Is god pissed?

[dank69]

There is more evidence of Jesus Christ's life on earth 2K years ago than there is evidence for the life of Socrates, Homer, and Plato combined (all who were also real, of course). Jesus is the single most well known person of all-time. No one in human history comes close. The bible itself continue to be the most popular book ever written.

In order to make the point that you want to reject Christianity, you feel the need to go to an extreme POV that not even most atheists believe, but it isn't necessary. Simply choosing not to allow Him to be the Lord of your life (even if you were also in church every Sunday as some sadly are) has the same eternal, damning effect.


People in hell are punished with the consequences of their own choices and nothing more.

What is heaven? Ultimately it is in the presence of the Father, who is separated from us because we can't exist with Him due to our sin. His perfect, and pure goodness won't allow sin anywhere near where He is.

What is hell? The absence of God. If anything you can list is objectively good in this life of ours, then it won't exist in hell because all good things only come from Him. If He isn't in hell, nothing good is there either and all of your very senses will suffer as a result:

~ A cool breeze? A comfortable, warm bath? Good health? Not in hell. In the absence of all of these good physical sensations provided even to sinners alive right now due to God's grace, only the most terrible physical sensations one can imagine will exist: burning alive in fire.

~ Beautiful music? A rippling brook? The singing of birds? The laughter of babies? Not in hell. In the absence of all of these good sounds provided even to sinners alive right now due to God's grace, only the most terrible sounds one can imagine will exist: the deep wailing of those who suffer and the gnashing of their teeth.

~ The scent of flowers? Of freshly baked bread? Of a lovely perfume? The taste of your favorite food? Not in hell. In the absence of all of these good smells provided even to sinners alive right now due to God's grace, only the most terrible scents one can imagine will exist: sulfur and brimstone mixed with the burning of human flesh.

~ The sight of a lovely sunrise? Of a beautiful face? Of a rainbow in the sky? Not in hell. In the absence of all of these good visions provided even to sinners alive right now due to God's grace, only the most terrible sights one can imagine will exist: a heavy darkness so deep and pervasive that it will be painful.

The bible tells us that is what's in store for you if you continue to choose to reject God, because you are by extension rejecting everything good that He provides. He's offering it for free, so how is it His fault if you tell Him no?

The amazing thing is, God tells us through His word that heaven is so incredible that mere words can't even describe it:

~~~~~
1 Corinthians 2:9
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
~~~~~

It literally means that even the most creative imagination of any person who has walked the earth cannot think of what's in store for us in heaven. The good things we enjoy on earth will be replaced by many, many, many things that are infinitely better.

So if heaven is far better than we can imagine, then it stands to reason that hell will be infinitely worse as well. We do know, however, what the worst part of the experience in hell will be for anyone who ends up there: knowledge of all the instances where God graciously reached out to you for a relationship and how you rejected Him each and every time. That will be by far the primary source of your eternal suffering unless you change your heart.

So when you say complain about people being punished for not submitting to God, it is far more than that. If you stay on this course, you will go to hell because the Lord will sadly agree with your choice: that you do not want a relationship with Him, and there is only one place where your choice can be granted.

So God has no power to bring "sinners" close to him and/or fix them so they can be in heaven with him? Then why call him a god?

 

[dank69]

History suggests there was probably a man named Jesus at the time. However, there's no evidence that Jesus was a divine figure; remember, even the four core books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) were written decades after the claimed events by people who definitely weren't eyewitnesses. The main beliefs were decided by committee.

The Bible by itself doesn't serve as evidence without corroborating claims, and I think some Christians forget that. Your argument still boils down to "it's true because I've been told to believe it's true."

Think about it: how would you convince someone to become Christian if they'd never heard of it and weren't already inclined toward it? Simply quoting Bible passages wouldn't do it; they'd point out the raft of scientific evidence that directly contradicts the Bible, ranging from humanity's origins to the response to menstruation to LGBT sexuality. They'd have no rational basis to make the leap, and might be highly reluctant given that it would ask them to suspend critical thinking.

