God created humans beings and , like a good Father, knows what is best for His children. If we choose to honor our Father, we will be united and protected by Him in this world and for eternity in heaven. If we choose to honor ourselves as a god, we will become lost children, separated from the one true God in this world and for eternity. We have the free will to choose because we were created with that freedom. There are real consequences to our choices.
Discussion
It’s not true freedom if there are consequences to choosing a different path
This logic is deeply flawed. There are consequences to every choice, and you are free to choose, but not every choice is a good choice. Choosing to make a bad choice doesn't mean you aren't free to choose, it means you don't recognize the difference between good and bad and respect it. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap."
If you choose evil, you reap evil.
If you choose good, you reap good.
Since there is only one true God, if you freely choose to reject Him, and therefore center yourself upon something else, you are choosing to deceive yourself, and therefore reap according to your free choice, and God honors your choice even if he doesn't agree.
No that’s not freedom. That’s like someone putting a gun to your head and saying if you don’t freely choose to give me your money then you’ll be subject to extreme torture. You can technically still choose to be tortured but that’s not much of a choice. This is called coercion not free will.
You are free to choose. You are not free to impose your preferred consequence on reality.
And why is the consequence eternity in hell? The punishment is so extreme and doesn’t fit the crime. Not a characteristic of a loving and merciful deity.
Great question! Here is the answer: We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love Him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor, or against ourselves. As the first letter of St John states, "He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. " To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from Him forever by your own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God is called "hell".
So I encourage myself, and you, and all to choose life now and for eternity! Jesus Christ is the way. Be well, amigo
You didn’t answer my question at all lol
I don't think you understand the nature of reality. The structure of reality is fundamentally moral perfection. If you sin, the price of your sin is eternal death relative to moral perfection. Since your moral imperfection earns you eternal death, your metaphor is deeply flawed.
A more accurate metaphor would be, you got caught after murdering a man. At the sentencing, your lawyer tells the judge, "Your honor, this man deserve death, but I will take the punishment in his place so he can walk free." Then mercifully, the judge agrees.
"The wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Relative to moral perfection, since you have sinned, you deserve death. But God the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit set up a deal. Jesus will take upon himself, voluntarily, the eternal death you deserve, and God will make you morally perfect so that you can join God in eternal life.
So the actual choice you have is between eternal death which you deserve because you're not morally perfect, or the free gift of eternal life paid for by Jesus Christ, God, himself, who took the just penalty of your death sentence upon himself, so you can live.
"When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
By confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you can be saved and converted from moral imperfection to moral perfection before God, who values you more than your past sins.
This is not coercion. It's a gift of freedom from a loving and extremely merciful God who values you more than his own life.
If you want to pay the price for your moral imperfection, you can. God won't stop you because he values your choice eternally.
But if you want to accept the free gift of salvation from Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, to make you a new creation and give you eternal life and righteousness, you can choose to.
This is freedom, and you alone are responsible to make this choice.
You are free to choose.
Your definition of sin is worthless because it is arbitrarily determined by an unverifiable piece of scripture. Prove to me that the nature of reality is moral perfection.
If you really wanted to grok the nature of reality, you would ask instead of command.
You made the claim. Burden of proof is on you. If you’re gonna be sensitive then don’t bother getting into logical discussions. Stick to the monastery circle jerks.
I'm not being sensitive. I'm showing you that you think you're God.
And your vitriol is evidence of the moral perfection of the nature of reality.
How do I think I’m god? I never claimed to create anything or demand worship.
Once you entered into ad homonym, this conversation ended. I wish you the best.
What ad hominem? You’re offended because I called out your baseless claims before you told me to just ask grok for answers? Make a logical argument instead of regurgitating cliche talking points from religion that have no weight behind it. Citing scripture is not evidence.