Can the law justify? (Romans 3:20 vs. Romans 2:13)

Introduction to the Subject

The question “Can the law justify?” draws special attention to Romans 3:20 versus Romans 2:13. On the surface, these verses can appear to conflict with one another. Romans 3:20 states, “Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.” Meanwhile, Romans 2:13 reads, “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.” This entry examines both passages, their immediate contexts, and their place in the broader teaching of Scripture. The aim is to explain whether the law can, in fact, justify humanity before God.

Context of Romans 3:20

Romans 3:20 appears in a passage where the apostle Paul underscores universal human guilt. Leading up to this statement, Paul has surveyed humanity—both Gentiles (Romans 1:18–32) and Jews (Romans 2:1–3:8)—showing that all have sinned and stand condemned under the righteous judgment of God. He stresses that the law, while it reveals God’s holy standards, also highlights humanity’s sinfulness.

By saying “no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law,” Paul clarifies that merely trying to fulfill the demands of the Mosaic Law cannot produce the righteousness required for salvation. Rather than providing a pathway to self-attained righteousness, the law makes sinners aware of their guilt: “For the law merely brings awareness of sin” (Romans 3:20). This basic premise is consistent with Paul’s explanation in Galatians 2:16, where he writes, “By works of the law no one will be justified.”

Context of Romans 2:13

In Romans 2:13, Paul states, “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.” This passage appears in a section where Paul confronts the presumption among some Jewish readers that merely possessing or hearing the law gives them a privileged status.

His message is that having the law in one’s possession—or observing its ceremonies without genuine obedience—cannot lead to righteousness. It is perfect obedience to the law that would, in principle, lead to justification. Yet, as Paul will make clear in the subsequent chapters, no one actually achieves this perfect, sinless obedience (Romans 3:10, “There is no one righteous, not even one”). Thus, Romans 2:13 gives the principle—obedience to the law would bring righteousness—but the reality, fleshed out elsewhere, is that no human being successfully accomplishes this without sin.

Harmonizing the Passages

Romans 2:13 describes the hypothetical situation: if one truly did the law perfectly, then justification by the law would follow. Romans 3:20 affirms that in practice, no one keeps the law flawlessly. Consequently, no one is justified by the law’s works because everyone fails to meet its standards (see also James 2:10, which notes that stumbling in one point of the law leads to guilt of breaking it all).

Paul’s entire argument in Romans is that both Jew and Gentile alike need something beyond themselves—a righteousness that does not come from their own works, but from God, “apart from the law,” given by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21–24). These seemingly different viewpoints in Romans 2:13 and Romans 3:20 unite to stress humanity’s universal shortfall and the necessity of Christ’s perfect righteousness in place of our own imperfect attempts.

Historical and Textual Reliability

Early manuscripts such as the papyrus P46 (circa AD 200) and codices Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus, among others, align with the text that underscores these teachings. The consistency among thousands of Greek manuscripts supports that Paul’s message about the impossibility of justification through the law has been preserved accurately. Even critical textual scholars affirm that the differences among biblical manuscripts do not affect core doctrine or Paul’s emphasis on grace and faith.

The Role of Faith and Grace

Romans 3:24–25 continues, “and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood…”. Here, justification comes by faith in Christ’s atoning work, not by personal works of the law. This aligns with the argument in Ephesians 2:8–9, which states that salvation is by grace through faith, “not by works, so that no one can boast.”

The Jews (and anyone else) who read the law’s requirements must realize that they cannot accomplish these demands on their own. However, Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly (Matthew 5:17), and through faith in Him, believers receive the righteousness He achieved. The law finds its completion in Christ, meaning that its ultimate purpose is accomplished in Him (Romans 10:4).

Practical Implications for Believers

1. Humility

Recognizing that the law cannot justify fosters humility before God. No individual can claim moral superiority or rely on a lifetime of good works. This understanding encourages believers to trust in the finished work of Christ.

2. Dependence on Grace

Believers depend not on self-generated effort for salvation but on God’s grace. Such reliance changes one’s motivation: obedience flows from a grateful heart rather than from trying to earn favor or salvation.

3. Ongoing Sanctification

The believer, having been justified by faith, is now enabled by the Holy Spirit to walk in obedience, growing in holiness. While these good works do not secure salvation, they are an important fruit of genuine faith (James 2:17–18).

4. Fulfillment in Christ

The standards of the law direct our gaze to Christ, who provided the only perfect obedience. Consequently, believers find their standing in the righteousness He supplies, rather than attempting to achieve their own.

Conclusion

When Romans 2:13 and Romans 3:20 are read together in their context, the overarching message is clear: although perfect obedience to the law in theory would justify a person, in practice no one attains this standard. Thus, the law exposes sin. It cannot justify; it can only highlight human need for a Savior. Christ alone provides a way to righteousness before God, as He fulfills the law on behalf of all who believe.

Scripture, tested and confirmed through centuries of manuscript evidence, archaeological support, and historical validation, consistently teaches that our justification comes through faith in Christ rather than by the work of the law. Far from conflicting, Romans 2:13 and Romans 3:20 address complementary truths: the law’s perfect standard and humanity’s universal inability to meet it. This contrast funnels all who truly examine themselves under the law to seek justification by faith in Jesus Christ.