I stole this off Quora rather than retyping in my own words to just make a mess of it.

Original Question: Is there any real, tangible proof that Jesus (the man at least) was real and existed?

No, there’s no evidence whatsoever.

However, there’s no reason to suppose that his biblical persona wasn’t constructed around a real person who was posthumously chosen by Paul (Saul of Tarsus) to be the figurehead of a new religion. In fact, this is the view held by the vast majority of biblical scholars.

Although there is no evidence at all to support this view, it highly likely that Paul based his figurehead on a radical Jewish preacher who was crucified for what we’d call sedition. This person, who would have been around the same age as Paul, was most likely called Yeshua and was likely to have held and preached strong anti-establishment views against the then very strict Jewish orthodoxy, views which led to his arrest and crucifixion around the year 30 CE. Paul might even have known him and shared his views, but wisely held his tongue! He certainly knew of him.

I don't know about the validity of the author or his claims, but all anyone needs to do to prove it wrong is produce one single piece of physical evidence that Jesus existed and was not some random radical preacher that Paul chose to claim was actually Jesus.

 

[arredondo]

You haven’t helped your case at all by regurgitating preacher babble. The only person responsible for your beliefs is you and you have chosen to profess that folks who don’t agree with your beliefs (for which you still have provided no evidence) will suffer eternally. By my ethics, for which I accept total responsibility, your position is unethical.

Well, not much more can be said to your statement that you accept total responsibility for your choice to reject God, is there? Since God won't force a relationship with you, the outcome is straight forward... he will accept your decision after you die. I for one hope that one day you choose wisely instead before it is too late.

I will add this, however... if there is even an ounce of curiosity inside you that what God has to say in His word is true as well as the outcome of your existence in the afterlife, here's what will help:

~~~~~
James 4:8
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
~~~~~

The Lord is able and willing to respond to your desire for Him to make Himself real to you if it has any sinceretiy whatsoever. Just know He will do so on His terms in His timing, but He won't leave you to your doom without giving you His personal attention to establish a relationship.

People can sometimes mystify the idea of prayer, but bibically speaking, prayer is simply communicating with God. Be real with whatever is on your heart, but also be prepared for how He responds to you.

The key is this: the bible is where He has everything He wants us to know about Him, ourselves, the world around us, and the world to come. That's why it is called the word of God. Anything you come across that is in conflict with the bible and its principals is trying to steer you in the wrong direction. In it you will find both truth and grace.

 

[Commodus]

I stole this off Quora rather than retyping in my own words to just make a mess of it.

I don't know about the validity of the author or his claims, but all anyone needs to do to prove it wrong is produce one single piece of physical evidence that Jesus existed and was not some random radical preacher that Paul chose to claim was actually Jesus.

I wouldn't lean too hard on Quora, but that is a useful piece and may well be right. I suppose my argument is that there's enough noise to suggest Jesus or someone like him existed at that time.

 

[dank69]

I wouldn't lean too hard on Quora, but that is a useful piece and may well be right. I suppose my argument is that there's enough noise to suggest Jesus or someone like him existed at that time.

I'd be interested to hear a single part of this noise.

 

[IronWing]

Well, not much more can be said to your statement that you accept total responsibility for your choice to reject God, is there? Since God won't force a relationship with you, the outcome is straight forward... he will accept your decision after you die. I for one hope that one day you choose wisely instead before it is too late.

I will add this, however... if there is even an ounce of curiosity inside you that what God has to say in His word is true as well as the outcome of your existence in the afterlife, here's what will help:

~~~~~
James 4:8
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
~~~~~

The Lord is able and willing to respond to your desire for Him to make Himself real to you if it has any sinceretiy whatsoever. Just know He will do so on His terms in His timing, but He won't leave you to your doom without giving you His personal attention to establish a relationship.

