Jesus Christ - Saviour from what and why? An imaginary conversation

Jesus Christ is our saviour. 

What is he saving us from? And don't say "our sins" because that doesn't make sense to me.

Jesus is saving us from death. 

But everybody dies, including Christians; and when we die we cease to exist...

It is about what happens after we die. Even without Jesus, everybody remains in existence, but not as themselves, just as demented "ghosts". With Jesus, we are restored and resurrected to become a qualitatively superior version of our-selves, the same "you" as here-and-now, still living, learning, doing - but all-good, and forever...

How better? Do you just mean that we will be made completely virtuous, like it or not? Because that doesn't sound particularly appealing.

The decision we need to make, is to live wholly from love. And love means between people (and other living-beings); and this love includes what we think of as creative activity. And it is not done-to us; because resurrection is cooperative: we have to want it, ask for it - and then Jesus is capable of making it happen.  

Sounds great, if it was true.  

You don't need to believe it is true: you do need to believe it is possible, and that you want it. 

But why do we need saving in the first place? I thought you Christians said that God loved us all and was all-knowing, all-powerful, and created everything. If so, your God is by-definition responsible for everything. How come things are such a mess and people are so mixed up, weak, and (often) wicked? 

That is a false understanding of God. The reality is that God is the creator; but creation is made up from all kinds of unique beings - a mixture of good and evil, and some beings are very evil. This world cannot be made wholly-good because the "ingredients" God works-with are not wholly-good. Such is the reason why Jesus Christ is needed to save us - if we want to be saved. And why we are saved in Heaven and on the other side of death; and can't be saved here and now. 

It seems to me that in order to be saved, I need to give up a lot of myself... 

True enough. You need to be prepared to give up everything about yourself that is not motivated by love. Only then can you become an eternal and good being, live in a Heaven of similar beings. You need to want that kind of Heaven.   

Okay... I think I would be prepared to do that, but what would I actually have to do to achieve it? Christianity seems like a package-deal holiday. To get to Heaven I am asked to sign-up to obey a bunch of dodgy bureaucrats; who insist on me believing and doing all sorts of dubious stuff. Frankly, I can't see any relationship between the end and the means. 

I understand, and agree. It is your soul, and your future that is at stake. 

I suggest that you sort things out for yourself, and to your own satisfaction, in whatever way ultimately has the potential to convince you.- 

Perhaps by going direct to source.