If we had no choice but to be obedient, that would negate love. We also would not know the extent to which God loves us, redeeming us at such enormous cost to himself.
You clearly cannot understand the significance of any sort of restriction. Being unable to sin? What is sin? If that involves risking life then you rule out… virtually everything that is enjoyable! (Because it would include anything that risked even your own life. Sex? Betting / Gambling? Any sport that has any sort of risk involved. Mountain climbing. Flying? (even in an aircraft).
If there is no death then there can be no births. Most of the ecosystem relies on death to continue. Hurricanes, tornados, volcanos, all part of the earth’s regeneration and controlling systems.
The “New Heaven and new Earth” cannot exist on our planet as it is now.
If you cannot sin then you cannot have a free will, because part of free will is the freedom to be both wrong, and sinful. If you can only choose right then you cannot choose at all. (except for minor insignificant choices like what to wear or eat, as long as it is not fattening, poisonous or harmful , of course)
Richard
How can doubt lead to doubting that God is good? As Yancey does. My doubt is of God at all.
That’s because the only evidence of His existence-goodness is the claim of incarnation in our otherwise purposeless existence.
I hope you’re saying that rhetorically, because it is not just a claim, and it is correct that if we are not in God’s family and he is not our Father, then yes, existence is otherwise meaningless. God wants childlike hearts:
Little children don’t think their lives are meaningless – that is something they are taught by a godless world and maybe by nasty parents (who are part of a godless world).
All we - a minority of humanity, through a glass darkly - have is the claim and its impact on our hearts. God wants childlike hearts in what regard? Apart from, if He is, trust Him?