People can sometimes mystify the idea of prayer, but bibically speaking, prayer is simply communicating with God. Be real with whatever is on your heart, but also be prepared for how He responds to you.

The key is this: the bible is where He has everything He wants us to know about Him, ourselves, the world around us, and the world to come. That's why it is called the word of God. Anything you come across that is in conflict with the bible and its principals is trying to steer you in the wrong direction. In it you will find both truth and grace.

Again, nonsensical preacher babble is all you offer. You'll have to start with the basic building blocks of your belief system and provide evidence for each and every block. You want to start on what you perceive is the top of a pyramid of beliefs without offering evidence for the underlying pyramid. Jesus doesn't come on the scene until we get near the closing credits.

 

[Commodus]

Well, not much more can be said to your statement that you accept total responsibility for your choice to reject God, is there? Since God won't force a relationship with you, the outcome is straight forward... he will accept your decision after you die. I for one hope that one day you choose wisely instead before it is too late.

Here's why you're not going to persuade anyone: you're acting as if every human on Earth accepts your view of the Universe as true, and just chooses to reject it.

But that's not how it works in reality. When you're non-religious, you operate entirely outside of the religious mindset. You operate on tangible evidence, logic and reason. There is no such thing as unquestioning faith; you are allowed to change your mind as new evidence comes to light, or to say "we don't know."

Suggesting we'll live in eternal damnation doesn't do a thing for us as there's no real evidence to suggest Hell (or anything supernatural, for that matter) exists. It's like threatening to tickle someone; it will do nothing at best, and annoy your target at worst.

 

[Pohemi]

I completely understand your reaction, but no, I'm not confused at all by what I said. Let me try to explain it this way...
*proceeds to type another page of bi-bull nonsense*

 

[cytg111]

This guy is the first ill put on ignore on this forum.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

I wouldn't lean too hard on Quora, but that is a useful piece and may well be right. I suppose my argument is that there's enough noise to suggest Jesus or someone like him existed at that time.

In some future time that may be answered with a picture of a fat guy with a fake tan, bad yellow hair and a golf club. What would that prove?


(Or an old guy with a gruff voice, glasses, a cigar and a tan jacket and ball cap.)

 

[Commodus]

In some future time that may be answered with a picture of a fat guy with a fake tan, bad yellow hair and a golf club. What would that prove?


(Or an old guy with a gruff voice, glasses, a cigar and a tan jacket and ball cap.)

Joking aside, the evidence would only prove that Christianity had its basis on a real person. It certainly wouldn't prove Jesus (or whatever his name might have been) was divine, or that he even did all the non-miraculous things attributed to him.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

^^^ Well, yeah ... duhhh.


Whether or not there was a guy back then that resembled Kenny Loggins (or maybe Stevie Wonder) doesn't really matter. People got suckered in by the stories and tales.

 

[MichaelMay]

Joking aside, the evidence would only prove that Christianity had its basis on a real person. It certainly wouldn't prove Jesus (or whatever his name might have been) was divine, or that he even did all the non-miraculous things attributed to him.

I don't think it would prove that either because the Jesus of Christianity is not a "real person" but rather God himself. If it's just a person then it's NOT the God Christianity is based on.

 

[MichaelMay]

Again, nonsensical preacher babble is all you offer. You'll have to start with the basic building blocks of your belief system and provide evidence for each and every block. You want to start on what you perceive is the top of a pyramid of beliefs without offering evidence for the underlying pyramid. Jesus doesn't come on the scene until we get near the closing credits.

Seems he doesn't really care about Jesus much anyway, his great hero is Paul.

 

[IronWing]

Seems he doesn't really care about Jesus much anyway, his great hero is Paul.

Yeah, I wasn’t going to bother with Paul this round.

 

[MtnMan]

I completely understand your reaction, but no, I'm not confused at all by what I said. Let me try to explain it this way...
< frontend loader required to remove wall of text bullshit >

 

[Mai72]

Well, the fact that they wrote what the Lord wanted them to write comes down to two possibilities, right? Either it is true or not true.

