I see God as a placeholder for that which we don't understand. As mortal beings with finite lifespans we do not have the capacity to know everything and so we use this placeholder as a way to balance the equation and account for the unaccountable. We can think of the sum of this placeholder, the sum of our knowledge gaps, as having a net negative result, a vengeful God, or a net positive, a benevolent God. I like the think of the placeholder as reflective, giving back out what we put into it. This isn't universally true, but it's a mindset that helps me to navigate an unknowable world and maintain a level certainty and sanity.

As far as Christianity, the dogma I was brought up in, I have had Christ explained to me in a very concise and meaningful way as compassion. In the face of the unknowable, we have the option of acting in our own self interests even if that comes to the detriment of others. The old God could, at times, be very cold and compassionless and was probably a necessity for the times. But as society got more complex that coldness became more detrimental. Christ was a mediator between that cold unknown, attempting to show the value of compassion in the face of the unknown and the power that could arise from such compassion.