“For we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law). [The observance of the Law has nothing to do with justification.]” Romans 3:28 IOW – You can follow and obey the 10 commandments yet never be saved. Yet we need to uphold the 10 commandments because they keep us conscious of our sin so that we can confess/repent of our sin. In my experience the more unconfessed/unrepentant sin you have between you and the Lord the further you feel from Him and more susceptible and open you become to the wiles of the evil one.