What must a person do for God's declared reconciliation and pardon to count, and what kind of faith does it take?

Les explains that when Christ died, He took care of all the sins of the world, so every human being has already been declared reconciled and pardoned so far as God is concerned. But that declared reconciliation and pardon does not automatically save everyone. Just as Israel rested on the root and fatness of Abraham, the man of faith, yet most Jews were not believers, so Gentiles now have a place of privilege, blessing, and opportunity to hear the Gospel and be saved, but not every Gentile will be saved. Each Gentile has opportunity and will be held responsible at the great white throne, unable to claim they never had a chance. The key is that a person must appropriate what God has declared with the kind of faith Abraham had, which was relatively simple. Until they do, it is all for nothing. Les stresses that God does not look for someone who knows the Bible from cover to cover before he can be saved, nor is He looking for some primary example of holy living before He can save.