Unable or Unwilling?

If you go to church, you’ve probably heard it: “No one can keep God’s commandments— that’s why Jesus died.” It sounds humble and biblical. It isn’t.

Here are the two problems, up front:

It isn’t true. Scripture contradicts the slogan and never grounds the cross in that premise. We’ll see why.
It soothes, then sears, the conscience. It minimizes responsibility and trivializes God’s commands, keeping us stuck in the same sinful habits.

Sometimes this shows up as denial (“The commands are impossible”); other times as faux-humility (“If we could obey, Christ needn’t have died”). An honest reading finds no support for either—unless we contradict what God says about His commands or quietly revise what Jesus says about His death. Jesus calls that posture self-deception and unrighteousness (Matthew 7:21–27; Luke 6:46).

Do not mishear me:

I am not saying anyone is saved apart from Christ’s sacrificial death.
Jesus is the only way to life.
I am not saying we earn salvation by command-keeping.
We receive life by grace through faith, not by works.
I am not saying sinless perfection is attainable now.
We await glorification.

Hear what I am saying:

Scripture contradicts the blanket slogan, “No one can keep God’s commandments.”
Scripture does not say Jesus died because no one can keep them.
Those soundbites dull what the Bible actually says and comfort us with Satan's original lie.
Touch the slogan publicly and watch the reflex; observe tradition defending itself, not truth testing itself (it's a "pet doctrine").

These lines don’t deepen godliness; they blunt its sharp edge. They nudge us away from repentance and toward rationalization, away from obedience and toward excuse.

What follows will dismantle the fiction and show—straight from Scripture—that God’s people have kept His commands, and that His grace, by the Holy Spirit, still trains and empowers obedience today (Titus 2:11–12).

This is simple, not easy. Denying the flesh and disciplining heart and mind is real work. If past failure crushes you, remember: His mercy endures for ever and His grace abounds. Also remember: mercy and grace never nullify His call to obey. Grace meets us precisely here—pardoning sin and training us to renounce ungodliness and live faithfully in this present world (not after glorification).

Read with an open heart. Lay every excuse on the altar. Let the Word speak.

"We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."
— 2 Corinthians 6:1

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:5

A) Name the “Impossible” Command

1) Which specific command are you calling impossible?

(Write the exact verse reference.)

Burden of proof:
Identify when/where you faced this command and why obedience was beyond your actual ability in that situation—not beyond your inclination.

Reality Check: Beware of Excuses

No verse, no case. If you can’t name a command, the claim dissolves into a slogan.
If each command is “individually doable,” then saying the set is “collectively impossible” accuses God of designing a trap He denies designing.
Name a contradiction or retire the claim. Identify the smallest subset of commands you say cannot be kept together and show the concrete clash.

2) What concrete behavior does that command require next time it appears?

(Translate it into observable actions you could do in the next 24–48 hours.)

Examples for Step 2

Command → Concrete Behaviors:

“Love your enemies” (Matt 5:44) →
- Refuse retaliation when slighted this week.
- Pray for the person by name for seven days.
- Speak one truthful, honoring sentence about them to a third party.
“Do not lie” (Eph 4:25) →
- No half-truths in emails, resumes, or tax forms.
- Correct any misleading statement you made once you notice it.
- Decline to embellish stories for social approval.
“Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Col 3:13) →
- Decide not to rehearse the injury (no mental replay).
- Stop recruiting allies against the person (no gossip).
- Pray their good and, if wise, tell them, “I release this debt.”
“Do not covet” (Exod 20:17) →
- Replace comparison scrolling with a five-minute gratitude list.
- Celebrate another’s win publicly without undercutting remarks.
- Unfollow accounts that trigger envy for 30 days.
“Let no corrupt talk… but only what builds up” (Eph 4:29) →
- Don’t post/send snark; ask, “Will this strengthen the hearer?”
- Add one concrete encouragement to today’s toughest conversation.
- If you slip, follow up with an apology and a restorative word.
“Flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18) →
- Delete/restrict the apps/sites that fuel it.
- Put a visible device in shared spaces after 10pm.
- Text an accountability partner before you’re tempted, not after.

