For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23, KJV).
My initial instinct when approaching the verse was to go right for the red meat. The “all have” portion. That is the easy portion of scripture for me to tackle and carry across the finish line but the part that has seriously struck me when praying over this verse before starting is “glory of God” this is not simple. At least not in my mind. So, as I work through, I am asking what is it everyone has “come short” of attaining? What is the glory of God? The glory of God is His perfection, His manifold grace, His righteousness, His loving kindness, and on and on. You get the picture of who God is and how our desires cause us to fall short of that peace He provides. Our internal selves prevent us from having compassion for those without. Those hurting and beaten. This thing that is not an object but a desire that comes from within is something all of us deal with sin. Discussing this topic of “all have” breaks the barriers mankind puts up to protect some and judge others. God didn’t leave even a crack in the tile for us to point at someone else. Everyone deals with sin and not only deals with it but it creates a barrier between us and God that only Jesus could overcome. A falling short of being glorious as He is in all ways. It declares us as inept at being what we were created to be before the tragic fall in the garden. This verse levels the playing field of the world as it removes the opportunity to boast or falsely believe “all have” does not apply to someone.