Romans 3:23 (WEB)

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 has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets;

Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on 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 freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;

Romans 3:25 whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance;

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.