[thejeff]

So God cannot forgive? The sins must be paid for? He is incapable of just forgiving them?

Why did someone have to pay a price for all of that sin?
If someones hurts me, then repents, I don't have to choose between beating them up and beating myself up, I can just forgive. But God can't. Someone must pay. So he hurts himself.
To me, this is nonsense.

In a ancient world view, where religion is all about sacrificing to propitiate the gods, it does make sense. In a comparative mythology kind of way, I can see where the idea comes from.