Objectively speaking, if the God described in the bible is real, then He is able to do anything He wants including expressing Himself through His word, and choosing the people He wants to write it down.

So how do we find out if what He says in the bible is true or not? In one of several biblical references, God describes it this way:

~~~~~
1 Corinthians 2:10-16
"For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that they will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ."
~~~~~

In short, one comprehends what God wants them to know about anything and everything when God (through the Holy Spirit) reveals it to them.

Attempts at trying to figure out any aspect of the Creator of everything using mere human intellect and emotions alone is futile. It's easier for a single cell amoeba living at the lowest point of the deepest ocean to understand the complexities of a space station.

That's not to say that reason and emotions are unimportant when it comes to the things of God. It's that instead they are secondary at best. The Holy Spirit reveals truth to the real you and me (who are eternal spirits ourselves, living in a body while here on earth according to the bible), and only then can intellect and emotion be brought in to fully embrace it. I mean, the bible literally addresses the point of view you expressed right here:

~~~~~
1 Corinthians 1:21-24
"For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."
~~~~~

In this passage, Jews are used as an example of any religious person out there looking for a sign from Him so they have emotional experience as proof to the Lord being real. Conversely, the Greeks are used as an example of the non-religious person out there looking for intellectual evidence as proof to the Lord being real.

This passage says that God chose not do either method. Instead, He chose to save you and me from our sins through what everyone out there believes is foolishness: the sacrifice Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and rising from the dead three days later so we can have eternal life with Him. That's the gospel, a word that means "good news". I expanded on this point in my first post in this thread.

The wisdom of God, as that passage concludes, can only be ascertained through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can reveal that to you. Every other attempt by everyone who has ever lived has failed because the Creator decides how He wants His truth revealed and embraced, not us.

YOU CAN'T USE THE BIBLE TO PROVE THE BIBLE. YOU CAN'T USE THE BIBLE TO PROVE THE BIBLE.

You are engaged in a circular fallacy. Jesus is real. How do we know he is real? Its in the bible! The events are real. How dio we know? Its in the bible! That's a circular fallacy. The bible is the claim. Its not the proof. To prove your points you need at the least 3rd party sources for which you have none. And again, if we allowed you to use the bible as proof, we'd have to take Muslim and Hindu scripture as proof as well. Why? Because it's in their holy books. BTW, Muslims believe that the bible was corrupted and the Quarn is the only true holy book. And, if you don't follow the Quarn you are doomed for hell which a few Muslims have told me.

So, lets look at what we know so far.

1) The telling of Jesus life after his death was strictly oral for the first 40-50 years. What we have is a game of telephone. If I told you about a guy named Jesus, and you told 24 others, and those 24 tell 569 and those 569 tell 54097, and those 54097 tell 457609, and so on... For 40- 50 years we'd have misformation, lies, deciet, untruths, misunderstanding, and so forth. I can't tell you what I had for lunch last week, let alone 20 years ago.

2) The gospels are unanimous. The names Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were names given by the church. They were also written in Greece and by well educated Greek scholars. Jesus and his followers were poor peasants, and who were fishermen and goat herders. They couldn't read or write. Which was very common back then since only the wealthy had access to education. They also spoke Aramaic. Again, the gopels were written in Greek. Far awar from the original source. And, the sources of jesus life that these Greek scholars were working with were 2nd and 3rd hand accounts. The original people who were followers of Jesus had already passed since the life expectancy was about 35 years old in ancient times.

3) The gopels for the most part aren't to be trusted. There were alterations. Lines added. Lines taken out. Contridictions are very evident. Matthew blantly copies Mark. I'm not going to go over all of this, but Bart Erhman (New Testament scholar) does a wonderful job on this. For example, Jesus never called himself God. That was a Christian invention. Bart Erhman explains...

