Must we believe that Jesus is God in order to receive forgiveness of sin and eternal life?

I don’t believe that knowing Jesus as God is a prerequisite to salvation by faith as one may enter into covenant relationship by grace (unmerited favor) through faith (trusting-believing) that Jesus is Lord who died to pay their sin-debt – BUT – the most important sign that one has been redeemed and their faith is valid and true having received the Holy Spirit as Guarantor of covenant relationship is not only a changed life seeking righteousness but the fact that during sanctification, where the Holy Spirit imparts divine wisdom into the life of the faithful in Jesus, they will come to KNOW without doubt that Jesus is God, Elohim, and they will understand the necessity for this divine truism as this knowledge is one KEY that differentiates the Christian from every religion, cult, sect, in the World today.