been revealed that the whole world is guilty before God and has no means of justification of its own, “apart from the law” the righteousness of God has appeared.

This is not, of course, by violating the law, but without its cooperation. The righteousness of God, that is, justification, has appeared, witnessed by the law and the prophets.

Read more (108 words)

Compare Gen 49:10, concerning the prince from Judah; Deut 18:15, concerning the prophet like Moses; Jer 23:5-6 and 33:15-16; Is 45:17, concerning eternal salvation in the Lord; and Is 53:3 and following.

“The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, in all and upon all who believe.” The Apostle did not simply say “upon all,” but “upon all who believe.”

The personal participation of men in their own justification, by heartfelt belief in Christ, is nevertheless necessary.

“For there is no distinction,” the Apostle continues. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That is, eternal condemnation equally threatened all, both Gentiles and Jews.

Nikanor (Kamenski)

19th centuryChurch Father

The law, while indicating sins and virtue, did not give strength to avoid sins and fulfill good works. Therefore the law of Moses and the prophets also spoke of a justification bestowed independently of the law.

This justification has now appeared through Jesus Christ. It is given to all who believe in Him, without distinction of former life or status.

All are sinful, and all equally need the restoration of that divine dignity which men received at creation.

This justification is given to all freely, by the grace of God, through the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ. According to the pre-eternal counsel of God, He offered Himself as a propitiatory sacrifice for human sins.

Read more (299 words)

These sins were committed over thousands of years. Therefore some could have thought that there was impunity and a universal violation of righteousness.

But Christ, having shed His blood on the cross for men’s sins, bore punishment for them. By this He manifested the justice of God and made possible the justification of sinners themselves through their faith in Jesus Christ the Savior.

On the cross, “mercy and truth met together; righteousness and peace kissed each other,” according to the prophet’s expression.

“When the time of judgment came, evil increased and sins multiplied. Then God manifested His power,” says St. John Chrysostom, “so that you might understand what an abundance of righteousness He has.”

For those frightened by judgment, yet thirsting for salvation, it was very consoling to hear: “Now the righteousness of God has been manifested.”

Yet all the more irresistible could be the desire to know more precisely what this righteousness of God is, and wherein it consists.

The Apostle answers: “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ.” That is, through faith in Jesus Christ.

By faith in Jesus Christ he means the whole New Testament divine economy of salvation, appropriated by sincere, heartfelt faith in the Lord.

According to blessed Theodoret, “The Apostle Paul imitated the best physician, who first lets the sick see the severity of the disease, and only then offers the healing remedy as help.

So also he, having convicted lawlessness and shown that the lawless are accountable and worthy of punishment, finally offers the remedy of faith. He reveals the love for mankind shown in the divine economy.”

The Apostle explains further how the work of justification itself is accomplished: through the forgiveness of sins and the action of grace, which drives sinfulness from the justified heart and implants righteousness.

Theophan the Recluse

19th centuryChurch Father

One respect in which there is no distinction is that all have sinned and therefore fall short of the glory of God. The other is that all are justified freely (Rom 3:24).

That all have sinned was proved by the Apostle above, when he brought both Gentile and Jew to judgment.

They knew how they ought to live, yet lived contrary to it. Therefore they sinned with knowledge of sin, opposing conscience and suppressing it. They sinned with mortal sin.

“Do not tell me: that one is a Greek, that one a Scythian, that one a Thracian, while I am a Jew. All are equally guilty.

If you received the law, then from the law you learned only how to recognize sin, not how to avoid it,” says St. Chrysostom.

Read more (515 words)

“And fall short of the glory of God.” The expression translated “fall short,” ὑστεροῦνται, means that they do not have the glory of God. The glory of God is not in them.

This may also have the following meaning: there is no glory to God among them or from them.

They have sinned, and there is no glory to God from them. God is not glorified among them or by them. On the contrary, the name of God is blasphemed by them.

Thus Oecumenius says: “They have fallen away from glorifying God. All have fallen away from rendering God the honor due to Him.

The Jews did so as transgressors of the commandments of the law. The Gentiles did so as worshippers of idols.”

But the more direct thought here is that because of their sins they are deprived of the glory with which they would have been clothed by God.

This would have been theirs if they had not sinned, but had walked in His will and fulfilled His commandments.

Those who cleave to God and remain faithful to Him bear upon themselves the radiance of God’s glory.

God clothes them with this glory because of the Godlikeness present in them. So it was predestined in the beginning, and so it was in the first-created.

After the transgression of the commandment, this glory was darkened and remains darkened. Man does not restore it. Rather, he darkens it more and more.

They did not duly honor God by faithfulness to His commandments, and God stripped them of the glory predestined for them.

St. Chrysostom says: “Lest the Jews say, ‘Although we sin, we do not sin like the Gentiles,’ the Apostle added, ‘and fall short of the glory of God.’

Although your sins are not the same as the sins of others, you are nevertheless equally deprived of glory. For you too have offended God.

The offender belongs not to those who are glorified, but to those who are put to shame.”

Theophylact writes: “Even if he, the Jew, did not sin as the Gentile did, he is equally deprived of glory, because he offended God.

Such an offender reaps not the fruit of glory, but of dishonor.”

This applies not only to the Jews, however, but to all who have sinned in general.

By mentioning this glory, the Apostle wishes to stir their zeal to take measures for its restoration.

For what could be more worthy of our striving than to be clothed with the glory of God?

But this stirring of zeal could have turned into despair because of the universal sinfulness which the Apostle had previously described. There is no strength to escape it, and therefore no strength to be counted worthy of glory.

To prevent this, the Apostle hastens to indicate the God-established path to righteousness offered by the Gospel: “being justified freely,” and what follows.

It is as though he were saying: “Do not be afraid. I did not say this to cast you into despair, but to show the love for mankind of the Master,” as St. Chrysostom says.