Albert Barnes Commentary Romans 3:20

"because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for through the law [cometh] the knowledge of sin." — Romans 3:20 (ASV)

By the deeds of the law. By works, or by such deeds as the law requires. The word law has, in the Scriptures, a great variety of meanings. Its strict and proper meaning is a rule of conduct prescribed by superior authority. The course of reasoning in these chapters shows the sense in which the apostle uses it here.

He evidently intends to apply it to those rules or laws by which the Jews and Gentiles professed to live, and to affirm that no one could be justified by any conformity to those laws. He had shown in Romans 1 that the heathen, the entire Gentile world, had violated the laws of nature—the rules of virtue made known to them by reason, tradition, and conscience. He had shown the same in Romans 2:1-3:29 with respect to the Jews.

They had equally failed in rendering obedience to their law. In both these cases, the reference was not to ceremonial or ritual laws, but to the moral law, whether that law was made known by reason or by revelation. The apostle had not been discussing the question whether they had yielded obedience to their ceremonial law, but whether they had been found holy, i.e., whether they had obeyed the moral law.

The conclusion was that in all this they had failed, and therefore they could not be justified by that law. That the apostle did not intend to speak of external works only is apparent, for he all along charges them with a want of conformity of the heart no less than with a want of conformity of the life.

See Romans 1:26, 29-31; Romans 2:28–29. The conclusion is therefore a general one: that by no law, made known either by reason, conscience, tradition, or revelation, could anyone be justified; that there was no form of obedience that could be performed that would justify people in the sight of a holy God.

There shall no flesh. No one; no human being, either among the Jews or the Gentiles. It is a strong expression, denoting the absolute universality of his conclusion. (See Barnes on Romans 1:3).

Be justified. Be regarded and treated as righteous. No one will be regarded as having kept the law, and as being entitled to the rewards of obedience. (See Barnes on Romans 1:17).

In his sight. Before him. God sits as a Judge to determine people's character, and He will not declare anyone to have kept the law.

For by the law. That is, by all law. The connection shows that this is the sense. Law is a rule of action. The effect of applying a rule to our conduct is to show us what sin is. The meaning of the apostle clearly is that the application of a law to test our conduct, instead of being a ground of justification, will merely show us our own sinfulness and departures from duty.

A person may consider themselves to be very right and correct until they compare themselves with a rule, or law; so, whether the Gentiles compared their conduct with their laws of reason and conscience, or the Jew their conduct with their written law, the effect would be to show them how far they had departed.

The more closely and faithfully it is applied, the more they would see it. So far from being justified by it, they would be more and more condemned. Compare Romans 7:7-10. The same is the case now. This is the way in which a sinner is converted; and the more closely and faithfully the law is preached, the more it will condemn them and show them that they need some other plan of salvation.