Lessons # 101 and 102
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Humanity’s sinfulness (Rom 3:9-20)
… 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Let me refresh your mind of the message of this section of Romans 3:9-20 that we have been considering for some time. Its message is that Humanity’s sinfulness is universal as attested by the Scripture and specifically supported by some functions of the law. Indeed, there are two parts to this message, that is concerned with the universality of human sinfulness. The first part is that the universality of human sinfulness is attested in the OT Scriptures as the apostle quoted in verses 9 to 18. We have considered the apostle’s quotations in detail in our previous studies. The second part of the message is that universality of human sinfulness is supported by some functions of the law. It is this second part given in verses 19 and 20 that is the concern of today’s study.
There are people who carry on lengthy conversations so that they go from one topic to another and you have to listen carefully to know when they have moved to another topic. In fact, some of these people are sometimes not coherent in what they say although they may not think so. Of course, if you are reading something, it is easier to know when a writer has finished one thought and moved on to another usually because the writer begins a new paragraph. Bear in mind that the epistle to the Romans were to be read aloud to them. We say this because it was the usual pattern in the early church for the epistles of the apostles to be read aloud so that the recipients would hear what is written to them. We are sure of this pattern because of what Apostle Paul wrote in his epistle to the Colossians when he urged them to ensure the letter after they hear it read, is read to the Laodiceans as described in Colossians 4:16:
After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
The clause After this letter has been read to you indicates that the epistles were usually read to the members of a local church that are the recipients of a given epistle. Furthermore, we have a direct instruction of the apostle for his epistle to be read to believers in Thessalonica as we may gather from 1 Thessalonians 5:27:
I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
Apostle Paul’s epistles were delivered through his agents or his amanuensis, who would then read the letter to the church and certainly offered explanations of what needed to be explained. A person could argue that because the epistles were written in the language of its recipients that probably it was not necessary for any explanation to be given regarding what they heard read. This would be assuming too much. That something is written in a person’s language does not necessarily mean that the one who hears whatever is read would not have questions understanding something read in the person’s language. We have the example of this sort of thing in the OT where in the time of Nehemiah and Ezra the priest, the Levites who were involved in reading the law written in the people’s language found it necessary to explain what they read as recorded in Nehemiah 8:8:
They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.
All the same, when someone hears something read, it may be difficult to know when there is a change from one concept to another until the reading is far enough in the new concept. This was not the case with Apostle Paul. He signaled to his readers that he was about to change the kind of support he provided for his assertion regarding universal sinfulness of humans from his quotation from the OT Scripture to another information that supports his assertion. This, he did with the word now that begins Romans 3:19. The word “now” is translated from a Greek particle (de) as the second word in the Greek of our verse because of a Greek rule that it never begins a Greek sentence. The Greek particle is routinely translated “but” in our English versions to reflect a contrast between clauses. When a simple connective is desired, without a contrast being clearly implied, it may be translated “and” or “now” and in certain occurrences the particle may be left untranslated. Other times, the particle is used to provide explanation so may be translated “that is.” In the verse we are considering, the apostle used it to do a double duty in the verse. To indicate that he was transitioning to a new kind of support for his assertion and to resume his assertion that indicates there is no exception to human sinfulness and so it has the meaning “now.” We are saying that there is a sense that the quotations of the apostle in Romans 3:10-18 could be considered parenthetical in the sense that after the apostle indicated that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin, he proceeded to support that as a side issue by quoting from the OT Scripture but after that he returned to what may be considered an objection a Jew could have with the apostle’s assertion regarding the universality of human sinfulness. Such a Jew could, in arrogance, argue that because of the law, the individual is not a sinner like the Gentiles.
