**Yes, even the thief needed saving. Everyone does. Hence, Christ’s sacrifice.**
The thief was faithful in his confession, but was still condemned to physical death. There was no need for him to offer a sacrifice (of course, he couldn’t anyway); the Christ was offering for all.
After Jesus Christ died, the temple curtain, that kept the holy place separate from everyone except the priests, was rent top to bottom. It’s symbolic of the Spirit now available to all that obey God’s call; and the Lord declared that souls must have his Spirit in order to be one with him.
The blood of Jesus Christ is applied to one’s soul by baptism in his name for the ‘remission of sins’ (Acts 2:38). It’s his command, nomatter what we think. Call it a test of faith, if you prefer.
The ‘heroes of faith’ had to follow God’s guidelines for faithfulness:
Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain.
Enoch walked with God.
Noah moved with fear, building the ark.
Abraham, being told to leave home ago to another country, obeyed.
etc.
The Temple curtain ripped at the entrance to the Holy of Holies, thus allowing direct access to God through Christ (no earthly mediator needed - another difference between Catholics and Protestants.) If water had any “salvific” powers, I’d be covered every time I took a bath! No, in fact, Christ explicitly stated that what is of the flesh is of the flesh, but one must be born again - in Spirit. (I posted this earlier, not sure where though.)