[60Gunner]

We, the human race, erred and have fallen, but Jesus gave forgiveness freely, without adherence to any creed, and without falling at His feet in abject worship.

...Provided we REPENT and ACCEPT the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

Repentence is a natural reaction to seeing the truth that one has fallen short of one's Divine potential. Forgiveness gives one a fresh start, but ultimate Salvation was understood by the early followers of Christ to mean Divine Union with God while still occupying an earthly body, not something promised in the hereafter based on the faith that Jesus was God incarnate.

Faith is necessary, because it gets you through times when mere human effort alone would not suffice. However, Salvation originally had an esoteric meaning, marred over the centuries by ignorance and petty competition among different sects of Christians. Salvation, to the Gnostics and other early Christians, meant what Samadhi means to Hindus; Onesness with the Spirit of God, realizing oneself as Sat, Chit, Ananda (Being, Consciousness and Bliss).