Romans 3:20 (YLT)

Passage

wherefore by works of law shall no flesh be declared righteous before Him, for through law is a knowledge of sin.

Nearby Context

Romans 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.'

Romans 3:19 And we have known that as many things as the law saith, to those in the law it doth speak, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may come under judgment to God;

Romans 3:20 wherefore by works of law shall no flesh be declared righteous before Him, for through law is a knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:21 And now apart from law hath the righteousness of God been manifested, testified to by the law and the prophets,

Romans 3:22 and the righteousness of God <FI>is<Fi> through the faith of Jesus Christ to all, and upon all those believing, --for there is no difference,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherefore", "works", "shall", "flesh", "declared", "righteous", "before", and "through". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherefore" and "works", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And we have known that as many..." into verse 21's "And now apart from law hath the...", so "wherefore" and "works" 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 "wherefore" and "works" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.