The new kind of support for the apostle’s assertion regarding the universality of the sinfulness of humans is introduced with a declaration of something that should be well-known among the recipients of this epistle. So, the apostle wrote in Romans 3:19 Now we know. The word “know” is translated from a Greek verb (oida) that may mean “to know” in the sense of having information about someone or something. It is in the sense of “to know about something” that Apostle Paul used it in describing how the law makes one conscious of sin in Romans 7:7:
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
It is in the sense of to know about someone that the apostle used it to describe the state of the Galatians regarding the true God prior to their salvation in Galatians 4:8:
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
The word may mean “to know” in the sense of being intimately acquainted with or stand in a close relation to someone. Thus, it is used in the sense of “to know God” not only to know theoretically of His existence, but to have a positive relationship with Him. This positive relationship reflects in one’s conduct. If a person’s conduct does not reflect that relationship, then the person’s claim is empty. This is the way Apostle Paul used our Greek word in Titus 1:16:
They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
The Greek word may mean to grasp the meaning of something hence, “to understand, recognize, come to know” as Apostle Paul used it to describe how useless speaking in tongue will be to a congregation if what is said is not interpreted so that others may comprehend and join in the worship situation in 1 Corinthians 14:16:
If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?
The word may mean “to respect” as it is used in the instruction requiring believers to respect their spiritual leadership in 1 Thessalonians 5:12:
Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.
The verbal phrase to respect those who work hard among you is literally to know those laboring among you that does not make much sense since the Thessalonians already knew who their leaders were. So, it makes a better sense to tell them to respect their leaders so that the word “know” here has the sense of “to respect.” In our passage of Romans 3:19, the word means “to know” in the sense of “it is well known, acknowledged” since it is a part of a formula that is frequently used to introduce a well-known fact that is generally accepted to be true as, for example, Apostle John used it to state an acknowledged truth or well accepted truth that believers will be like Jesus Christ in His resurrection body as stated in 1 John 3:2:
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
That aside, the apostle stated something that he and the members of the local church in Rome would know since he wrote we know. The pronoun “we” refers to the apostle and members of the church in Rome. He did not exclude the Gentile members from the declaration we know because of the content of what he said is well known.
The thing the apostle indicated is well known concerns the applicability of the law since he wrote in Romans 3:19 we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law. Literally, the Greek reads we know that whatever the law says it speaks to the (ones) in the law.
The word “law” is translated from a Greek noun (nomos) that is used in three ways in the Scripture. It is used for a procedure or practice that has taken hold and so means “a custom, rule, principle, norm, law.” It is in the sense of “principle” that Apostle Paul used it in describing his experience as stated in Romans 7:21:
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
The context of Romans 7:21 indicates that the word “law” refers to “principle” as reflected in the translation of many English versions, such as the NASB and the NAB. The translators of the CEB and the NJB used the word “rule” in place of “law” in their rendering of this passage in Romans. Another usage of the Greek word translated “law” is for describing the first five book of Moses (i.e., Genesis to Deuteronomy) often known as the Torah, as in John 1:45:
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Still another usage of the Greek word translated “law” is as a reference to the entire OT Scriptures. It is in this sense that the word is used in John 12:34:
The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
There are at least two passages that the crowd could have referred from which they heard about Christ ruling forever. The first passage is Isaiah 9:7:
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
The second passage is Daniel 7:14:
He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
The question is: Of these three usages, which applies to our context? It is the third meaning that refers to the entire OT Scripture. This is because the quotations of the apostle he used in verses 10 to 18 are from psalm and book of Isaiah so that it makes sense that he would think of the entire OT Scripture. Of course, because of what the apostle stated beginning in verse 19, when he used the word “law” to refer to the OT Scripture, he must have also focused his thought on the Torah, that is, the first five books of the OT given by Moses.
