Suffering does not pay for anything. a commentary from the east is here.
It cost Jesus his life’s blood to enter Hades and save us, but it wasn’t a payment to anybody.
Yes. That is exactly the Biblical teaching, or at least very close. The death of Christ is never described in Scripture as a "payment", but always as, "wages" received, and the formula is always, he "bore" our sins (or the consequences of them) for us. The early American theologian and evangelist Finney described the atonement both literally, as a "covering" for sin (the meaning of the Hebrew word from which it is derived, cofer I believe) and metaphorically as the purchase of a universal amnesty for all those willing to throw down the arms of their rebellion against God (repentance) and to be reconciled to Him (obedience).
Thanks for being a reasonable influence in the midst of irrationality.
Hank