“Well, in the most technical sense, under the grace of the New Covenant, they are ALL optional as far as salvation is concerned. And ALL OF US will FALL SHORT of them, and NO ONE can save themselves through the law.”
God’s word disagrees with you:
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel(law) of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The gospel of Christ is the New Covenant(law).
Now, those who are saved by Grace will not continue to live a lifestyle opposed to the Commandments however. Really appears as though you are absurdly legalistic in your interpretation. Perhaps you are surrounded by those who flaunt and take advantage of Grace. Both mindsets are wrong.
There is one far more legalistic than I. Here is what He said about His new covenant or law:
John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
1 John 2:3-5 “ And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
Not only that, it is His word(law) by which we will be judged for the good we have done or bad.
John 12:48 “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
2 Cor. 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
You totally misunderstand God’s grace. His son’s commandments aren’t optional. They are law. They are the new covenat. They are the New Testament which is sometimes called: The law of Christ(Gal 6:2).The law of the Spirit (Rom. 8:2).
Try as you may but you nor I can get around God’s Law. We will be judged by it and we must live by it.
John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
Walking with Christ means obeying him just as He obeyed His Father.