Perhaps Joshua needs to be brought into the discussion.
In the OT how were folks to approach God? Was it not through the temple and bringing service, offerings, and duty to the temple?
So, when Joshua gives the people a choice, it was NOT concerning the salvation of individuals, but the salvation of the households, the tribes, the nation by continuing to the aspects of temple worship with a true heart of devotion and service.
This is clearly shown in the context of the passage as Joshua points out the service done to foreign Gods in contrast to that of the Lord.
14“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of
[d]the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!
15And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that
were on the other side of
[e]the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
16So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lordto serve other gods;
17for the Lord our God
is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed.
18And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He
is our God.”
19But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He
is a holy God. He
is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
20If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.”
21And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!”
22So Joshua said to the people, “You
are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him.”
And they said, “
We are witnesses!”
23“Now therefore,”
he said, “put away the foreign gods which
are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”
24And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!”
25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.