Why did we need to be created free?

VCR-2000

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Why do humans need their free will? If Christians are about serving and following the will of God and God only, would it really make things that different for them if God actually made us all robots? I think the "choice" only describes following God or spiritually being dead. Its analogous to the person holding a gun to my head: "obey me or else" and God doesn't have to actually put us in the other place. We apparently choose Hell ourselves but how is that any tangibly different? Its irrelevant either way.

In that way it's similar to how dictator states on earth like North Korea and China operate. You are free to criticise my regime or not, but if you do criticise and rebel against me you will go to the slave camp.

Frankly, if he made us all his robots after all, it might not be so bad.
 
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A_Thinker

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Why do humans need their free will? If Christians are about serving and following the will of God and God only, would it really make things that different for them if God actually made us all robots? I think the "choice" only describes following God or spiritually being dead. Its analogous to the person holding a gun to my head: "obey me or else" and God doesn't have to actually put us in the other place. We apparently choose Hell ourselves but how is that any tangibly different? Its irrelevant either way.

In that way it's similar to how dictator states on earth like North Korea and China operate. You are free to criticise my regime or not, but if you do criticise and rebel against me you will go to the slave camp.

Frankly, if he made us all his robots after all, it might not be so bad.
I believe that God gifts those that choose Him with eternal life with Him. Those that don't choose Him naturally die and pass off of the scene. Such is the witness of the preponderance of scripture.

We could only make that choice as free agents.

It is analogous to a woman's acceptance of a suitor's offer of marriage. She, then, gets to share in all that is his ...
 
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sandman

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Why do humans need their free will? If Christians are about serving and following the will of God and God only, would it really make things that different for them if God actually made us all robots?

I don't know ....If I were God (which I am not, just in case you are wondering)
I would have possessed everyone and made them believe
 
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VCR-2000

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There are too many riddles and paradoxes in nature too. I suspect that we were born here with this nature... only for us to have to learn this isn't our ideal home and nature after all. We could have just been born directly in his kingdom without this "gotcha" thing.
 
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cow451

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Why do humans need their free will? If Christians are about serving and following the will of God and God only, would it really make things that different for them if God actually made us all robots? I think the "choice" only describes following God or spiritually being dead. Its analogous to the person holding a gun to my head: "obey me or else" and God doesn't have to actually put us in the other place. We apparently choose Hell ourselves but how is that any tangibly different? Its irrelevant either way.

In that way it's similar to how dictator states on earth like North Korea and China operate. You are free to criticise my regime or not, but if you do criticise and rebel against me you will go to the slave camp.

Frankly, if he made us all his robots after all, it might not be so bad.
We pretend to be rational and thoughtful but we are mostly acting on instinct. So we aren't really all the free.
 
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St_Worm2

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Hello @VCR-2000, there are many adjectives in the Bible that describe God, but only three nouns, and one of those nouns is "love". "God is love" .. e.g. 1 John 4:16.

God made us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) so that we would be like Him and could relate to Him (and He to us). And a big part of being like Him involves "love", loving Him and loving others, and that requires choice, because we cannot choose to "love" someone if we do not have the choice not to.

You could, for instance, buy a toy doll that says, "I love you", each and every time that you pull the string that's attached to it's back, but does anyone believe that such a doll actually means what it says ;)

God created us and chose to love us and, AMAZINGLY, wants to have a real, loving relationship with us. He could have made us like that doll that I just described above, but if He had, we would not have been able to love Him, we could only do what we were pre-programmed to do whenever He pulled our string.

--David
 
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com7fy8

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Frankly, if he made us all his robots after all, it might not be so bad.
A robot moves but is dead.

God made us "alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (in Ephesians 2:1). So, while we lived in our own free wills, we were "dead".
 
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Sunshinee777

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Why do humans need their free will? If Christians are about serving and following the will of God and God only, would it really make things that different for them if God actually made us all robots? I think the "choice" only describes following God or spiritually being dead. Its analogous to the person holding a gun to my head: "obey me or else" and God doesn't have to actually put us in the other place. We apparently choose Hell ourselves but how is that any tangibly different? Its irrelevant either way.

In that way it's similar to how dictator states on earth like North Korea and China operate. You are free to criticise my regime or not, but if you do criticise and rebel against me you will go to the slave camp.

Frankly, if he made us all his robots after all, it might not be so bad.

Good question.
I don't know if this answers your question but my own experience was that I felt "robot" and dead before I met Jesus. So, Jesus gave me life and I follow Him because I love Him. Because He makes me feel good. Because for me there is no life without Jesus. So I don't see connection between political tyranny and relationship with God. There is huge difference.
 
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Robban

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Why do humans need their free will? If Christians are about serving and following the will of God and God only, would it really make things that different for them if God actually made us all robots? I think the "choice" only describes following God or spiritually being dead. Its analogous to the person holding a gun to my head: "obey me or else" and God doesn't have to actually put us in the other place. We apparently choose Hell ourselves but how is that any tangibly different? Its irrelevant either way.

In that way it's similar to how dictator states on earth like North Korea and China operate. You are free to criticise my regime or not, but if you do criticise and rebel against me you will go to the slave camp.

Frankly, if he made us all his robots after all, it might not be so bad.

Free to choose.

As He the Almighty is free to choose and make happen whatever He desires,

so too are we free to choose in and with the statement;

Genesis 1:26,

the angels were not intressted so they made no comment.

Therefore, Genesis 1:27.

Which will say,

In His image-Free will, ability to reason, sense of morality

In that way we cannot blame,

Anyone or anything.
 
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VCR-2000

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Satan has already got what he wanted for the world and that is the destruction of everything. But instead of God undoing it, he is going to do a different plan that is so different that we shouldn't even comprehend it based on our idea of good vs. evil. It's still not fair.
 
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Sunshinee777

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Satan has already got what he wanted for the world and that is the destruction of everything. But instead of God undoing it, he is going to do a different plan that is so different that we shouldn't even comprehend it based on our idea of good vs. evil. It's still not fair.

God is always fair.
 
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Ligurian

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Why do humans need their free will? If Christians are about serving and following the will of God and God only, would it really make things that different for them if God actually made us all robots? I think the "choice" only describes following God or spiritually being dead. Its analogous to the person holding a gun to my head: "obey me or else" and God doesn't have to actually put us in the other place. We apparently choose Hell ourselves but how is that any tangibly different? Its irrelevant either way.

In that way it's similar to how dictator states on earth like North Korea and China operate. You are free to criticise my regime or not, but if you do criticise and rebel against me you will go to the slave camp.

Frankly, if he made us all his robots after all, it might not be so bad.
God is always fair.

Free will makes us accountable. In the Old Testament, God tested them... some things never change.
 
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