Jew and Gentile: Same Problem, Same Solution. Romans 3:21-23
We’ve all heard and quoted Romans 3:23 countless times: “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We’ve assumed the “all” refers to all humanity, the entire human race. This is why Christians have used Romans 3:23 as part of The Romans Road. But our assumption about who the “all” refers to needs to be examined for at least two reasons:
1) The apostle Paul has already taken almost three chapters to establish the point that the whole world—Jews and Gentiles—no exceptions—stands guilty before God.[1]
2) Paul’s “But now…” in 3:21, is a signal that he turns a corner in his argument to address a different topic. So, on that basis, let’s look a little closer at Romans 3:23 and its context.
A Closer Look at Romans 3:21-24
Since Romans 3:23 begins with “for,” we must examine the previous verses, 3:21-22, to correctly identify the “all” in 3:23.[2] Observe how the same exact word “all” is used in the prior verse, in 3:22:
“But now,[3] apart from the Law, a righteousness from God has been disclosed, testified to by the Law[4] and the Prophets,[5] a righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who continually believe.”[6]
The conclusion of Paul’s argument, summed up in 3:9-20, is that all people, Jews and Gentiles, with no exceptions, are guilty and stand under God’s judicial wrath. But with the appearance of Jesus Christ and His atoning death on the cross (“but now…” 3:21), God has provided His remedy for our (both Jews and Gentiles) guilt. His remedy for humanity’s guilt is called “a righteousness from God,” a legal term that refers to a right judicial standing with God.
God’s Righteousness is Available to all who Believe
This righteousness has now been made clear to the world, but it did not come to the world through the Law, though both the Law and the Prophets testified to it. This righteousness, this right standing with God, is received through faith in Jesus Christ to all who continually believe.
It is important to understand that “faith” and “continually believe” are the exact same idea. “Faith” is the noun version of the verb to “believe.” To have faith is to believe. So, Paul is clarifying an important point: God’s gift of righteousness is available to all people who continually have faith in Jesus Christ, those who continue to believe in Him.
Paul then explains just why God’s righteousness is available to all who have faith in Jesus Christ, to all who continually believe in Him.
“FOR there is no distinction.”
God’s righteousness is received through faith in Jesus Christ and is available to ALL Jews who believe in Jesus Christ and ALL Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ because, in terms of our standing with God, “there is no distinction”. There is no distinguishing between the two groups of people.
From God’s perspective, then, no distinction exists between believing Jews and believing Gentiles. Both groups share the exact same guilt and are offered the exact same solution: God’s saving righteousness in Jesus Christ is freely available to ALL people in both groups because there is no difference between them. Both groups come short and both groups are losers. But both ethnic groups can receive a right standing with God if both groups continually believe in Jesus Christ. No difference in the problem and no distinction in God’s solution.
Paul then further explains this unexpected truth. He explains why God makes no distinction between ALL who believe, whether Jew or Gentile. Observe the repetition of “all” in 3:23:
“For all”—referring to the same groups included in the ‘all’ in 3:22, both believing Jews and believing Gentiles—"have sinned[7] and are continuing falling short[8] of God’s glory.”
Both ethnic groups share the exact same guilt due to sin and both groups are offered the exact same solution: God’s saving righteousness in Jesus Christ is freely available to ALL believing people in both groups because there is no difference between them. Both groups come short of God’s glory and so both groups are losers. But both Jews and Gentiles can receive a right standing with God if both groups continually believe in Jesus Christ.
God Makes No Distinctions
So, why does God make no distinction between how believing Jews and believing Gentiles receive His righteousness? Paul’s answer: because ALL believing Jews and ALL believing Gentiles alike have sinned and, as a result, continually fall short of God’s glory. Though believing Jews and believing Gentiles may be distinct in many ways, they both share the same guilt in terms of their standing with God: they all have sinned.
The All in Romans 3:23
Who, then, is Paul referring to when he writes that “ALL have sinned” in 3:23? The ALL refers directly to the ALL in the previous verse, 3:22, “ALL who believe.” Paul is explaining why there is no difference between how Jewish believers receive God’s saving righteousness and how Gentile believers receive His righteousness. They ALL must put their trust in the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross as a redemptive payment for their sin. Why? Because they ALL—both believing Jews and believing Gentiles—have sinned and they ALL continually fall short of God’s glory.
One Gospel for All Humanity
There is just one Gospel, not two, offered for Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 4:1-6). The nation of Israel has indeed enjoyed God’s special privileges since the day He called Abram to leave Ur of the Chaldeans. But their many privileges as an elect nation have not erased the fundamental flaw they all share with all Gentiles. In terms of their standing before a holy God, Paul shows that both stand guilty before God (Romans 1:18—3:20).
But the tragedy of universal, human sin is not the last chapter in the story. God has unveiled a way to turn tragedy into triumph. He offers all of humanity a right standing with Him. He makes this saving righteousness available to all believing Jews and all believing Gentiles without distinction, because in the evaluation of God, there is no distinction between them; they all have sinned. No basic differences fundamentally exist between these two human groups.
They all must believe in Jesus Christ to be put right with God. Jew and Gentile: Same sin problem. Same redemption solution: The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for reading.
NOTES
[1] See Romans 1:18—3:20. Paul writes as a Jewish man himself (Phil 3:4-6). He freely acknowledges that he himself is a sinner (1 Timothy 1:12-17.
[2] Many other Bible verses are misinterpreted simply because they are quoted and read and interpreted apart from the context. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 is frequently misinterpreted because the “for” which begins the verse 8 is ignored. The “for” drives the reader back to 2:1. The same is true of John 3:16, “FOR God so loved the…” and many others. The first three rules for interpreting the Bible are: 1. Context. 2. Context 3. Context. Ignore this rule at your own peril.
[3] Paul’s phrase, “But now”, begins a new section of argument that continues all the way to Romans 8:30.
[4] The Law refers to the Torah, the Pentateuch, or the Book of the Law.
[5] The Prophets refers to the former prophets, Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and the latter prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve, the “Minor Prophets,” Hosea through Malachi.
[6] Paul actually uses an adjectival present participle, “to all who continually believe,” not an aorist participle. This is an important grammatical distinction because the present participle—in contrast with the aorist participle--occurs 43 times in the NT in salvation contexts when used with the word “believe.” Paul intentionally chose the present tense participle because the New Testament views persevering faith, a faith which continues, as a necessary condition for salvation. Dan Wallace observes that the promise of salvation is almost always given to the “one who continually believes,” couched in the present tense, and almost never couched in the aorist tense. See Dan Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 620-621, n. 22. In his parable of the four soils, Jesus confirms this essential requirement: “Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a period of time, but in time of testing, they fall away.” Luke 8:13. Their faith is only temporary, not conceived by the Holy Spirit.
[7] Aorist tense.
[8] Present tense.