God offered forgiveness in the Old Testiment in anticipation of the sacrifice of Christ, not apart from it. Otherwise Christ's sacrifice would not be needed.

Rather, the Old Testiment points forward to Christ's coming. After the fall, the first promise of the redeemer was given "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." The same message is given to Jacob in the form of the ladder leading to heaven, representing Jesus. Jesus aludes to this when he says "Ye shall see the heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." John 1:51. Again, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5. This definitely points forward to Jesus' sacrifice as the means by which we are forgiven. Forgiveness was offered before Jesus' death in anticipation of it. Look at the sacrificial system of Israel. It all points forward to the Lamb to come. The Passover lamb was a symbol of the coming Deliverer. The bronze snake lifted up in the wilderness that the Children of Israel were to look on and live was a symbol of Christ. The only hope of escape from sin is through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:14-15. Here Jesus says that the life He can offer is the result of him being lifted up. Therefore, the forgiveness He offers is based on His sacrifice.

I must contend that what Christ did has everything to do with God's ability to forgive. If it did not, He would not have done it. If there was any other way to lift humanity from the degredation that sin has brought, any lesser price to pay, wouldn't the Infinite Son, one with the Father from the beginning, have been spared in favor of the other solution? It is because of the terrible nature of sin that it was necessary for God himself, in the person of Christ, to die in order to offer forgiveness. There was no other way that we could be reconciled to our Creator.

To negate the need of Christ's sacrife for forgiveness effectively negates the terrible nature of sin. This is a deception that, if followed to its end, will ultimately justify sin and proclaim the law unbinding thus destroying the power of the gospel. This position, if held, will finally destroy any hope of escaping from the power of sin.