Romans 3:23 (LSB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Romans 3:21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who 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 as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Romans 3:25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith, for a demonstration of His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;

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 as a gift by His...", 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.