The law or the entire OT Scripture in a sense is personified since it is a subject of the sentence of Romans 3:19 we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law or literally we know that whatever the law says it speaks to the (ones) in the law. Interestingly, the word “says” appears twice in the NIV but not in the literal translation. This is because the first use of the word “says” in the NIV is translated from a Greek verb (legō) that may mean “to express oneself orally or in written form” and so may mean to “tell” as Apostle Paul used it to communicate to the Thessalonians regarding the implied order of resurrection of believers in Christ as stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:15:
According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
The word may mean “to inform about/tell of something” so that it may mean “to mention” as Apostle Paul used it to assert regarding the nature of things unbelievers do in secret as recorded in Ephesians 5:12:
For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
The word may mean “to express oneself in a specific way” and so, for example, it may mean “to declare” as in what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in His interaction with her as recorded in John 4:21:
Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
In our passage of Romans 3:19 the word is used with the sense of “to say,” that is, “to have or contain a certain wording or form.”
The second use of the word “says” in the NIV of Romans 3:19 it says to those who are under the law is translated from a Greek verb (laleō) that may mean “to make a sound” as with inanimate objects as it is used of thunders in Revelation 10:3:
and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
The sentence the seven thunders spoke may be translated the seven thunders sounded as in the NRSV. The Greek word may be used for informal communication and for formal communication, especially as it pertains to God’s word. Thus, the word may mean “to talk” as it is used to describe the interaction of Apostle Paul with Grecian Jews shortly after his conversion as we read in Acts 9:29:
He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him.
The word may mean “to preach” as the word is used by Luke to describe that the Holy Spirit restricted Apostle Paul and his team from going to preach in Asia as we read in Acts 16:6:
Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
The word may mean “to tell” as Apostle Paul used it to describe what he was not permitted to communicate following his transport to the third heaven as we read in 2 Corinthians 12:4:
was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.
The word may mean “to proclaim” as the word is used by Apostle Paul in stating the content of his prayer request to the Colossians as we read in Colossians 4:3:
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
The word may mean “to teach” as in the charge given to Titus to carry out his duty as a pastor as we read in Titus 2:15:
These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
In our passage of Romans 3:19, the word has the sense of “to speak,” that is, “to express oneself in speech.” There is tendency in the NT to equate the two Greek words that mean “to say” and “to speak.” For example, the Greek word (laleō) that means “to speak” is translated “told” in the charge of the Lord Jesus directed to the Jews for wanting to kill as narrated in John 8:40:
As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things.
The Greek word (legō) that means “to say” is also translated “tell” in the same context as the one we cited in John 8:45:
Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!
Thus, it is difficult to make a strong distinction between the two in the Greek NT. Nonetheless, some indicate that the Greek word (laleō) has reference to the sound and pronunciation of the words and in general the form of what is uttered, while (legō) refers to the meaning and substance of what is spoken. Apostle Paul would have used the first word “says” in Romans 3:19 to indicate the contents of the law while the second “says” to refer to the fact of communication by the law.
All the same, the contents of the law, that is, the OT Scripture, are directed primarily to the Jews as stated in clause of Romans 3:19 those who are under the law or literally to the (ones) in the law. We are saying that we are confident that the apostle primarily referred to the Jews in this clause those who are under the law or literally to the (ones) in the law. Only the Jews were under the control of the law, that is, the OT Scripture or associated with it prior to the NT time and even thereafter. Stephen, the first martyr of the church, acknowledged this truth in his sermon prior to his death, that the law as part of the OT Scripture was given to the Jews as recorded in Acts 7:53:
you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”
Apostle Paul through a negative statement implies that the law as part of the OT Scripture was given to the Jews since he asserted that it was not given to Gentiles as stated in Romans 2:14:
(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.
Still later, the apostle positively asserted that part of the privileges of the people of Israel is that of receiving the law, that is, part of the OT Scripture as stated in Romans 9:4:
the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises
Hence, there is no doubt that when the apostle wrote the clause of Romans 3:19 those who are under the law or literally to the (ones) in the law he had in mind primarily the Jews. Of course, since there would have been some Gentiles who have been converted to Judaism, or the Proselytes in the church of Rome, the apostle could have included them since the apostle was aware of such individuals that he included them when he addressed the worshippers in Jewish synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, as referenced in Acts 13:26:
“Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
It is for this reason that we contend that he might have also thought of the Proselytes in the church in Rome as he wrote the clause of Romans 3:19 those who are under the law or literally to the (ones) in the law, but his primary focus was on the Jews, the recipients of the OT Scripture, in particular, the Mosaic Law.
