Romans 3:23 (KJV): meaning and how to memorise it

What Romans 3:23 says

Paul concludes that all people, Jews and Gentiles, are sinners. All come short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:23 in context

²⁰Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. ²¹But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; ²²Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: ²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: ²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; ²⁶To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 3, verses 20–26. Read the whole chapter with John Brown’s notes in the Self-Interpreting Bible.

Romans 3:23 in the catechisms

The Reformation catechisms and confessions cite Romans 3:23 8 times as a proof text.

WSC 18
Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell?
WSC 82
Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
WLC 23
Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?
WLC 70
What is justification?
WLC 95
Of what use is the moral law to all men?
WCF 6.2
By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.
WCF 7.6
Under the gospel, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are the preaching of the Word and the administration of the…
HC 5
Can you keep all this perfectly?

How to memorise Romans 3:23

Hearers breaks the verse into clauses and teaches each clause in four steps. Then it brings each clause back just before you forget it.

01
Read
Read the verse with the clauses marked. Listen to it read aloud.
02
Trace
Type the first letter of each word, with the words shown faintly.
03
Fade
Half of the words go. Type the text again, and fill the gaps from memory.
04
Recall
All the words go. Type it or say it aloud. Each clause gets its own grade and its own review date.