>>127797
Good to hear that, OP. I will answer to some points you have made in your posts, fell free to ask any questions you have.
> I'd still consider it a great source of wisdom but foolishness to put all your trust in it alone
The Bible is a very long and complex book, and even if it is the infailable word of God (we assume it is), it's virtually impossible to study it by yourself, without the help of other people/other sources. Take a look at Judaism and Islam, for example: The first has the Torah as its central text, but it also has the Talmud, The Qabbalah, The Mishna and The Zohar to give you a solid foundation to help you understand the faith in its fullest; the Torah alone is insufficient for us to understand judaism. In Islam we have the Quran as the central text, but we also need (the quran itself tells us this) Hadith and Sunnah to fully understand the message of Allah.
The same logic applies to Christianity. The Bible, specially The Gospel, is its central source and infailable scripture, but to fully understand it we need to rely on other texts, and that is why we need Patristics (the works of the early christians, the Church Fathers), cathecism and the wrintings of the Saints, like Thomas Aquinas. Everybody who tells you to rely on the Bible alone is a fool and it will inevitably lead to wrong interpretation.
>salvation minimum
Beleive in the Gospel, repent and, if you can get baptized. To put it simply, the Gospel is that Jesus is The Messiah who came to atone for our sins, He died on the cross and after three day He rose again. It is, essencially, the apostles creed.
>there is a lot of complicated stuff I need to know
Not really. Remeber that most christians were illiterate and never studied the bible or the creeds. Salvation is not easy, but its simple. Understanding Christianity fully is what is actually complicated, but it is not necessary for salvation.
>Now the Bible does say that to the greeks Christ is foolishness
"Greek" is a gereric word for non judean in the NT. In this context the Bible was talking about the heathens, not exactly people born in the region we call Greece. Besides, Greek philosophy, specially Plato and his disciples, has a huge impact on christian theology.
>the christ-consciousness
What do you mean?
>and having to apparently confess it all
Confession is a sign of repentance, that is why it matters. You can go to your local church and talk to a priest about it.
>people in the Old Testament were saved
The Gospel had not been reveled yet. There was another covenant (Mosaic) established at that time. If people folowed that covenant, they were saved. It is pretty clear if you read Exodus 19:5.
>I won't give up reading the Bible because I'm saved or walking in holiness
There is not a point where you are already saved, after which you can do whatever the fuck you want. Salvation is a continual work.
>He didn't have a complex creed or doctrine to understand
He believed in Jesus, that He was his saviour, and repented his sins. You don't need to be a theologian to be saved. Remember that most christians were illiterate until the last century. This kind of "salvation by Bible study" thing is a modern protestant mentality.
>However I get this impression from Christians like I've got this gigantic, near impossible struggle to know and confess so much about the Bible
Again, this is just a modern nonsense crated by protestants.
>people rarely get saved unless they persevere through a very tough and life-long struggle and the vast majority of people all go to hell
Enter ye in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which goe in thereat.
The "formula" you want is simple, but keeping yourself in the path is hard (He was not kidding when said you have to carry your cross), so yes, probably a lot of people go to hell. But before freaking out, remember that the after is sort of a reflection of how close to God you were while alive, specially in your last moments.
>Knowing about Jesus would surely be helpful but not ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
Knowing about Jesus is essential for salvation. One can still be saved by grace without knowing it, but it is more like an exception to the rule, than the rule itself.
>Real spirited beings are saved for the simple reason that they are divine sparks and must be recalled into God
Not really, God himself says otherwise, as I have already told you in this post.
Last but not least, remeber to pray for clarity and understanding, it actually hepls a lot.