New City Catechism, Week 13 (Question 13)

Q: Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?

Children’s answer

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

Adult/older children’s answer

A: 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.

Video explanation:

Song to assist with memorization:

Relevant Scripture to read:

Romans 3:10–12

None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

Children’s Activity (printable pdfs)

Younger Kids (pages 26 and 27)

Older Kids (pages 26 and 27)

Special thanks to Del Rey Church for sharing their New City Catechism kid resources with us!

Devotional questions for individual/family/group discussion:

  1. When did you first realize that you could not keep the law of God perfectly?

  2. Have you ever heard of the phrase “total depravity”? What does it mean? (If you’re not sure, here’s a helpful article).

  3. What is the difference between sins of “omission” and sins of “commission” - how does this distinction help you understand this catechism question and answer?

  4. How does understanding this question keep us from moving quickly to blaming others when we sin?

  5. Can you think of a time when you were surprised by something wrong that you did? Did this help to drive you to your need for Jesus?

For an additional “deeper” dive into this question and answer, check out this video from Dr. Michael Allen (which a few of the above questions are based on):