as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Ps 103:12
Our God is a God who forgives. He does not hold our sins against us. If you are in Christ, you do not need to pay for your past sins, your current sin, or your future sins. God has forgiven you, not on the basis of your works. You are clearly sinful and need forgiveness. Rather, He has forgiven you based on Jesus’ work.
God’s forgiveness is not universal. It is, as the Psalmist goes on to say in the next verse:
as a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
Ps 103:13
In order to receive forgiveness, we must fear the Lord. Fear does not solely refer to fear of judgment, though God is our Judge. Fears primary use in this context is that of reverence for the Lord. To revere the Lord, we must recognize Him for who He is — our Creator, Sustainer, Provider, Judge, Lord, all wise, loving, caring Father who shows steadfast love, but does not pardon the guilty.
Those who revere God desire to honor and glorify Him with their life by living according to His wisdom and purposes. They turn from self to God, understanding salvation is found in Him alone. Only Jesus could die in our place as our substitutionary sacrifice. Only Jesus could atone for our sins, repairing our relationship with the Father. Only Jesus could allow the Father to remain holy while He forgives our sins, not holding them against us, separating them from us as far as the East is from the West.
Do you fear the Lord? Or are you attempting to pay for your sins with your own works?
Christianity Matters 
Our sins are really forgiven IF we do not PRACTICE SIN. If we do not put forth a sincere heartfelt effort to listen to and obey God’s standards, principles, and laws set out in His Word the Bible we cannot expect God’s forgiveness if we say we love the Bible but live like we never opened it.
You are right. If we call ourselves a follower of Jesus, we must actually follow Jesus, living according to God’s will for our life. As the Psalmist points out, we must fear the Lord. That is the condition for forgivenesses. It is us fearing the Lord. Which would result in us recognizing Jesus as our Lord and our Savior. It is not our works that save us, but Jesus’ work on our behalf.