Which "All" Sinned? Rom 3:23-24 Reconsidered

Because is a rather elastic pronominal adjective, the sense and scope of "all" must be carefully handled in context. The expression "all have sinned" in Rom 3: 23 is tightly focused on "all who believe" in Rom 3: 22, thus making more of Jew-Gentile relations in the early church than providing a prooftext of universal condemnation. Such a recognition also helps clarify that 3: 24 is from Paul rather than traditional material. While it is undoubtedly true Paul sees the whole of humanity as condemned (cf. Rom 5: 12), the scope of "all" is without distinction more than it is without exception.