What is the "glory of God" in Romans 3:23? In a gospel presentation, we might use Romans 3:23: &quot;for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.&quot;
What have sinners fallen from, exactly, with regards to the glory of God?
The verse wasn't meant to be understood as fallen from a high moral state, or fallen short of a good reputation in the community, for example.
I'd like answers from the perspective of those who ascribe to the Apostle's Creed.
Romans 3:23-26 (KJV): For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Q – What is the Glory of God?
The Lord God Almighty is the King of Glory, according to Psalm 24:7-10.  He is glory personified.  His whole being is unimaginably glorious. Glory is part of his eternal being, power and majesty.  Psalm 24 pictures the coming of the King of glory in a time of celebration. Given the Hebrew association of the cloud of glory with the Ark of the Covenant, it is quite possible that Psalm 24 was written to commemorate the entrance of the Ark into Jerusalem during David’s time (2 Samuel 6:12–17) or into the temple during Solomon’s time (2 Chronicles 5:7).
Jesus is called “the Lord of Glory” in 1 Corinthians 2:8. The gospel message is God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that was hidden from the rulers of this age.  Had they understood it, they would not have crucified Christ Jesus, “the Lord of glory”.
Hebrews 9:5 speaks of the Cherubim of Glory. Between the two winged figures made of pure gold, of one piece, the glory of God’s presence appeared over the ark of the Testimony:

There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites. (Exodus 25:17-22)


When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the cover on the ark of the Testimony.  And he spoke with him. (Numbers 78:89)

A – The Glory of God is His holy and sinless Presence
Q – What have sinners fallen from or come short of?
There is no sin in God because it is the very antithesis of His nature. God hates sin because He is holy and holiness is the most exalted of all His attributes (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). His holiness totally saturates His being.  His holiness epitomizes His moral perfection and His absolute freedom from blemish of any kind.
God hates sin because it separates us from Him: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2) It was sin that caused Adam and Eve to run away from God and hide “among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). Sin always brings separation, and the fact that God hates sin means that He hates being separated from us.  His love demands restoration, which in turn demands holiness.
God hates sin for the same reason that light hates darkness and truth hates a lie.  Sin blinds us to the truth.  Sin lessens our love for God.  Sin enslaves us and will destroy us:  “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16)  Sin grieves the Spirit of God: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
A – Sinners fall short of God’s holiness, and it is because of our sinful condition that we have been separated from God and, without faith in the shed blood of Christ Jesus, are utterly unable to enter into the presence of God.
P.S. I can say &quot;Amen&quot; to the &quot;Apostles Creed&quot;