- Jesus forgave sin a number of times in his life and never said that they would only be forgiven after his crucifixion.
Jesus forgave sinners in life, but I don't think the Church (at least not my church nor my school) has taught a theology that says that the crucifixion was the only source of forgiveness during his life.
- God blessed all nations and put an end to sacrifices in the Old Testament (see: story of Abraham and his son).
Sacrifices of anything mortal were imperfect. It would take the sacrifice of something absolutely perfect to atone for sin in the world. There was nothing that their sacrifices could do, and it could have become a vehicle for people to skimp on their faith (just like today with tithes, and biannual church attendance).
- Jesus taught that violence does not redeem.
While Jesus was aware of the necessity of his death, he wasn't too thrilled about it, as his prayers in the garden of Gethsemane prove. I don't think he endorsed the violence of his death as much as he tolerated it.
- If God needed to sacrifice His own son in order to forgive people (which sounds pretty absurd to begin with), what happened to the people who lived and died before Jesus’ time? Were they told to just sit and wait?
This is a good question.
Forgive my simple “stock” answers to your questions. I am sure you have heard all of these before. I am sure all of my points can be easily refuted, but the middle two in particular caught my interest.
On another note, as I type my response, I think I am not looking at your question’s depth and missing its point. Are you asking “why would the sacrifice be necessary” or are you just saying that the death Jesus isn’t enough to necessarily redeem the world?
I am not nearly as educated in Christian theology as you are, but I am interested in the subject. Please forgive my ignorance on the subject, I’m a ‘youngin after all
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