Romans 3:23
Romans 3:2323for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
JWs acknowledge universal sinfulness but treat it as the starting point for a works-based recovery programme. Because all have sinned, all must now earn their way back through accurate knowledge, field service, meeting attendance, and organisational loyalty. The verse is used to establish the problem, but the Watchtower's solution adds conditions that Paul's own argument explicitly excludes.
is the hinge of Paul's prosecution. After establishing that both Gentiles () and Jews () stand guilty, he delivers the verdict: "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The very next verse provides the remedy: "being justified as a free gift by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (). Paul's solution to universal sin is not a performance programme but a gift received through faith (). — "the doers of the law will be justified" — states a principle Paul himself says no one meets (3:10, 3:20). The doers of the law would be justified if there were any. That is why we need Christ's righteousness credited to us.