In any case, as we stated previously, it is possible that some Jews may protest the apostle’s declaration that everyone is a sinner because the Jews have the OT Scripture, in particular, the Mosaic Law. The observant Jews, that is, those who comply to the interpretations of the law by the Pharisees and teachers of the law consider even their fellow Jews who do not as “sinners” in the sense of outsiders as we may gather in the complaints of the Pharisees and teachers of the law against the Lord Jesus of eating with whom they called “sinners” as we read in Matthew 9:10–11:
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
Thus, to the Jews in general, anyone that does not have the law was considered a sinner. It is for this reason that Apostle Paul described Gentiles as sinners as the Jews would view them as we read in Galatians 2:15:
“We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’
So, if Jews considered Gentiles as sinners, when they heard the apostle stated that all humans are sinners, they would have protested by saying that because they have the law, they are not sinners like the Gentiles who do not. Consequently, the apostle used the OT Scripture, in particular, the Mosaic Law to prove to such a person that the individual is a sinner. This he did by stating one of the purposes of the law in the clause of Romans 3:19 so that every mouth may be silenced. The use of the word “mouth” should be understood as a reference to a person as I will demonstrate.
The word “mouth” is translated from a Greek noun (stoma) that literally refers to human organ that is used for eating, drinking, breathing, and speaking. Its use for consumption of food or drink is conveyed in the efforts of the soldiers, who crucified Jesus, in trying to quench His thirst, using cheap wine in John 19:29:
A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.
The word “lips” is literally “mouth.” The use of the Greek word for breathing or blowing is conveyed in describing Jesus’ future destruction of the Antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:8:
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
The mouth as an organ of speech is clearly indicated in James 3:10:
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
Figuratively, the Greek noun in question can be used as a metonym for what the mouth utters so means “utterance”, as it is used in the promise of the Lord to His disciples regarding the assistance they would receive from the Holy Spirit whenever they are brought before a hostile audience, as stated in Luke 21:15:
For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
The sentence I will give you words and wisdom is literally I will give you a mouth and wisdom. The sentence may alternatively be rendered I will give you eloquence and wisdom. Figuratively, the word can also mean the foremost part of something, that is, edge, as it is used in description of a sword in Hebrews 11:34:
quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
In our context of Romans 3:19, the word means “mouth” in the sense of “person,” that is, “a whole human person conceived of in terms of the mouth; especially as the source of vocalizations.” Hence, it is a person that is to be silenced as in the clause of Romans 3:19 so that every mouth may be silenced.
The word “silenced” is translated from a Greek verb (phrassō) that may mean “to cause to cease, stop” as Apostle Paul used it to indicate that no one from Achaia could cause him to cease his boasting as stated in 2 Corinthians 11:10:
As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine.
The word may mean “to close or keep from opening,” that is, “to close, shut” as it is used to refer to God’s action in response of faith of Daniel in Him in that He kept lions from harming him as recorded in Hebrews 11:33:
who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
In our passage of Romans 3:19, the word has the sense of “to be stopped or to put to silence.” The Greek used a passive voice implying that someone or something is responsible for putting everyone to silence. The context indicates the law, specifically, the Mosaic Law, does the silencing of everyone although ultimately, it is God, the giver of the law. Thus, the apostle’s use of the clause so that every mouth may be silenced implies that contents of the law put every human being where no one could argue of not being a sinner. If the law is properly expounded, everyone will recognize how impossible it is for any human to fulfill it. Take, for example, the command not to commit idolatry when expounded to mean not to place anything above God, we see we fail because there are times, we put family members above God or put entertainments above God. Take another example, commandment against adultery when expounded to include sexual lust, we recognize that no one could claim not to have committed adultery.
