I hear it said often, that our salvation is based on forgiveness, that all we need is forgiveness. However forgiveness is not sufficient – we are called to repent from your wicked life and then live a life that is perfect, and God will give you a helper (the Holy Spirit) to help you achieve that.
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48 NIV)
and Jesus made it clear that not all who call him Lord will enter the Kingdom of God:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
Matthew 7:21-23 NIV
and when he rebuked the churches at the beginning of Revelations:
“So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
Revelation 3:16 NIV
Our salvation is based on forgiveness, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, however we are then expected to stop sinning and live a life obeying Jesus’ teachings, we can not expect to inherit eternal life if we don’t .
“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.”
1 John 3:10 NIV