James 2:10
For whoever keeps the whole Torah but stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

Wow, what are we supposed to do with this?
This is a bit scary, is it not?
What is James talking about here?
The mainstream churches teach us how to avoid trouble regarding this scripture:

Don’t put yourself back under the law, right?
If you don’t try to do any of the law, then you can’t fail at even one thing.
This is good news. 
As long as we don’t try to obey anything, we won’t be held accountable for anything. Easy-peasy.

Well, we have a problem, though.
Revelation 22:14 says who will be in the kingdom:
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

And Revelation 14:12 tells us who the saints are:
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

And Messiah says this:
John 14:15
 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

And scripture tells us this:
1John 2:3-6
³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

And John 3:36 tells us this:
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

And back to James again…
James 2:26
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

These verses all seem to be saying we must do something.
We must obey.
So back to the original thought…
What does James mean by this?
For whoever keeps the whole Torah but stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

He is not telling to avoid putting ourselves under the law.
There are many more scriptures than I’ve listed here that say we are to keep the commands of Yehova.

Here is what James is saying:
We need to follow Yehova completely, not partially.
We are not to obey the Torah for the parts we like, and ignore or reject the parts we don’t like.
I have met countless “Torah observers” who:
-work on the Sabbath
-work on the Appointed Feast Days
-choose not to wear tzitzits
-buy or sell on the Sabbath, causing others to work
-defile their temples
-and on and on and on

James is telling us that we cannot pick and choose what parts of the Torah we are willing to accept.
We must accept all of it or none of it.
We must choose to follow Yehova completely, not partially.
Remember this?
Revelation 3:15-16
¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. Oh, that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spew you out of My mouth.

Is James saying we must be perfect?
Is he saying we can never fail?
No, he is not saying that.
If we choose to follow the words and the ways of Yehova, but fail, then we are forgiven through grace when we repent.
But if we deliberately choose to ignore certain commands, then we have chosen to fail all of it.
Follow completely, not partially.
A partial commitment to Yehova is a failed commitment.

If we choose to reject any of the commands, it results in intentional sin.  What does scripture say about it?
Numbers 15:30-31
³⁰ “But the person who sins defiantly, whether native or outsider, reviles Adonai and that person is to be cut off from his people. ³¹ Because he has despised the word of Adonai and has broken His commandment, that person will certainly be cut off—his guilt will remain on him.”

Oohhh, that’s not good…
But no worries. It’s the Old Testament.
No longer applicable, right?
Check out Hebrews 10:26-31.
That’s New Testament.
That’s applicable…
²⁶ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Oh boy…
That’s new and applicable, and still not good for us people-types.
What’s the moral of the story?
Do as Messiah says:
 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

All of them, not just the ones we like.
Amen.