God has abundant grace and mercy. However, disobedience will not be tolerated indefinitely. God requires obedience. While some recognize this, others don't and so they refuse to be obedient and they suffer great hardship in life and... some even lose their souls. So obedience IS necessary.
However, here is where it get's sticky...
Everyone who believes in obedience has their own or their denominations silly little list of rules to obey. Some stick to the Ten Commandments (TCs). Some take the TCs and and add a few laws from the Law of Moses (LoM). Some take any combination of these and add their denomination's traditions with them. And yet others will add even their pastor's convictions.
Here's the shocker... they too have fallen from grace. Seeking to be justified by the law, or any other law, they fall from the grace of Christ Jesus.
So what does God desire us to obey? Love. The law of love. God desires two things and two things only...
Matthew 22:36-40
King James Version (KJV)
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
God desires that we:
1.) Love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
2.) That we demonstrate that love for Him by loving others as ourselves.
That's all. Done. Finished. Paul explained it like this...
Romans 13:9-10
King James Version (KJV)
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
"Love is the fulfilling of the law"... "even if there be ANY other commandment".
When we are judged as believers... all that will matter when we stand before Christ to be judged is if we learned to love; to really, really love. To love with abandon. To love without condition. To love at the sacrifice of self. To love with a love that transforms the lives of those around us. Or... did we get so caught up in our "marvelous works"??? Did we get all caught up in our interpretation of the law??? Did we claim to walk in grace and then use it merely as an opportunity to please the flesh and selfishly fail to love those around us???
So many will be shocked on the day of judgment. It will not be like any of us envision it being. Your life will be played before you and every thought, word, and deed will be reviewed and judged as to if it were "religious"... "selfish"... or "loving".
Friends... it's all about love.