NOTES for Rom 3:1-20
All people have become sinners, and therefore no one has the right to claim righteousness, much less exalt himself over anyone because of the “small” number of his sins. Even the relative gravity of sins must not become a pretext for self-exaltation, for sin is abhorrent regardless of its degree; moreover, that degree can change, and a small neglected sin inevitably tends to grow.
We are not justified by the law, but through it we come to know sin. We must remember that the law formulates rules that help us live and perceive the world. The law sets the standard toward which we should strive, but which often remains unattainable because of human sinfulness. People speak so easily and habitually of everyday sinful acts as something ordinary and even harmless, while sin is in fact an irrational, dark, and destructive force, like a bog. The law is a map of marshland, but if someone has lost his footing, a map cannot pull him from the mire. The Lord pulls him out.