Romans 3:19

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

Context: To understand the verse better, it’s important to consider the context. In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul is addressing the Jews and Gentiles in Rome, explaining the righteousness of God and the need for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Purpose of the Law: In this verse, Paul acknowledges that the law (referring to the Mosaic law given to the Israelites) speaks to those who are under the law. The purpose of the law was to reveal God’s standard of righteousness and to show that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, are guilty before God because they have failed to meet His perfect standard.

Every Mouth Stopped: The phrase “that every mouth may be stopped” signifies that the law serves as a means to silence all claims of self-righteousness or justification based on works. No one can boast or claim to be righteous before God by following the law, because the law exposes our inability to perfectly keep it.

Guilty Before God: The verse concludes by stating that “all the world may become guilty before God.” This emphasizes the universal guilt of humanity due to sin. The law reveals our sinful nature and shows that we fall short of God’s standards, leaving us in a state of guilt and condemnation.

The Need for Salvation: This verse sets the stage for the following verses in Romans, where Paul explains the need for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. He goes on to highlight that righteousness is not attained by works of the law but through faith in Jesus, who fulfilled the law on our behalf and offers forgiveness and justification to all who believe in Him.