The contents of the law not only put every human in a position no one can deny being a sinner but also put everyone guilty before God. It is this fact that the apostle stated in the last clause of Romans 3:19 and the whole world held accountable to God. Literally, the Greek reads and all the world may become accountable to God.
The word “world” is translated from a Greek noun (kosmos) with several meanings. It can mean the planet earth in which people live. It is in this sense that Apostle Paul used the word to convey the temporariness of material possessions in 1 Timothy 6:7:
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
It is in this same sense of planet earth that Apostle Peter used the word in encouraging believers to endure suffering since believers in different parts of the planet earth are suffering the same things, according to the instruction in 1 Peter 5:9:
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
The Greek word translated “world” can also mean that which serves to beautify through decoration, hence means “adornment, adorning” as Apostle Peter used it to encourage believing ladies not to be wrapped up in external beauty as they should with inner in 1 Peter 3:3:
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
In our passage of Romans 3:19, the word means “world” in the sense of “humanity in general” or “the inhabitants of the earth.”
The state of all humans is that of being guilty before God as sinners. This is conveyed in the last clause of Romans 3:19 and the whole world held accountable to God. The word “held” of the NIV appears to be a way its translators translated a Greek verb (ginomai) that has several meanings. For example, it may mean “to become something” as Apostle Paul used it in cautioning believers not to become stumbling blocks to others in their use of their freedom in Christ Jesus as recorded in 1 Corinthians 8:9:
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
In our passage of Romans 3:19, the word has the sense of “to become,” that is, “to enter a certain state.” The state all persons in the world enter is described in the phrase of Romans 3:19 accountable to God. The word “accountable” is translated from a Greek adjective (hypodikos) that appears only here in the Greek NT and applies to accused persons who cannot refute the charges leveled against them. Thus, the word means “liable to punishment from God” or “guilty.” Hence, the adjective leaves no doubt that all humans are guilty before God and so liable to His punishment. In effect, the apostle states that a function of the law is to bring us humans to recognize that we are sinners and so the objects of God’s punishment.
The apostle having referenced the law as it relates to its function of placing all humans guilty before God, proceeds to state that because of the function of the law what he stated about the guilty state of humans is true. We say this because of the word therefore that begins Romans 3:20 in the NIV is translated from a Greek conjunction (dioti) that may mean “because” as marker of a causal connection between two statements. It may mean “therefore” as a marker to introduce inference. In our passage of Romans 3:20, it means “for” as “a marker used to indicate why something just stated can reasonably be considered valid.”
It is because the law functioned to place all humans guilty before God that it can be asserted there is no one that is righteous before God. Thus, the apostle wrote in Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. A literal translation of the Greek reads for by works of law no flesh shall be justified before him. This is an emphatic declaration because the word “no” is translated from a Greek particle (ou) that is an objective negative, denying the reality of alleged fact fully and absolutely in contrast to another Greek negative (mē) that is a subjective negative, implying a conditional and hypothetical negation. Thus, the apostle states strongly the fact he conveyed when he wrote Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law.
The word “one” of the NIV is translated from a Greek noun (sarx) with a range of meanings, but we will briefly mention some of these in this study. The word may refer to the material that covers the bones of a human or animal body, hence means “flesh” as it is used for the ritual of circumcision in Galatians 6:13:
Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.
The word may mean “nature” as it is used to describe what will be involved in the spiritual law of sowing and reaping in Galatians 6:8:
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
The word may mean “physical” as it is used to describe Christ’s body in Colossians 1:22:
But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
The word may mean “person, human being” as the word is used in the priestly prayer of our Lord Jesus to refer to His authority over humans in John 17:2:
For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
The phrase over all people is literally over all flesh. In our passage of Romans 3:20, the word means “flesh” in the sense of “human being.”
