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The simplicity of the gospel can be summed up in a few verses....

Acts 16:30-31 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

and

Romans 8:9-13 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The Catholic church makes salvation too complicated. Too many hoops to jump through. Too many do's and don't's.

Metmom: The simplicity of the gospel can be summed up in a few verses....
Acts 16:30-31 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

and Romans

metmom --> your first error is in calling these the Gospels. While they are inspired, they are the epistles of Paul, not the Gospels. Paul elaborates on the message of the gospel, focusing on one "area" at a time, while the Gospels, the words of Jesus Christ Himself are highly concentrated data

What does Jesus say saves us?

Matt. 24:13

13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Matt 25:31-46 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Jesus says that if you endure to the end you get salvation, that if you helped your fellow man you inherit the kingdom of God (you get salvation) --> note these are HIS own words

Jesus said it is not faith ALONE. We are saved by God's GRACE. Full-stop.

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. -- it's never faith ALONE. Note that

He who believes and is baptized will be saved. (Mk 16:16)
[U]nless you repent you will all likewise perish. (Lk 13:3)<,li> [H]e who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (Jn 6:54)

no one is denying that one MUST have faith to be saved by the freely given grace of salvation, however, it is not faith ALONE. As shown above, Jesus Himself said that

He who believes and is baptized will be saved. (Mk 16:16)
[U]nless you repent you will all likewise perish. (Lk 13:3
[H]e who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (Jn 6:54)

So, do listen to the words of Jesus who said it is faith+ repentance+baptism+the Eucharist+endurance, not any of these in isolation. Of course, these don't "save us" per se, since it is Christ's sacrifice on the Cross that grants us our salvation that we can accept or reject

The problem happens when one takes one section of the word in isolation.

And, note that if you take Acts Acts 16:30-31 you should also refer to

1 Pet. 3:20-21: " It (Baptism )saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ"
Note that in Acts 16:31 we are told to believe and you will be saved -- so Faith is definitely one of the things needed, yet as you see above and in my previous post, it is not ONLY faith. Remember -- James says "even the demons believe - and shudder" -- it is not faith ALONE that saves

makes salvation too complicated. Too many hoops to jump through. Too many do's and don't's.

Actually, note by the above that Jesus Christ Himself says that we must repent, believe, be baptised, eat of His body and blood.

Salvation is given freely, yet to accept it is not to just mumble "Lord, Lord" -- refer to James 2:17

If one does not believe, one does not receive the freely given grace -- Mk 6:16. If one does not repent, same thing. Same thing with not enduring to the end etc. etc. -- These are Jesus' own words

Note that our God is not a God of "Or" -- this or this, but AND -- baptism AND repentence AND faith AND etc. -- the problem is when one takes only St. Paul's one verse and ignore the entire statement -- Paul elaborates on each statement, each of the AND gates put forth by Christ.