For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The law's purpose isn't to justify us, but to reveal our sinfulness. It acts like a mirror, showing us exactly how we fall short, which is precisely why we can't be declared righteous through our own efforts to keep it.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul has just established that everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, is under the power of sin and silenced before God's judgment. He's laying the groundwork to show that justification—being declared righteous—can't come from trying to keep the Law, because the Law actually reveals our sinfulness rather than making us righteous.
We often think of laws as rules to follow to stay out of trouble. But what if the Law's primary purpose isn't to get us out of trouble, but to reveal how deeply we're in it?
Paul is clear: 'By works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight.' This isn't just about the Ten Commandments; it applies to any set of rules we try to follow perfectly to earn God's approval. The critical point is the second half of the verse: 'since through the law comes knowledge of sin.'
The Law as a Mirror
Think of the Law like a perfect mirror. When you look in a dusty, distorted mirror, you might not see all your flaws. But a clean, clear mirror shows you exactly what you look like, blemishes and all. The Law does this for our souls. It doesn't create sin, but it perfectly reveals the sin that's already there.
The Consequence: Condemnation, Not Justification
Because the Law's job is to expose sin, following it perfectly to be 'justified' (declared righteous) is impossible for us. Every attempt to earn favor by our own obedience just highlights our failures. The Law condemns; it doesn't save.
The Bible doesn't play favorites. When Paul says 'no flesh,' he means it – no exceptions, no loopholes, no special passes for anyone.
The phrase 'no flesh' (or 'no human being' in some translations) is a powerful way of saying 'absolutely no one.' Paul uses it to stress the universality of humanity's predicament before God.
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Jews and Gentiles Alike
This applies equally to the Jew, who had the Mosaic Law, and the Gentile, who had the law written on their hearts (conscience and reason). Neither group could achieve righteousness through their own efforts to obey.
The Impossibility of Perfect Obedience
Even if someone tried their hardest to keep every single rule – the ceremonial laws, the moral commands – they would still fall short. The Law demands perfect obedience, not just good intentions or occasional successes. Since no one can meet that perfect standard, no one can be declared righteous based on their own 'works of the law.'
Understand the original words
erga nomou · Greek Noun Phrase
Human efforts or religious observances performed in an attempt to earn God's favor or merit salvation. The Bible consistently contrasts these with the gift of grace received through faith.
dikaioō · Greek Verb
To be declared righteous, acquitted, or set in a right legal standing before God. It is a forensic act of God based solely on faith in Jesus Christ, not personal merit.
hamartia · Greek Noun
A missing of the mark; the violation of God’s moral law and the inherent condition of rebellion against His character and commands.
Paul is writing to Roman believers, likely including both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds, within the context of the Roman Empire. His emphasis on the Law's inability to justify and its role in revealing sin speaks directly to anyone wrestling with religious observance versus God's grace, particularly those from a Jewish heritage who deeply valued the Mosaic Law.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus and the Giving of the Law
God delivers Israel from slavery in Egypt and gives them the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai, establishing a covenant relationship with them.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, exiling its people and scattering them, a stark warning of disobedience to God's law.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the people of Judah. This event powerfully illustrates the consequences of persistent failure to uphold the Law.
c. 50 BC - AD 60
Roman Rule and Jewish Expectation
Judea is under Roman occupation. Many Jews keenly await a Messiah who will restore their nation, often misunderstanding that deliverance would come through spiritual, not just political, means.
c. AD 50-55— this verse
Paul's Letter to the Romans Written
The Apostle Paul writes his letter from Corinth, seeking to explain the gospel of God's righteousness, which is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ, to the church in Rome.
This passage directly echoes Romans 3:20 by stating that no one is justified by the works of the law, but through faith in Christ Jesus. It emphasizes that understanding the law's purpose is crucial for grasping why justification comes through faith.
Psalm 143:2Paul likely alludes to this verse, which asks, 'Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no living person is righteous before you.' This Old Testament cry for mercy highlights the inherent sinfulness that prevents anyone from being justified by their own deeds.
Romans 7:7This passage explains *how* the law brings the knowledge of sin, stating, 'What then shall we say? Is the law sin? By no means! Yet I would not have known sin except for the law.' It clarifies that the law's function isn't to condemn but to reveal sin.
Luke 18:9-14Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector powerfully illustrates the principle of Romans 3:20. The Pharisee, confident in his own 'works of the law,' is not justified, while the repentant tax collector, acknowledging his sin, is.
barnesRomans 3:20: "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
By the deeds of the law - By works; or by such deeds as the Law requires. The word "Law" has, in the Scriptures, a great variety of significations. Its strict and proper meaning is, a rule of conduct prescribed by superior authority. The course of reasoning in these chapters shows the sense in which the apostle uses it here. He intends evidently to apply it to…
meyerRomans 3:20: "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
Romans 3:20 . Διότι ] propterea quod , i. 19, not propterea (Beza, Rosenmüller, Morus, Tholuck), is to be divided from the preceding only by a comma, and supplies the objective reason of that ἵνα κ . τ . λ [796] of the law: because the relation of righteousness will accrue to no flesh from works of the law . For if δικαιοσύνη should come from works of the law…
The law's purpose isn't to justify us, but to reveal our sinfulness. It acts like a mirror, showing us exactly how we fall short, which is precisely why we can't be declared righteous through our own efforts to keep it.
Paul has just established that everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, is under the power of sin and silenced before God's judgment. He's laying the groundwork to show that justification—being declared righteous—can't come from trying to keep the Law, because the Law actually reveals our sinfulness rather than making us righteous.
Paul has just established that everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, is under the power of sin and silenced before God's judgment. He's laying the groundwork to show that justification—being declared righteous—can't come from trying to keep the Law, because the Law actually reveals our sinfulness rather than making us righteous.
"For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." — The law's purpose isn't to justify us, but to reveal our sinfulness. It acts like a mirror, showing us exactly how we fall short, which is precisely why we can't be declared righteous through our own…
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Last reviewed October 2026