"In Mark's Gospel, Jesus is not interested in teaching about himself. But when you read John's Gospel, that's virtually the only thing Jesus talks about is who he is, what his identity is, where he came from," Ehrman says. "This is completely unlike anything that you find in Mark or in Matthew and Luke. And historically it creates all sorts of problems, because if the historical Jesus actually went around saying that he was God, it's very hard to believe that Matthew, Mark and Luke left out that part — you know, as if that part wasn't important to mention. But in fact, they don't mention it. And so this view of the divinity of Jesus on his own lips is found only in our latest Gospel, the Gospel of John."

4) Jesus never spoke about hell. That again is a Christian concept born out of the Greek comedy, Dante's Inferno. Jesus was Jewish. They don't believe in the type of afterlife that you were indoctrinated in. Many biblical historians now believe that Jesus was an apocalyptic preacher. He spoke of the end times that would happen during his lifetime.The concept of hell came later when more gentiles were coming into Christanity. You also have to remember that Christanity was a new religion at that time, and what's a good way to bring people into church? Scare them into believing that hell awaits if they don't convert from their pagen religious beliefs and into Christanity.

5) Even the resurrection has major issues. For one, we don't have 500 people who witnessed jesus rising from the dead. We have one person who claims that he saw 500 people who witnessed jesus rising. Big difference. Why don't we have the accounts of every person who witnessed the resurrection. If it was such a major event, and jeus was put on this earth for the sins of mankind, why don't we have these seperate accounts of his rising? Which brings me to my last part...

6) Jesus life, the bible, the Jewish/Christian god and the players involved were all located in one tiny area in the Middle East. If god is all powerful, all loving and all knowing than why didn't he spread his message uniformly? To every culture and to every continent on the planet. But he didn't, did he? Instead we have people like you who want to fear monger others into believing your religious belief, or else hell awaits. Why didn't the Asians, Native Americans, Africans, get this important message of salvation. Instead, Christanity has a very dark past. It was spread via warfare, forced indoctrination, slavery and colonilism by the European powers at that time: France, Spain and England. They took the concept of Christanity and made it evil. And the Christian God did absolutely nothing. He let hundreds of millions of indigiousn people perish forever. And, that's because he doesn't exist.

Just a quick note: I do believe in the historical jesus. There was probably a man named jesus. We have a few outside text (non-biblical) that address him. Paul mentiones jesus. But, was he devine? There is no evidence to suggest that he was the son of god. Nothing that is outside the bible. I'm a Buiddhist. In later cannons of the Buddha's life they have him healing the sick, and flying off to different cities within India, etc. This is why we need to use critical thought and not believe everything when presented to us.

Bart Erhman on Hell:

The Evidence for Jesus is Worse than you Think:

 

[brycejones]

Man what happened to our fire and brimstone member in this thread? Did he get raptured?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Look, I have put up a fight as a courtesy in the hope, thereby, to better clarify why our opinions differ. Too much of that and it begins to look like my need is to defend rather than to help you see. I could address your points but I doubt I would have any more success. I believe that from the lens you use, logic and critical thinking, you will do with a parrot what Mulla Nasrudin did, trim its claws and beak and paint its feathers brown so it would look more like a proper bird. But do please note that I distinguished the certainty of believing from the certainty of knowing, two different animals for anybody who knows anything. You just don't know wine if you have never drank it much less being intoxicated with the love of God. I was given a gift priceless beyond belief. Would love to share it with friends.



.

Generally, that's where I'm comin' from also. I know, scientifically, based on my observations over five years, that Trump is a criminal. I understand there is some margin of uncertainty attached to this conclusion in which I believe I know. That's the mindset of the CSI folks. The other view of it is the nature of the jury trial and a system of justice biased toward the innocent. You can't just make judicial determinations the final arbiter of what is true and what isn't. That a GOP Senate let Trump off the hook on two impeachments isn't reflective of the Truth, but some of the Base behave as though it is. I imagine they would argue it: "Oh! All trumped-up charges! Fake news! They've just been trying to get Trump because they hate him."

