WHY was Jesus cricified?

[orangebox21]

In respect to God, we'd be forgiving each other because we were forgiven by him, but with respect to each other, we are to forgive without expecting any compensation or punishment.

I would agree.

So, why couldn't God simply do that with us? Why does there need to be some sort of atonement to seed the whole process?

And before you say something about God's nature or forgiveness without atonement isn't "just": how does one person's atonement pay for the sins of other?

This is really two separate questions: Is God's forgiveness without atonement unjust? And: How does one person's atonement pay for the sins of another?

To the first question: by the very definition of justice. If someone is guilty of a crime and they are not punished that is unjust.

To the second question: it wouldn't. One person's atonement wouldn't pay for the sins of another. But Christ is not just a person. He is fully man and fully God.

What did God gain from it?

God was able to simultaneously reveal the glory of His wrath/justice and the glory of His mercy.

Jesus didn't really atone for anything anyway, because he's sitting in heaven. There was no sacrifice; there was no atonement.

(Speaking of Christ) 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Looks like other's have answered in the time I'm taking to write the response, but I will post anyway.