How would you explain the phrase "fall short" in Romans 3:23?

Question

"For all have sinned and fall short from the glory of God"

Tell me your thoughts. : )

Answer 1

Not perfect. In Paul's thinking, there is a gulf between humanity and God that humans can never bridge, thus we need Jesus Christ to reconcile us to God, to be the bridge.

Answer 2

The KJV (Gods true word) says come short of the Glory. Come short can be very short or a little short. Of the Glory is different that from the glory. from implies a destination of implies a growth process. These new versions will mislead just enough for some to miss salvation. Stick to the good old KJV.

Answer 3

The rest of the verse explains, "For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard."(NLT) The Greek word usterountai means to be found wanting or lacking. So when measured against God's perfection, we come up short.

Which in context of the first few chapters of Romans is exactly what is implied. In those chapters, Paul builds his argument that everyone is equally guilty before God regardless of race, sex or any other factor. The much of the rest of Romans deals with the solution to this problem.

Answer 4

Though one man Adam sin enetered the World. Adam sinned and as a result the Cloth of Glory was stripped off from them. Because its written, God made man in His own image...yes he was in God Likeness having the Cloth of Glory.
But when Adam sinned he fell a step down from the Glory of God.

Now thats been passed on through ages and generations. We being born are born into that Adamite sin. But once we reach that conscious state of defing the Good from the Bad, we are supposed to Know Christ and Accept Him. Because we are called to be the Chosen generation, RoyalPriesthood and children of God.

In short, We were made perfect, But when we sinned we fell short of the Glory of GOD. Now that Christ died for us, we who believe in Him are Redeemed by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB.

God is Great!!

Answer 5

I think the word fall short means that once you have sinned you then move a step back from God instead of moving a step forward towards the Glory of God.

Answer 6

This is just a phrase explaining that everybody sins and cannot save themselves, and therefore need God's grace to make up the difference. And God's grace is salvation through the Blood of Jesus Christ.

Verse 23 is just a clause, it is not even a complete sentence and you have to read the context:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom 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; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

(Romans 3:23 - 26)

Those three verses are one complete sentence. "propitiation" is just the KJV word for "atonement"

Answer 7

All have inherited imperfection. Yet, after reading this verse, typically, Christians break ranks into two main schools of thought.
1. Those that see this verse as an excuse for practicing sin. (because they assume that inherited sin is the same as 'practicing sin')
2. Those that realize the spirit of God is actually alive, and overcome the practice of deliberate sins, yet remain with the inherited sin.

Those of the first order, do much harm to the name of Jesus, by piercing him over and over with their practice of sin, while those that understand the power of the spirit, are empowered to withstand the tempations that lead to practice of sin.

Answer 8

Remaining humble in the knowledge that we are ourselves sinners still will give us an ability to remind ourselves that we ourselves are not worthy of any glory. And those of us have a benefit if we are so humiliated by what we've done. For there is strength in weakness.

Which takes me to this verse:
Luke 7
41 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

. . . . . .
47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

Answer 9

The Greek word that translates into the English word sin actually means "to miss the mark." Like shooting an arrow at a target and missing it. So, to fall short is to miss the mark.

May God Bless your Bible studies :-)

Answer 10

We are flesh not spirit.
Who was a perfect daughter or son at home?
Who is a perfect Father or Mother.
We all fall short.

As children of god we aren't to judge anyone, we're supposed to love everyone. When truly spiritual NOTHING matters on earth beyond the love of God.
If anything is important to you here especially silly things, so important that it dampens your love, then you have indeed fallen short.

Answer 11

The Glory of God is perfection.

We are made in Gods image originally. But the fall of mankind cut us short of the image of God. So? All sin & die spiritually (hardened conscience). Children are the nearest example of Gods Glory. Body, soul & conscience. Falling short is sinning, dieing spiritually, then dieing physically.

So? To see the Kingdom of God, you must be born again, born spiritually.

Then to be a child of God again, born again, is to be whole again: body, soul & spirit. So? When we abide in Christ, in Gods Love & Word, then we are conforming to the image of Christ who is the express Image of God.