We hate him because he's a freaking criminal, connecting all the multiple charges and factual dots.

So as for God or whether He's pissed off, I don't know. You're entitled to your beliefs, but I prefer you don't skew public decisions that impose your beliefs on the non-believer population.

I personally repent any or all of the shabby things I may have done in my life, people I've hurt, or whatever damage I may have done. Whether I tell it to myself or a priest, I don't think it matters. IF there is a God, why would he send me to a bad place after all of this -- my life, my mistakes, my regrets?

But the human race created climate change, and we're responsible for all the other heinous s*** in the news. God is one thing; Mother Nature is another thing. And then, there's the human race.

 

[MtnMan]

Look, I have put up a fight as a courtesy in the hope, thereby, to better clarify why our opinions differ. Too much of that and it begins to look like my need is to defend rather than to help you see. I could address your points but I doubt I would have any more success. I believe that from the lens you use, logic and critical thinking, you will do with a parrot what Mulla Nasrudin did, trim its claws and beak and paint its feathers brown so it would look more like a proper bird. But do please note that I distinguished the certainty of believing from the certainty of knowing, two different animals for anybody who knows anything. You just don't know wine if you have never drank it much less being intoxicated with the love of God. I was given a gift priceless beyond belief. Would love to share it with friends.



.

Cliff's Notes: He's gone down the rabbit hole of an adult fairy tale.

 

[MrSquished]

Like many horrific groups of people in history that have gained a lot of power, Trump and the current Republican party are actual proof God does not exist. Or if they do, they are not a good or benevolent God at all. More like a Satan in charge.

 

[Moonbeam]

Generally, that's where I'm comin' from also. I know, scientifically, based on my observations over five years, that Trump is a criminal. I understand there is some margin of uncertainty attached to this conclusion in which I believe I know. That's the mindset of the CSI folks. The other view of it is the nature of the jury trial and a system of justice biased toward the innocent. You can't just make judicial determinations the final arbiter of what is true and what isn't. That a GOP Senate let Trump off the hook on two impeachments isn't reflective of the Truth, but some of the Base behave as though it is. I imagine they would argue it: "Oh! All trumped-up charges! Fake news! They've just been trying to get Trump because they hate him."

We hate him because he's a freaking criminal, connecting all the multiple charges and factual dots.

So as for God or whether He's pissed off, I don't know. You're entitled to your beliefs, but I prefer you don't skew public decisions that impose your beliefs on the non-believer population.

I personally repent any or all of the shabby things I may have done in my life, people I've hurt, or whatever damage I may have done. Whether I tell it to myself or a priest, I don't think it matters. IF there is a God, why would he send me to a bad place after all of this -- my life, my mistakes, my regrets?

But the human race created climate change, and we're responsible for all the other heinous s*** in the news. God is one thing; Mother Nature is another thing. And then, there's the human race.

What you are saying, it sounds like to me, is that owing to reasons perhaps hard to name, some sort of transformation in the quality of your awareness has occurred such as to cause the instinctual sense more light has come to what formerly was a darker self. Is there a greater gift that you could have had. All that I am saying is that, shall we say 'growth in wisdom' can perhaps be seen, causality wise, in two different ways, an increase in the light or diminution of darkness. I prefer to see it from the perspective of the latter, that you unlearned what those you see around you still in the grips of dark do not. Your beliefs, inculcated within you with great propagandist owing to a deeply buried sense of conscious just didn;t fully stick, that something within you like a seed strove to grow toward the light. I call that light one's true human nature and others put the name God on it. If the darkness you grew up in was your true natural or true human state, where did your yearning for truth and your deep regret possibly come from.

It is no accident, I think, we have as religious tradition that says God created us in His Image and that because, scientifically, one can't really tell the difference if you simply do a 180 by turning the scale. The regret and the suffering would not be possible, I believe, were it not that what you really suffer is separation, separation from who you have always been and what you really are, that beautiful and magical Mr. BonZaiDuck, who was only ever allowed to look into a mirror that turned those beautiful white swan feathers into an ugly brown.

