Indeed, we must examine ourselves to bring a clean heart before God, in order to preserve fellowship with Him on a daily basis.
This is different than the judicial judgement upon Christ that is applied to each believer at the moment of salvation. Both our nature as sinners and all our sins were judicially dealt with at the cross and we were declared righteous in Him. It is on this basis alone - not works - that a Christian is sealed by the Holy Spirit to salvation.
"Having been declared righteous, then, by faith, we have peace toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have the access by the faith into this grace in which we have stood, and we boast on the hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1,2)
I see salvation happening at the end of our journey in this life. I have seen far too many 'born again' folks fall away - they were 'sealed' for nothing. I also see living my faith as 'works' - doing, as the Lord taught:
Matt 7:24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." 28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.