Q: Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
A: No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but does daily break them in thought, word and deed.
Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
We've picked apart the 10 commandments pretty extensively over the last several months. I think it's pretty clear to us now that no one is able to keep the law of God perfectly. This should not be a surprise to us. And it is definitely not a surprise to God. God always knew his people could not and would not keep the law. And God did not give us the law so that we could earn merit with him. It was not given as another path to salvation (keep that in mind! The law was given in the Old Testament AFTER God already saved his people through the exodus). Rather, it was given to show us his character and nature, it was given to us to show us our sin and our need for a redeemer, and it was given to us so that we can, as God's redeemed people, know how to strive to live for our own good, for the good of our neighbor, and for the glory of God. When we think about and examine the 10 commandments, we should be reminded deeply of our dependency upon Jesus Christ and his life of perfect obedience, and we should rejoice in knowing that the infinite Holy God has made his character known to us so that we, as finite beings, can know how we can live in a way that glorifies and enjoys God!