God does not want robots. Our life is like a test to keep loving/obeying God no matter what our hardships.
Adam and Eve were thrown out...all creation was thrown out...but now through Jesus, the whole world and all creation would be reconciled to God...brought back in. However, there is a way to be brought back in, and that Way is by doing what Jesus says to be brought in.
We have to have faith that is not dead, but rather 'alive'. Our faith is alive because it has right action with it.
John the baptizer prepared the way for Jesus. That means the people who would 'hear' Jesus and be saved...they would have to first repent of their sins.
To say that we do not have to repent of sins to be saved would be to say John the baptizer, the prepare-er was just not needed.
We still have to prepare our hearts for Jesus to come to live there.
The Jews who believe Jesus and the Jews who were cut off for not believing in Jesus are proof of our salvation being that of FAITH and OBEDIENCE. See, it is a known fact that Jews are supposed to obey, but it was not a requirement at the time to have faith. Those Jews who had faith were allowed to come to Jesus, and the other Jews who did not have faith, they were cut off.
When Jesus was crucified, then all nationalities could come to him to be saved, even the the cut off Jews.
The only message one can rightly make is to say ALL are invited and even commanded...but they are not truly saved unless they have faith and obey.
You say not by water; however, the Father in heaven uses symbols and likes ceremonies. The water symbolizes washing by Jesus, and literal water symbolizes that SPIRITUAL TRUTH. We should still symbolically make the pledge to God to live a life dead to the sins of the world and arise out of that washing in obedience to Christ.
That is right; however, the saved who behave as the unsaved will also fall into the same judgment that is what the written Word of God says.