Romans 3:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

NIV: Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

NASB: because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin.

CSB: For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.

NLT: For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

KJV: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

NKJV: Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

In the next verse, Paul will turn to God's plan to offer righteousness to sinful humans through faith in Christ. He's not there yet, however. With this verse, he concludes his argument that every single person deserves God's angry judgment against our sinfulness, even those who live under the law of Moses (Romans 3:10).

The law was indeed God's gift to Israel, but it was not the path to being righteous in God's sight. Paul puts it bluntly: No human being will be justified in God's sight by works of the law. Why is this? Because no human being is able to keep the works of the law perfectly. We are sinners by nature. Every single person, without exception, chooses to do what they know is wrong, at least sometimes.

The law is a gift because it proves to us, to Jews and Gentiles, just how sinful we are. Without God's written description of human righteousness in the law, we might be tempted to argue that we are pretty good people. When we compare our lives with the rules of the law, however, we must finally admit that we are desperate sinners. We violate God's law in more ways than we can count.

The law brings knowledge of sin and the ultimate conclusion that we deserve God's judgment. That's not the end of the story, though. In the very next verse, Paul begins to describe a path to righteousness for us that is available "apart from the law."

Romans 3:9–20 contains a string of quotes from the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul uses these to demonstrate that both Jews and Greeks alike are under sin. After establishing that ''there is none who does good'' from Psalm 14:1, Paul uses quotes from Psalms and Isaiah to show ways we have always used our bodies—throats, tongues, lips, feet, and eyes—to express our sinfulness. He concludes the section with his strongest statement, yet, that no human being will be justified in God's sight by following the works of the law. The law can only show us our sin, not save us from it.

Romans 3 begins with a question-and-answer scheme. These are responses one might expect from someone opposed to what Paul wrote in Romans 2. Next, Paul quotes from a series of Old Testament passages. These Scriptures show that those writers also agreed that nobody, not one person, deserves to be called righteous. Paul declares emphatically that no one will be justified by following the works of the law. Finally, though, he arrives at the good news: righteousness before God is available apart from the law through faith in Christ's death for our sin on the cross.

The prior chapter explained that God's judgment on sin will come to all men, whether or not they understand the literal law. Faith in God, in the heart, matters more to God than rote obedience. At the start of this chapter, Paul answers a series of questions from an imagined objector to those teachings. Next, he quotes a series of Old Testament passages which support His teaching that human beings are by nature sinful. Each of us turns away from God. Nobody can be justified by the law, Paul insists. Fortunately, it is possible to attain God's righteousness: but only by His grace, through faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice for our sin on the cross. We must come to this by faith, and it is available to Jews and Gentiles alike.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.