Why did we need Christ to die for us?

The short answer is that "without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22). There are two covenants, the old and the new, and the sacrifice of Christ created the new covenant.

As a baseline, here's something to keep in mind from Isaiah 55:8-9

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

To demonstrate at a glance how Jesus was needed to fulfill the requirements of a sacrifice, prophecy, and cleanse us from all sin, here is an excerpt from Bible.org, in their lesson on The Crucifixion:

"Ever since the first people chose to disobey Him, God has required an animal to be killed on the altar to pay for the sins of His people. They couldn’t use just any animal. Very often it was a lamb (Exodus 12:3), and it had to meet several requirements.

The sacrifice had to be:

firstborn (Exodus 13:15)
male (Exodus 12:5)
without any flaws (Exodus 12:5)
had to die (Exodus 12:6)
no broken bones (Exodus 12:46)
the blood of the animal paid for the sin of the person (Leviticus 17:11)

John the Baptist called Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus was all the things that God required:

Jesus was firstborn among his brothers and sisters (Matthew 1:25)
Jesus was a male (Matthew 1:21).
Jesus was without flaws because He never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus was killed on a cross (Romans 5:8).
None of His bones were broken (John 19:36).
1 John 1:7 tells us, “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”"

Hebrews 10:1-18

"The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2 If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

3 But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.
But you have given me a body to offer.
6 You were not pleased with burnt offerings
or other offerings for sin.
7 Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—
as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”

8 First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9 Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says,

16 “This is the new covenant I will make
with my people on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”

17 Then he says,

“I will never again remember
their sins and lawless deeds.”

18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices."

Hebrews 9:22-23, 26b-c - 28

“In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.

“Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.”

Hebrews 8:6-13

“But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.

If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said:

“The day is coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel and Judah.
This covenant will not be like the one
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
and led them out of the land of Egypt.
They did not remain faithful to my covenant,
so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.
But this is the new covenant I will make
with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds,
and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
And they will not need to teach their neighbors,
nor will they need to teach their relatives,
saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’
For everyone, from the least to the greatest,
will know me already.
And I will forgive their wickedness,
and I will never again remember their sins.”

When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete.

It is now out of date and will soon disappear.”

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