Salvation is a gift of God available to everyone but imparted only to those who repent and trust Jesus by faith for it. Salvation is never “automatically imputed” to sinners, nor is salvation ever forced upon individuals. The gift of salvation is always a choice. It was a choice by God to provide it and must be a choice by sinners to receive it.
God chose to save sinners because of His unconditional love for them. Because His holy nature requires sinless perfection for those dwelling in heaven, and His justice demands punishment for all sin, His unconditional love sent Jesus to the cross to resolve this dilemma. As God manifested in the flesh, Jesus’ life and death provided everything necessary for sinners to be saved. His sinless, perfect life, which was lived on behalf of all sinners, satisfied the Father’s righteous requirements for perfect, holy living. On the cross, Jesus willingly took the entire world's sins upon Himself, suffering their due punishment by shedding His innocent blood. Before taking His last breath, He proclaimed, “It is finished!” signifying the Father’s acceptance of His perfect sacrifice for sins, once and for all.
Sinners must accept Jesus’ gift of salvation by faith before it can be credited to them, despite Jesus doing everything necessary for its provision. This act of placing their faith in Jesus Christ for what He accomplished for them is what completes the redemption “transaction.”
Unless sinners willfully accept Jesus’ gift of salvation by faith, they remain in their sinful condition, unaffected by His provision on the cross. Without possessing salvation, individuals can only anticipate “a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries” when they die (Hebrews 10:27).
(See the Scripture References link at the top of the page.)
