What happensPermalink
Paul responds to objections: if Jewish unfaithfulness highlights God’s righteousness, does that make God unjust to punish sin? No—God must judge the world. Then Paul levels the ground: all people, Jew and Gentile alike, are under sin. The law reveals sin but cannot make anyone right with God. But now, God offers a new way to be made right—not through law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. This gift is for all who believe, because all have sinned—and all can be saved.
Why it mattersPermalink
Paul draws on Old Testament texts (verses 11-18) to show that the law convicts rather than saves. Romans 3 is the turning point of the letter, where the “righteousness of God” from Romans 1:17 is fully revealed—not as judgment, but as salvation through Jesus.
Key versePermalink
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.