Question 13: Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?

Answer: Since the fall, no mere human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly, but consistently breaks it in thought, word, and deed.

Kids Answer: Since the fall, no human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly.

Key Scripture: Romans 3:10-12

Additional Scripture: James 1:23-24; Romans 7:7-8; Galatians 5:1

“As a result of the fall we’re not just spiritually impaired but incapacitated. We’re not just weak; we have no innate power to obey God’s law and glorify Him. We’re estranged from our Creator, from one another, and from the rest of creation. In this spiritually disabled condition, we’re unable to obey God’s law not only in our actions and words, but even in our thoughts, attitudes, and motivations. As the prophet Jeremiah put it, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” And so we stand alienated and guilty before the holy God of heaven and earth.”

—Leo Schuster, Senior Minister, Christ the King Presbyterian Church

Questions to ask: (To help process the truth we learned. Ask yourself, a friend, your group, or your family questions to talk through it together)

• Why would God make rules we are unable to keep?

• What is the penalty for breaking God’s Law?

• If we could keep God’s Law perfectly, what would that accomplish?