 

[MtnMan]

nm

 

[arredondo]

So God has no power to bring "sinners" close to him and/or fix them so they can be in heaven with him? Then why call him a god?

Consider a 22-year old guy out there named Frank. His heart longs for a relationship with Tanesha and despite being a pretty decent man who would do his best to treat her well she doesn't want anything to do with him. Question: should he force her to accept his offer to be together even though she has repeatedly denied him? Of course not.

You and I and everyone who has or will ever exist were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) for an eternal, loving relationship with Him. However, it is not real love unless it is offered freely and not through force (as a slave) or because we were "programmed" to obey (as a puppet, robot, or other A..I. entity). We have free will to accept or reject the One who created us. How else can love be real between both sides?

To answer you more directly, God absolutely could have used his unlimited power to make us do anything. He chooses not to so that you have the choice to freely offer your heart to Him just as He has already done for you. Real love >>>> than forced obedience.

The ironic thing is that accepting the Lord in your life is the most one-sided free will relationship possible. God created you and breathed His life into your lungs so you can even be alive (Genesis 2:7). All of the good and wonderful blessings you've enjoyed up to this point in your life are from Him (despite your rejection) while he also steered you away or protected you from most of the harmful effects of sin. What consequences He allows you to experience is done only for an ultimate greater good in part to encourage you to make the single most important wise choice you can possibly face.

And as for the sins you personally committed anyway, the Law says you are to die, period. Instead, out of love and grace God sent Jesus who willingly allowed Himself to be tormented, tortured, despised and ultimately be killed in your place so that you could live forever. All of that He endured despite your ongoing rebellion against Him:

~~~~~
Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
~~~~~

Who does something like that for anyone? I mean, in English we have basically one word for "love", but in Greek (the original written language of the New Testament in the bible), there are no less than four different words for the various types of love. The lowest form is associated with sex meant for a man and his wife... eros. It is rarely mentioned in the scriptures, but sadly is the most commonly distorted of them all by society. There is a Greek word for family love, and one for brotherly or friendship love as well.

The highest form mentioned in the bible describes the love that Jesus Christ has for you: agape love. How is it any better than all the other versions? It is a love that you not only did nothing to earn, but it is one you don't even deserve.

It's easy to love a spouse, family members or friends. Can you say with an honest heart that on your own you love your enemies? Read Romans 5:8 above once again... could you die for someone that hates you? Jesus did.

You might have read the novel Valkyrie (or seen the Tom Cruise movie filmed from it). It's based on a true story of German officers and soldiers in WWII who plotted to destroy Hitler by planting a bomb underneath a conference table at one of his hidden retreat meetings. As the story goes there was problem with the explosion and Hitler survived. All of the ones found to have been involved were executed.

Be honest - if Hitler directly killed your loved ones and tried to tear apart all that you hold dear, would you have been willing to rush into that conference room if the opportunity allowed, grab the bomb before it went off and jump out of a window with it for the sole purpose of making sure that you died in place of him?

That's what Jesus did for you on the cross!

The list of what God has done for you to earn your thankfulness and praise is too long to list. He longs to pour even more blessings over you for all of eternity. Now, what's your part in the relationship compared to all of that? Just believe! As I said above, it doesn't get more one-sided than that.

As an answer to your final question, yes, I'd say it is only right to not only call Him God, but to glorify Jesus for His agape love that none of us deserve.

 

[dank69]

Consider a 22-year old guy out there named Frank. His heart longs for a relationship with Tanesha and despite being a pretty decent man who would do his best to treat her well she doesn't want anything to do with him. Question: should he force her to accept his offer to be together even though she has repeatedly denied him? Of course not.

Now imagine Frank tortures Tanesha for all eternity for not wanting to be with him. Now imagine people worshipping Frank the torturer.