Romans 3:23 (ASV)

Passage

for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

Nearby Context

Romans 3:21 But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there is no distinction;

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Romans 3:25 whom God set forth [to be] a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sinned", "fall", "short", and "glory". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sinned" and "fall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "even the righteousness of God through faith..." into verse 24's "being justified freely by his grace through...", so "sinned" and "fall" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sinned" and "fall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.