Is sin the reason that we can't walk and talk with God on Earth?

Short answer: It depends on who “we” refers to. Acts of sin cannot separate a believer in Christ from God. Trying to keep the law in order to be right with God is how this happens:

“For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's Grace.” Galatians 5:4.

For the sinner who knows that he is utterly powerless to free himself from his sins but looks utterly to Christ for salvation from those same sins, those acts of sin are our qualification for Christ's eternal salvation. He saves us from them all. Saviour from sins is His job description:

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.

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Looooooooong answer:)

Recall the Bible verse: "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"

This verse from Amos is often misinterpreted to mean: "How can you walk with God when you have sins?"

While this interpretation is true for those who are under Law which the verse was addressing, it is not so for we who are under Grace- Christ Himself. In Luke 24, Christ, after His resurrection, teaches us to read the Old Testament through the lens of His finished work of our salvation. Here's a link to what the verse means for us believers in Christ:

"Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" For believers in Christ, this is definitely not agreement with regard to sinless perfection which no man can achieve by human effort. In fact, according to our Saviour Jesus, in order to merit the kingdom of heaven (by your efforts), you have to be more righteousness of self (self-righteousness) than the Pharisees. See Matthew 5:20-

“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Also see Romans 3:20- “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.”

Depend on your strength to obey the law in the bid to be free of sins and sins will increase. In fact, this is why the law was given: Romans 5:20-

“The law was given so that sin would increase. But where sin increased, God’s grace increased even more.”

Human logic cannot comprehend God's Wisdom. For all their (self)righteous works and efforts at curbing sins, God's word refers to the scribes and Pharisees as “white-washed tombs" and “brood of vipers.” If this group who knew the law inside out could not by their self efforts/righteousness qualify for the kingdom of God, what makes us think that we can with our human effort/arm of flesh-driven attempts at law-keeping and doing good works? Isaiah 64:6 describes these righteousnesses that proceed from self as “a menstrual rag" in God's sight.

The words that Christ spoke before the Holy Spirit was given (all were under law at the time) and after His meeting with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 prompted Christ's disciples to ask a question which many churchgoers are not asking today:

“Who then can be saved?”

Thank God for the answer that Christ gave in Matt.19:26 - “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

So, Is sin the reason that we can't walk and talk with God on Earth? "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" It depends on what the agreement is all about. Abraham lied twice about his wife to save his own neck and slept with Hagar after God promised him Isaac through Sarah. But Abraham walked with God. Also, take a look at a cross-section of the reputation of those who followed Jesus Christ (the same yesterday, today and forever) everywhere when He walked the earth over 2,000 years ago- Mark 2:15-

“And as Jesus, together with His disciples, sat at table in his [Levi’s] house, many tax collectors and persons [definitely stained] with sin were dining with Him, for there were many who walked the same road (followed) with Him. And the scribes [belonging to the party] of the Pharisees, when they saw that He was eating with [those definitely known to be especially wicked] sinners and tax collectors, said to His disciples, Why does He eat and drink with tax collectors and [notorious] sinners?

17 And when Jesus heard it, He said to them, Those who are strong and well have no need of a physician, but those who are weak and sick; I came not to call the righteous ones to repentance, but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free from sin)."

See the New Living Translation of verse 17- “When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ has not changed. He is still walking with sinners who know that of themselves, they have no good in them, no matter how sins-free their lives seem to be at the moment.

To anyone who views "repentance" as human effort at being sinless, think about what Christ says in terms of what a Physician does. The weak and sick are helpless to do anything much less save themselves. The Parable of the Lost Sheep tells us what repentance is all about: agreeing/consenting to be carried all the way home on the shoulders of Christ our Shepherd after He found us in our sins. But like Peter before Satan sifted him and he denied Christ, many think they are strong and can overcome sins by themselves.

All of mankind fall in this category of "weak and sick," no matter how good we think we are. We need Christ to make us well. And in Him, we who agree with His assessment (regarding our utter helplessness to save ourselves from our sins and our utter need for Him as our Physician aka Saviour from sins) never remain the same because this is what Christ came to do:

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.

How can one continue to live in sin when He has Grace Himself (Jesus Christ) who came to save us from every kind of sin as his Saviour from sins? How can Christ be to you Saviour from sins if you stay away from Him because you think that your sins disqualify you from drawing near to Him? Let's take our blessed brains to church. God's Grace is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11 says of Him:

"God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing salvation for everyone."

Verse 14 of the same Titus 2 says: "He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

These verses show up those antichrist comments from even some pastors e.g. "You can't walk or talk with God if you have sins" or "So you are saying once we are saved, because the righteousness of Christ covers us we should continue to live in sin?”- as being utterly clueless about God's saving Grace who is Christ Himself. Saviour from sins is Christ's job description. How on earth can you utterly believe in Jesus Christ as your Saviour from sins and continue to live in sins? What is Christ doing in your life, then if you can be righteous by clenching your teeth to avoid sins? He is salvation from sins! To such who peddle that antichrist lie that says God will turn you away for sins that He sacrificed His own Son to save us from, we who have Christ as Saviour to the uttermost, even Saviour from sins ask:

"How does having cancer (sins) disqualify a helpless patient (sinner) from receiving treatment (salvation from sins) from the best Oncologist ever who just happens to be your own Father that loves you eternally?”

Saviour from sins is Christ's job description. And our contribution to this salvation is zero. Only believe. Let's take our blessed brains to church and by God's grace, stop following antichrist pastors who preach that same false doctrine that Satan preached to Eve in Eden:- that one can be sinless/godly aka be like God by human effort (arm of flesh) at doing anything at all as Eve was deceived into believing. See the forbidden fruit as a picture of the law which many churchgoers are feeding on in order to be godly in Romans 7:8-12 (MSG.) Just like the tree of the same name, the letter (law) which gives the knowledge of good and evil, kills.The reason why you and I are not wallowing in sins and facing death right now is because God did not allow us to get tempted beyond what we can bear. Just ask Peter who boasted in his ability to stand until Satan sifted him like wheat and he fell flat on his face three times. There is no good in man of himself.