The apostle states that no human being can be vindicated as having met God’s righteous standard in the sentence of Romans 3:20 no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. The expression “declared righteous” is translated from a Greek verb (dikaioō) that may mean to render a favorable verdict, that is, “to vindicate” as it is used by Apostle Paul to indicate that Jesus Christ was vindicated by the Holy Spirit as we read in 1 Timothy 3:16:
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
The word may mean “to be acquitted, be pronounced and treated as righteous and therefore acceptable” as Apostle Paul used it to describe a status no one can be with God based on the law but can be attained by faith in Christ as we read in Galatians 2:16:
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
The word may mean “to prove that someone is right” as it is used in the quotation of Apostle Paul from the psalmist (51:4) about God being right in His judgment as stated in Romans 3:4:
Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”
In our passage of Romans 3:20, the word has the sense of “to be justified,” that is, “to be or become judicially vindicated as having complied with the requirements of the law (of God).”
In any case, no human can be justified or become judicially vindicated as having complied with the requirements of the law as stated in Romans 3:20 by observing the law or literally by works of law. This is because the word “observing” of the NIV is how its translators translated a Greek noun (ergon) that may mean “work” in the sense of that which one does as regular activity as Apostle Paul used it to describe the activity of Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:30:
because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
The word may mean “deed” as that which displays itself in activity of any kind as Apostle Paul used it to describe sinful activities that believers should reject in Ephesians 5:11:
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
In our passage of Romans 3:20, the word means “deeds that the law commands a person to do.” So, there is no way anyone could carry out all the requirements of the law so that the person becomes acceptable to God. This same truth the apostle conveyed to the Galatians as he battled those who contend that a person could be in good standing if they obeyed the requirements of the law as he stated in the passage we cited previously, that is, Galatians 2:16:
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
The apostle, having stated what the law could not produce for a person, proceeds to provide an explanation of what it can do for an individual. The law, the apostle declared, functions to cause a person to be conscious of sin since people’s experiences confirm to them that they are incapable of meeting God’s righteous demands. It is this that he stated in the last clause of Romans 3:20 rather, through the law we become conscious of sin or literally for through law (comes) knowledge of sin. The word “rather” of the NIV is translated from a Greek conjunction (gar) that has several usages. For example, it can be used as a marker of inference with the meaning “so, then, by all means” or it can be used as a marker of cause or reason for something in which case it may be translated “for, because.” In our verse, it is used as a marker of explanation and so should be translated “for” although the explanation is contrary to what some assumed the law would do. Anyhow, the apostle wrote through the law we become conscious of sin.
The expression “become conscious” is translated from a Greek word (epignōsis) that means “knowledge, recognition” as it is used by the apostle in Romans 1:28:
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
In our passage of Romans 3:20, the word has the sense of “personal recognition” or “consciousness.” Thus, the apostle was concerned with personal recognition of sin
The word “sin” is translated from a Greek noun (hamartia) that refers to departure from either human or divine standards of uprightness and so means “sin,” the action itself as well as its results. Thus, the word is used by Apostle Paul to describe to the Corinthians what would be the state of those who believe in Christ if there were no resurrection as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:17:
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
The word may mean “a state of sinfulness” as the word is used by those who rebuked the man born blind that Jesus healed, to describe him for his reply to them as recorded in John 9:34:
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
The word may mean “guilt,” that is, the moral consequence of having sinned as that is the sense of the word in John 9:41:
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
The sentence your guilt remains is literally your sin remains. It is not the actual event of sinning that is in view but the consequence of sinning hence the meaning is “guilt” in John 9:41. In our passage of Romans 3:20, the word means “sin” in the sense of “departure from divine standards of uprightness.” So, when the law is truly expounded, the result is that a person becomes aware of how sinful the individual is and how impossible it is to perfectly obey the law if a person were to be fully in good standing with God or considered to have met all the requirements of the law. Of course, as we have stated, people’s experiences tell them they are sinners. With this explanation, the apostle had demonstrated that even those who think they are not sinners because they have the law are indeed sinners. Hence, the message of this section Humanity’s sinfulness is universal as attested by the Scripture and specifically supported by some functions of the law.
03/27/26