Optional “Collective Impossibility” Challenge

List the 3–5 commands you claim can’t be kept together.
Sketch a 24-hour scenario showing the alleged conflict (times, places, people).
Resolve or retract: If you can’t demonstrate an unavoidable clash, the “collective” claim is camouflage for unwillingness, not evidence of inability.

One-liners you can drop in the margin:

Vagueness is camouflage for disobedience.
If the law guides action, it can be done; if it can’t be done, it doesn’t guide.
Individually doable + collectively impossible = you’re calling God a trap-setter. He says otherwise.
Name it, frame it, show the clash—or drop the excuse.

B) Identify the Impediment

What exactly prevents you from obeying today?
- Lack of knowledge? (You now have the verse.)
- Physical limitation?
- Fear of loss / ridicule / cost?
- Desire you refuse to surrender?

Beware the Clever Smoke Screen:

“No single command is impossible, just the whole of them together.”
That isn’t humility—it’s a sanitized way of calling God a liar, because He says that His commands are neither beyond our reach nor burdensome... and then He names a long list of people who did what we claim is impossible.

It protects our pet sins and sedates our conscience while dodging the specific idol we refuse to surrender, trying in vain to hide it behind human frailty. In the end, it excuses nothing—it only exposes our refusal to obey.

Is this impediment stronger than God’s promised help?
- “My grace is sufficient for thee.” —2 Cor 12:9
- “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.” —1 Cor 10:13
- “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” —Acts 1:8
- “If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” —Rom 8:13

C) Consult the Witnesses

Does Scripture record anyone who obeyed this command?
- If yes, your claim of “impossible” weakens.
- If no, show the verse that exempts you.
Which promise of the Spirit’s power directly answers your impediment?
- List at least one (Gal 5:16; Eph 3:16; Phil 4:13).

D) Probe the Heart

If total secrecy were guaranteed, would you still disobey?
- Anonymity reveals whether “inability” is actually unwillingness.
If Jesus stood physically beside you, would you still say “I can’t”?
- Why or why not?
What benefit—comfort, image, control—does disobedience protect?
- Be specific.
Would you give up that benefit if it meant obeying Christ?
- If no, the issue is preference, not incapacity.

F) Expose the Excuse

“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” —Luke 6:46

Finish the sentence truthfully:
- “I choose not to obey because __________________________.”
How does this differ from Adam’s excuse (“The woman…”) or Saul’s (“I feared the people”)?
Does your idea of “grace covering sin” function as a license to keep this excuse alive?
- If so, you have turned grace into licence (Jude 4).

G) Challenge the “All-Commands-All-the-Time” Rebuttal

Claim: “No single command is impossible, but obeying all of them all the time is.”

Where does Jesus license partial obedience?
- Supply chapter and verse—or admit if none exists.
Does the Spirit dwell in portions or in fullness? —John 3:34; Eph 5:18
Is the real problem that you attempt obedience in your own strength instead of abiding? —John 15:4-5
What would change if you shifted from self-effort to Spirit-led obedience today?
- Describe one habit, thought, or relationship.

H) Confess and Repent

Confess the excuse you wrote in step 11.
Claim Titus 2:11-14—grace teaches and empowers holiness.
Commit to one measurable act of obedience within 24 hours, relying on prayer and the Spirit.
Invite a mature believer to ask next week, “Did you obey?”

I) Final Question

“Wilt thou be made whole?” —John 5:6
Your next move reveals whether “impossible” was fact—or convenient fiction.

Passages Showing People Did Keep God’s Commandments

(Real People Who are Called Righteous, Perfect, Holy, Blameless, Upright)

Important note:
Every verse below commends observable obedience—real choices God could point to in real time—not a mere “positional” status while the person remained disobedient.

