I John 1:6-7

I John 1:6: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
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.”

You cannot walk with God and hold onto your sins; it is one or the other. There is no salvation apart from repentance. You must ask for forgiveness for your sins if you want to have fellowship with God. If you leave the darkness and walk in the light – that is, if you choose a path of holiness and righteousness, as the Lord gives you grace – then you will have fellowship with God. However, if you choose to hold fast to your sins, then you will not have fellowship with God. It is as simple as that.

Many claim that they can have it both ways, but that is a lie. John is quite straightforward about this: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth”. You simply cannot have fellowship with God if you are holding onto your sins. If you want to have a relationship with God then you need to pursue holiness. There simply is no other way.

This does not mean that we will never sin, as John goes on to explain in other verses. But there is a huge difference between holding onto your sin for dear life, and praying earnestly for the grace to “lay aside the sin that so easily besets us”.

Works do not and cannot save you. However, true belief will always result in a changed life and a pursuit of holiness. A belief that does not result in a longing for holiness is not true belief at all. Those who love their sins and hold onto them and sneer at holiness are not saved, no matter what they might claim. You cannot cling to darkness and have fellowship with God.