Legal Perfection and Human Inability in Ecclesiastes

"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20). This text diagnoses humanity's universal condition: all are liable to sin and under its dominion.

Legal perfection requires perfect conformity of heart and life to God's commands. It demands: (1) perfection of principles—loving Adonai with all your heart (Matthew 22:37); (2) perfection of parts—no command omitted, whatsoever its nature (Galatians 3:10); (3) perfection of degrees—sincerity alone is insufficient; one must attain the highest pitch in everything; (4) perfection of duration—one transgression after a course of obedience mars all.

This perfection was attainable only in specific cases: Adam before the Fall possessed the capacity (Ecclesiastes 7:29). The God-man Christ alone actually achieved it. The saints in heaven now perfectly obey God's will (Hebrews 12:23). Yet since Adam's Fall, no mere human in this mortal life—neither by personal effort nor by present grace—can keep the law perfectly (James 3:2). This inability stems from corruption cleaving to every person in our present state (Romans 7:23).

The saints daily break God's commands through deed, word, and thought. They omit good deeds, speak what they ought not, and harbor wandering thoughts. Yet these daily failures, though real, do not constitute gross violations; Christ's indwelling Spirit preserves His people from such spots.