1 John 1:7-8 — “…If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
The Apostle John here highlights two realities that seem to me are essential for a heart to heart fellowship among believers: a shared submission to Christ, that is, we are walking “in the light as he (God) is in the light”, and the presence of truth within us, that is, a shared honesty about our personal foolishness and corruption — we confess we have "sin". To the extent that one or both of these is missing, there will inevitably be division in the body of Christ because hearts aren’t yielded to Jesus or there is arrogance within because we are not owning up to our sinfulness.
For that matter, these two realities are actually indivisible. If we are walking "in the light", not only are we yielded to Christ but we will certainly see in that same light how much we stand in need of forgiveness and renewal.
In short, surrendered and honest hearts always get along.