Pride in the arm of flesh (human effort at being sinless) is what makes many think they can live sinless lives by their own power. Such prideful ones - like Judas who tried to restore himself after his betrayal of Christ- are unable to access the salvation from sins that we who believe have freely in Christ.

Many pridefully and foolishly put confidence in their useless arm of flesh (human effort) to curb sins in order to “not perish but have eternal life” - like Peter before he denied Christ three times. Others try to make things right with God after they sin- like Judas who was devoured through the accusations of Satan the accuser. Judas got depressed and suicidal from his efforts. The arm of flesh will fail. This dependence on self/arm of flesh for righteousness, subsequent failure and the ensuing accusations of guilt by Satan the accuser is why many churchgoers and even non-believers are depressed and suicidal today. Before Satan can kill and destroy, he first has to steal the word that tells us how we are made righteous in God's sight- Romans 5:9-

“And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

Such who do not believe this truth but think that their right-standing before God or their ability to walk or commune with God depends even the tiniest bit on their human ability to be sinless only pay lip-service to Christ. Doing so is what it means to "exalt themselves against the knowledge of God." God's word says human effort (the arm of flesh) will fail, cannot help any attain righteousness and that there is no good in man of himself: Romans 7:18-

"For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it."

But Pride in the arm of flesh that will fail exalts itself against the knowledge of God and says:

"No, I can. God must be wrong. I have some good in me to overcome sins, produce good and enough will-power to keep the Law."

Reminds one of Peter believing that Jesus was wrong concerning the issue of his then upcoming denials. Such are like a drowning man who can neither swim nor save himself with his arm of flesh; he claims that he is being saved by the Lifeguard but he rejects the help of the lifeguard by trying to save himself from drowning in sins and keeps on striving to stay afloat and be saved by his useless arm of flesh. Such are cut off from the Lifeguard and will die in their sins if they don't stop their useless human striving and trust utterly in the Saviour for salvation-

“For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's Grace.” Galatians 5:4

Beloved of God, lets not be found here. Christ Himself tells us in (John 6:43-46) what He is doing in the life of every believer:

“Jesus said, “Don’t bicker among yourselves over Me. You’re not in charge here. The Father who sent Me is in charge. He draws people to Me—that’s the only way you’ll ever come. Only then do I do My work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End."”

Beloved of God, how can these two things - being saved from sins/put together by Christ AND continuing to live in sin - how can they co-exist? How can the blind receive sight from Christ and continue to be blind? Believers, run from any pastor that posits this kind of horrid antichrist argument that says that righteousness in Christ is licence to commit sin or that your sins which Christ came to save you from disqualifies you from going into His presence to "receive mercy and find grace" to help in time of your need. What a horrid antichrist doctrine it is. Let's take our blessed brains to church. See Hebrews 4:14–16:

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Notice "receive mercy" and "find grace…? We receive mercy when we escape the punishment that we very much deserve and find grace (undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour) when we get the good things that we most certainly do not deserve.

Not every gathering in God's name is the “assembly of the brethren.” Any assembly that portrays Christ as Punisher of sins and not Saviour from sins for the helpless sinner is not of Christ. Key point being "helpless." Those who think they are good or can produce an iota of righteousness by themselves (exalting themselves against the knowledge of God like the antichrist Pharisees) cannot walk with Him. Romans 5:6 says of our Saviour Jesus Christ-

"For when the time was right, the Anointed One came and died to demonstrate His love for sinners who were entirely helpless, weak, and powerless to save themselves.”

Beloved of God, notice that Christ came to save those who are "entirely helpless, weak, and powerless to save themselves."

Those who (like the Pharisees who depended on their will-power at obeying the law in order to be godly,) think they are good, not that bad and need less saving than "core sinners" cannot enjoy Christ's salvation. He is Saviour to the uttermost. He came for the ENTIRELY helpless. In reality, that covers everyone descended from Adam. Of ourselves, there is no good in anyone of us.

Christ is Saviour. He saves from the cancer of sin and the death that follows. For all who believe in Jesus Christ, God the Righteous Judge sees us as righteous, "even though we are guilty of many sins"- Romans 5:16-

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.”

It is because of those sins that He came- to save us from them all. So how on earth can a believer continue to wallow in sins when He is in Christ? Any churchgoer with this false reasoning simply does not believe in Jesus Christ - that He saves from sins. Beloved of God, beware of “spiritual wickedness in high places” pastors whose trade is describing the truth of Grace (God's word!) as “blasphemy”/“license to sin.” Such point out sin and ungodliness in man and then promote the attainment of righteousness/godliness (be like God) by human effort aka the arm of flesh. This is the same seemingly good but deathly false doctrine that Satan used to deceive Eve in Eden.

Peddlers of this false doctrine never point you to Jesus Christ the Tree of Life who gave His life to make us godly/righteous in God's sight (Romans 5:9) and to free us from every kind of sin (Titus 2:14.) Rather, as Satan did with Eve, they imply that you whom Christ suffered and died to make like Himself (like God- Isaiah 53:11) are not godly. In your quest to attain godliness aka "be like God," they point you to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, a type of the law which gives the same knowledge (Romans 7:8-12.) Such preach that God's abundance of Grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ are license to sin. But the word of God whose ways and thoughts are higher than man's says differently. His word says receiving His abundance of Grace and His gift of Righteousness to us in Christ is the Way to live in triumph over sin and death:

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:16-17.