This is going to be controversial, so just keep an open mind before a new jerk response.
What if (I did say if) God did not demand Christ’s death, one who was sinless, as payment for the sins of the world.
Often, to the outsider, and sometimes the believer, this idea of sacrificing animals, etc. is confusing. Add to that that Jesus and the Father are one, and the logic goes:
God made Adam and Eve. They disobeyed God and sinned, as we all do, because they were imperfect, as we all admit we are.
Because of this, they were expelled from Eden and sentenced to toil and eventually die.
In order to save the world from this punishment he created, he impregnated a virgin with himself, and was then crucified by Pilot, and rose again, to appease himself for the world’s sin.
When we forgive another for sinning against us, we do not demand that they kill their dog, or give some other sacrifice. We simply forgive the sin, explaining how it harmed you, and asking them not to do it again.
When the woman was caught in adultery, after her accusers had left, Jesus said “Neither do I condemn you. Your sins have been forgiven. Go and sin no more.”
He didn’t say, “Your sins have been forgiven*
*pending my upcoming crucifixion and resurrection
If the only thing necessary for salvation was Christ’s death, they could have allowed Harod to kill Jesus with the rest of the children he was executing.
Is it possible that Jesus came here to teach us how to love one another?
Jesus, when asked if one should forgive their neighbor 7 times, Jesus says, “70 x 7.” Despite some literalists who have told me that meant one only has to forgive 490 times, and apparently keep a ledger and keep track, I understand it to me to forgive without limit, as many times as you would wish to be forgiven of the Father.
He told Parables of the sheep and goats, of how one is to love actively, versus simply refraining from doing misdeeds toward one another.
He told a Parable of the man forgiven a great debt who refused to forgive the small debt of his servant, angered the master, who then reinstated the debt. Christ is saying that we are forgiven a great debt, way before he was crucified.
So, why the crucifixion? To show how far Christ/God would go for us because of his great love, to the point of being willing to allow us to kill him, and still offer love and forgiveness.
Not completely biblical, but then again, when Jesus flipped over the tables in the temple, it was because people had made sacrifices into a way to make a buck, offering people entering the temple a sacrifice they had bought, but wasn’t really a sacrifice. When I went to my church, I never had to bring a dove or goat to sacrifice to God to show my loyalty or sincerity.
not do I demand it from another, or to find their most prized possession and destroy it as a sacrifice for atonement. I simply forgive.
******
As a side note, a Christian once told a story of how there was a Christian Man, his wife, and their 5 year old child, and an atheist on a boat.
They were caught in a storm, and the boat began to sink.
There was one emergency lifeboat, but it would hold only 3.
The Christian husband panicked, jumped over his wife and child and got in the boat. Then, realizing how bad that looked, said that way he could help others get on the boat.
The atheist then helped the child, and then the wife, before the boat sank and the atheist drowned.
Question: Does the atheist go to heaven?
I said, “Yes, of course.”
He said, “Wrong. Because he did not believe in Christ, he is now burning in hell.”
I argued,” but he sacrificed his own life so that he could save the Christian family.”
He said, “no good works get you into heaven.:
I said, “I’m not saying that he earned his way into heaven by dying. I am saying that he loved his neighbor so much, that he was will to sacrifice himself that they may live.”
He said, “Doesn’t matter. You can’t be saved without Jesus.”
I said, “Then I don’t understand. You have a husband that thought of himself before the atheist, his wife he loves, and even his own child. I get that people panick, but he showed that he was not following Jesus by loving his neighbor as himself, but rather, loving himself before others. By contrast, the atheist, not believing in a heaven or hell, that by sacrificing himself, his life will simply end, but chose to give up his life out of love for the family, he was acting Christlike.”
He said: “Doesn’t matter.”
I said: But he sacrificed his life, just as Christ sacrificed his life for us, that we might live. And the bible states that giving your life for another is the greatest kind of love their is.”
He said, “still doesn’t count.”
I said: Then your religion makes no sense.
You believe that Christ died for the world demonstrating his love for us, but when a human does it for another, regardless of their religion, it’s not as good as Jesus’ death, despite that the Bible says otherwise.
The atheist demonstrated his love for his neighbor without believing there is a heaven nor eternal life awaiting, but simply, nothingness, and still gave up his life.
The Christian husband thought only of himself, and yet, on some technicality of believing in Christ, yet not following Christ in at least thinking of his daughter and wife first, is given a free ticket to heaven.
That makes no logical sense.
You can't have it both ways. They had to wait below the earth until the Cross cleared the way to Heaven by means of Jesus blood. 
