Romans 3:23 is one of the key verses in all the New Testament. It was one of the first I memorized as a Christian newbie. Only recently, however, did I give it much thought.
The literal translation is, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (NASB). There are apparently nuances in the original Greek, and some interpret these as referring to Original Sin or the "Total Depravity" that is the T in the TULIP of Calvinism.
None of this is what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the little old "and" that connects "for all have sinned" and "fall short of the glory of God."
The verse doesn't say, "Because all have sinned, they fall short of the glory of God." This may or may not be what Paul had in mind. Quite possibly it was.
Poets often have the experience of readers finding meanings in a poem that they never intended when they wrote it. "Wow, I never thought of that, but what a great way to read my poem!" the poet himself may say. If I'm making something of Romans 3:23 that Paul didn't have in mind when he wrote it, so be it.
Hmmm. What if we didn't sin – would we still fall short of the glory of God?
Well, YEAH.
Having sinned is why we need God's grace, mercy and forgiveness in Christ.
But if we'd never sinned at all, we'd still fall far short of the glory of God. We are finite creatures, made in God's image but incapable of the preternatural holiness, love, justice and all the rest that is the Eternal, Transcendent God. The "glory" of a sinless human would be nothing - a "dirty rag," even - in comparison to the glory of the Eternal, Transcendent God.
In some way, this is what I think is communicated by the Genesis account of Adam and Eve. It's not just that they sinned and fell but that simply "to be human" is to fall short of the glory of God and to be utterly dependent on one's Creator. The Genesis account is not just a lesson about sin but about humility as well. "Being human" is by definition to be lower than, and in that sense separated from, God.
In my blog entries where I've referred to God as "the Eternal, Transcendent, Wholly Other Spirit who is God in His fullness," this is what I've been trying to get at. It's easy to think of Christianity solely in terms of sin and forgiveness of sin in Christ, but I think it's also important to remember that simply being human is to fall far short of the glory of God.
Christ's sacrifice doesn't merely satisfy the demands of God's perfect justice insofar as sin is concerned, but it also makes it possible for creatures who fall far short of the glory of God to enter into His glorious presence and glorious kingdom.
So, I see the "and" in Romans 3:23 as highly significant even if Paul might not have intended this when he wrote it.
The literal translation is, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (NASB). There are apparently nuances in the original Greek, and some interpret these as referring to Original Sin or the "Total Depravity" that is the T in the TULIP of Calvinism.
None of this is what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the little old "and" that connects "for all have sinned" and "fall short of the glory of God."
The verse doesn't say, "Because all have sinned, they fall short of the glory of God." This may or may not be what Paul had in mind. Quite possibly it was.
Poets often have the experience of readers finding meanings in a poem that they never intended when they wrote it. "Wow, I never thought of that, but what a great way to read my poem!" the poet himself may say. If I'm making something of Romans 3:23 that Paul didn't have in mind when he wrote it, so be it.
All have sinned
AND
Fall short of the glory of God.
Hmmm. What if we didn't sin – would we still fall short of the glory of God?
Well, YEAH.
Having sinned is why we need God's grace, mercy and forgiveness in Christ.
But if we'd never sinned at all, we'd still fall far short of the glory of God. We are finite creatures, made in God's image but incapable of the preternatural holiness, love, justice and all the rest that is the Eternal, Transcendent God. The "glory" of a sinless human would be nothing - a "dirty rag," even - in comparison to the glory of the Eternal, Transcendent God.
In some way, this is what I think is communicated by the Genesis account of Adam and Eve. It's not just that they sinned and fell but that simply "to be human" is to fall short of the glory of God and to be utterly dependent on one's Creator. The Genesis account is not just a lesson about sin but about humility as well. "Being human" is by definition to be lower than, and in that sense separated from, God.
In my blog entries where I've referred to God as "the Eternal, Transcendent, Wholly Other Spirit who is God in His fullness," this is what I've been trying to get at. It's easy to think of Christianity solely in terms of sin and forgiveness of sin in Christ, but I think it's also important to remember that simply being human is to fall far short of the glory of God.
Christ's sacrifice doesn't merely satisfy the demands of God's perfect justice insofar as sin is concerned, but it also makes it possible for creatures who fall far short of the glory of God to enter into His glorious presence and glorious kingdom.
So, I see the "and" in Romans 3:23 as highly significant even if Paul might not have intended this when he wrote it.
