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In Romans 3:20, apostle Paul declares that “by the law is the knowledge of sin” (NKJV), which explains the law’s function in revealing and defining human sin. This verse is part of a more extensive discussion on justification and the futility of attempting to earn righteousness through the works of the law.
In the first part of Romans, Paul discusses the universal sinfulness of humanity, presenting a case against both Gentiles and Jews. In Romans 1, he shows how the Gentiles have sinned by rejecting God even though they have natural revelation. In Romans 2, he focuses his attention on the Jews who have the law but have not observed it. By the time he reaches Romans 3:19–20, he has cited several Old Testament quotations to stress that everyone is under sin. He concludes the section this way:
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 19–20, NKJV)
Paul uses the term law to refer to the Mosaic Law given to the Israelites. In Romans 3:20, Paul counters the idea that the law can declare a person not guilty (“justified”). As he says in the previous verse, the result of the law is “to show that the entire world is guilty before God” (Romans 3:19, NLT). The Jews regarded the law as a means of becoming righteous; however, Paul explains that a primary purpose of the law is to expose sin. It is “through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20; cf. Romans 7:7). The law cannot provide salvation or forgive sin. Only Jesus can do that (see Galatians 2:16).Because the knowledge of sin comes by the law, we can understand the following truths:
First, the law stipulated what sin is by distinguishing right from wrong. Without the law, sin would be left largely undefined. The law provided clarity, defining sinfulness and giving examples. Paul elaborates on this in Romans 7:7: “I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” Is coveting a sin? Yes, the law removed all doubt.
Second, the law exposed human inability and shortcomings. The law presented the perfect will of God for humanity. Its rock-solid, unchanging nature showed that no one measures up to its standard. Paul underlines this failure of mankind in Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (NKJV). Far from being a means to make oneself righteous, the law reveals human frailty and failure.
Third, the law convicts the conscience. With the realization that we cannot fulfill the law comes the knowledge that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. We are all lawbreakers. When we admit as much, our hearts are prepared to receive the gospel. Jesus lived the perfect life, fulfilling the law on our behalf (Matthew 5:17), and salvation is to be had through faith in Him. As Paul writes, “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).
In a way, the law incites people to rebel against it. Paul elaborates in Romans 7:8–9, 11:
But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment [not to covet], produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. . . . When the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. . . . For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.
Humans have an oppositional nature. Every time the law makes a demand, the flesh seeks a way to act contrary to it. This does not mean that the law is bad (see Romans 7:12), but it shows sin’s power over humanity. The law does not restrain sin; it exacerbates it. When faced with the law of God, we know we are sinners.Paul’s point in Romans 3:20 is that the law was never intended to be a basis for justification; rather, it is a means of revealing sin. The law defines sin, reveals human frailty, declares a person guilty, and provokes rebellion; thus, it is impossible for us to achieve righteousness by keeping the law. Righteousness is a gift of God by grace through faith in Christ.
