Keeping All The Commandments

Many in our Church culture believe that one must keep all the commandments in order to be saved in an almost legalistic fashion the letter of the law must be obeyed.  And often the spirit of the law is forgotten.
For example the letter of the law says that the penalty for adultery is death but we no longer enact such punishments, but why?  Is it out of forgiveness?  I think that since such offenses are more often than not held against a person long after the fact it is not out of forgiveness that we overlook such penalties.
And working on a Sunday is also a capitol offense in scripture yet we do not carry out such advised punishments.  Many look down on women especially who work and work on Sundays. Under the banner of taking care of the family as women's primary role.
But maybe it's the fact that these Biblical laws and punishments are against modern laws that we defer instead to the authority of the state and nation.
But how can we keep the commandments if we do not see to the punishments being enacted?
I would say that we should pay more attention to how Christ handled such situations to better understand what it means to keep the commandments.
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 neighbor as thyself.
⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  Matthew 22:37-40
Maybe this idea of agape or unconditional love being the basis for all commandments is why Jesus spared an adulteress caught in the act.
³ And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
⁴ They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
⁵ Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
⁶ This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
⁷ So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
⁸ And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
⁹ And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
¹⁰ When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
¹¹ She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.  John 8:3-11
So we can forgive and we can try again to keep the commandments when we have broken them as we can become clean again after having dirtied ourselves.
And there is the danger of thinking that if we check off all the boxes next to a list of commandments we are righteous when we may infact be missing the whole point of these commandments.
¹⁰ Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
¹² I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
¹³ And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.  Luke 18:10-14
A humble attitude and repentance allows a sinner to absolve himself and become clean again in the Temple of all places!
But another point is that the Pharisee who checks off all his boxes of commandments is still missing the whole point of all those commandments.  Love, forgiveness, repentance and being humble is more important than the attitude of checking off boxes as if it's a packing list.
²⁵ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
²⁶ Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
²⁷ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
²⁸ Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
²⁹ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,  Matthew 23:25-29
So it is the spirit of the law that gives the letter of it true power.  If you have the spirit with you then you have the power of the commandments within you as well.  It is not about doing at least this much, following the commandments, it about doing the most and following the spirit of the commandments.
One can get a Temple recommend by answering truthfully all the questions that are asked in an interview but one can still be lacking the spirit of all the commandments.  For example; you can bey the word of wisdom and pay your tithing but if you do not feed the hungry or visit the prisoner or provide drink to those that thirst you may be missing some of the most fundamental doctrines that Jesus preached.
³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.  Matthew 25:34-46
So it's not that obeying the commandments is missing the point, it's how you think of them that is a make or break issue.  We can not be concerned with outward signs of righteousness and forget the spirit of the law, which according the Jesus is love for God and love for all His children.
We cannot obey the letter of the law if we break the spirit of it.
Jesus compared hate to murder and lust to adultery, He said that we must forget our sacrifices to God and heal the rifts between us and those we are angry with before our sacrifices and gifts will be accepted.
So He is holding us to an even higher account than we might at first think.  He is asking us to forgive 77 times (or an infinite number) and be the most forgiving person rather than like Lamech who said he would be avenged 77 times(or an infinite amount of punishment for a limited sin.)
He is forgiving but also asks more of us than many think is practical or possible.
When describing what His disciples would be known by, what would signify true discipleship Jesus said this:
³⁴ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35
That Christ-like love is what will signify to Christ whether or not you truly follow Him.
Praying to seek confirmation of truth, asking to receive the gift of discernment will help you verify whether or not you're on the right track, or if I'm on the right track for that matter.  And asking how does the letter of the law match up with the spirit of the law will help guide your actions towards the best direction.