Person / Group	Reference	Scripture Wording
Noah	Gen 6:9	“Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
	Gen 7:1	“…for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”
Abraham	Gen 26:5	“…Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
Job	Job 1:1	“That man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”
	Job 1:8; 2:3	“…a perfect and an upright man.”
Caleb & Joshua	Num 32:12	“…because they have wholly followed the LORD.”
David	1 Ki 15:5	“…turned not aside from any thing that He commanded him all the days of his life (save only… Uriah).”
King Asa	1 Ki 15:14	“Nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.”
King Hezekiah	2 Ki 18:3-6	“He… kept his commandments… departed not from following him.”
King Josiah	2 Ki 22:2; 23:25	“…turned not aside to the right hand or to the left… with all his heart… according to all the law of Moses.”
Jehoshaphat	2 Chr 17:3-6	“…his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD.”
Hezekiah (summary)	2 Chr 31:20-21	“…wrought that which was good… and prospered.”
Daniel	Dan 6:4	“They could find no occasion nor fault….”
	Dan 6:22	“…before Him innocency was found in me….”
Zacharias & Elisabeth	Luke 1:6	“…walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”
Mary	Luke 1:28,38	“Thou art highly favoured… Behold the handmaid of the Lord….”
Joseph (Mary’s husband)	Mt 1:19	“Joseph… a just man….”
Simeon	Luke 2:25	“A man… just and devout….”
Anna	Luke 2:37	“…served God with fastings and prayers night and day.”
Nathanael	John 1:47	“…an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”
Cornelius	Acts 10:2,22	“…devout… just… feared God… prayed… gave alms alway.”
Ananias (Damascus)	Acts 22:12	“A devout man according to the law….”
Joseph of Arimathea	Luke 23:50-51	“A good man, and a just….”
Early believers at Philippi	Phil 2:15	“…blameless and harmless… without rebuke….”
Paul (pre-conversion)	Phil 3:6	“…touching the righteousness of the law… blameless.”
Paul (post-conversion)	2 Tim 4:7	“I have fought… I have kept the faith.”
Thessalonian church	1 Th 2:10	“…how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved….”
	1 Th 3:13	“…stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness….”
New-Covenant believers (general)	1 Jn 2:3-5	“…if we keep his commandments… hereby we know….”
	1 Jn 3:7	“He that doeth righteousness is righteous….”
	Rom 6:17-18	“…ye have obeyed from the heart… became servants of righteousness.”
	Col 1:22-23	“…present you holy and unblameable… if ye continue….”
144,000	Rev 14:4-5	“…without fault before the throne….”
Church at Corinth (promise)	1 Cor 1:8	“…confirm you… that ye may be blameless….”
All obedient saints	Jude 24	“…present you faultless….”

Note on 1 John 1:8: John is confronting denial of past sin and the need for ongoing confession (1 Jn 1:9), not teaching perpetual disobedience; he immediately says, “These things write I unto you, that ye sin not” (1 Jn 2:1). Context is key, and it offers no excuses.

These passages prove that Scripture assigns terms like perfect, righteous, holy, blameless, and obedient in all things to real people—showing that God’s commands can be kept by those who walk in faith and Spirit-empowered submission.

Human strength alone cannot be perfect and holy,

but God has already removed the excuse of human frailty:

“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” —Matthew 19:26
“If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” —Mark 9:23

If ‘all things are possible’ somehow excludes obedience, then God Himself is the deceiver here. Are we willing to embrace that blasphemy, or will we finally admit the problem isn’t a perceived impossibility—it’s our unwillingness to believe what He says?

Choose you this day whom you will serve.

The Word has shown that obedience is possible, required, and Spirit-empowered.
Every “I can’t” is now silenced—“that every mouth may be stopped” (Romans 3:19).

You are not being tested on whether God’s commands are possible—you are being tested on whether you will obey. Disobedience is never inability—it's always unwillingness.

Lay down the last excuse and follow Jesus in wholehearted obedience—or admit you never intended to.
There is no third option.

On Man's Sin