Well said, OP - very thought out and heart felt synopsis and assessment, thank you :-)

What I would say is that many Christians are also deceived into believing that by simply invoking the name of Jesus Christ and stating audibly that He is their Lord and Savior, they are saved. Many fail to grasp the idea and concept of repentance and atonement, in that yes Jesus Christ died for our sins, but He did not excuse us from the pain associated with them nor did He wipe our slate clean if we simply call out his name. Jesus' example is what truly saves us, because we see the pain He went through and endured for sins that were not His own, we see the utter anguish and fear He experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane, and this inspires us to change our ways, to rethink our lives, and to follow the example He died to give us, then rose again to validate for us.