But then humans weren't created with free will, because being free also mean that you are able to participate in choosing which laws are good or bad, and what punishment should apply, as that is a way of expressing your free will, right?
Who told you that? Free will is nothing like that. It was never that kind of freedom. As our rightful Sovereign, God is the one who sets the boundaries for our existence. We are free to operate within those parameters. We can make a thousand decisions every day based on our free will, but it can never go outside of God's sovereign will.
The whole reason for the existence of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" was because God assigned himself as the arbiter of those decisions. When humans broke away from their Creator, thinking that they could make their own decisions about what is good and what is evil...they failed. Many people can't tell the difference.
In a world ruled by the devil, that is no surprise. (1 John 5:19; 1 John 2:15-17)
But God had already decided before hand what could and couldn't be done and what punishment applied.
He made one rule and expected his children to obey him. He decided what the punishment was for breaking his law because of how serious the consequences would be. Don't humans do that too? Isn't the penalty something to consider before one commits a crime? If you don't break the law, you have nothing to fear.
So if that is what you mean, then I agree. But then the bible uses the word free will in a very confusing manner that makes little sense, I think
It doesn't make sense unless you put it into a context that you do understand.....like the laws of the land for example. Why do we get into trouble for breaking the road rules, like speeding or running a stop light? Not rocket science, is it? Those laws exist for the protection of other drivers, as well as ourselves. If we are free willed and decide that we can drive at whatever speed we like, or that we will ignore the traffic lights....do we want to live in a place where those freedoms exist without stiff punishment?
Free will can never be absolutely free because we are confronted with the consequences of our decisions. If we were exceeding the speed limit on a particularly dangerous curve, ignoring the posted speed sign, and killed someone or even a car full of people.....would you expect a penalty to be applied for your careless disregard for the safety of others? Every human conflict is the result of someone abusing their free will, both domestically and internationally.
No one is granted absolute freedom because we do not have the wisdom or the maturity to 'drive' it correctly.....which is proven every day in the political arena, and in the family setting.
When you read the bible a lot of people are convince and see all the miracles that Jesus and the apostle do, like curing blindness, walk on water etc. and start to follow him. So why not let him stay on earth and show people that he can do all these things, im pretty sure that would convince most people, rather than letting him get crucified.
Why do you think Jesus performed miracles? Did you know that every one of them was a foregleam of things to come under the rulership of his Kingdom? ...Healing the sick...raising the dead...ending people's pain and suffering.(Revelation 21:2-4)
In the beginning of his ministry, God gave Jesus the ability through his spirit to perform supernatural feats but they were not to last much longer than the end of the first century. Do you know why they stopped?
Paul explains....
1 Corinthians 13:11-13
"When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, to think as a child, to reason as a child; but now that I have become a man, I have done away with the traits of a child. . . . .Now, however, these three remain: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love."
The traits of a spiritual 'child' need to see something in order to be convinced. The miracles that Jesus performed attracted a lot of attention....some of it good, some not so good....but Paul inferred that the traits of a child had to give way to the maturity of a grown man. The gifts that were given to provide evidence of God's backing were to cease because the Christians had to grow up....that means that the three remaining qualities of a mature Christian are "faith, hope and love"....not miracles. These three now attract the right-hearted ones who want to serve God in the Christian ministry. (Matthew 24:14; Matthew 28:19-20)
Imagine if Jesus after his resurrection instead of disappearing had walked straight into the palace of Pontius Pilate and said "Do you believe me now?" Im rather sure that would have convinced pretty much everyone. But instead humans and Christians have to go through years of torture and them torturing others to end up with people completely confused about who God, Jesus is. And whether its even true or not. Jesus could have walked around today keep doing miracles and there would be no doubt. The solution that God chose were probably the worse one, if you ask me. Especially if you count the amount of death that follow in this confusion.
If that was the case, then people would not need faith...just tricks to tickle their fancy. (Hebrews 11:6) The Pharisees asked Jesus to perform tricks for them and he refused.
On one of the occasions when Jesus fed the multitudes, the crowd found him the next day and he asked them if they had come just for the free food? Jesus and his Father need a deeper reason for us to show them loyalty, no matter what the devil throws at us to make us want to give up, they want to see what we are made of. Like Job, we need strong faith to endure trials.
Continuing from the last part, you now have a promise of something amazing at the end of the tunnel of eternal life and an Earth where lions play with small children, if only you throw all common sense away and put your faith and hope in God. Which again makes no sense, people that do not believe in Christianity, doesn't do it simply because they don't want to or because they don't like the idea of being able to live forever in total happiness and harmony. But because the way God have chosen to reveal or not to reveal himself to us, is plain and simply stupid and done in an unreasonable way to expect anyone to buy into it. And again asking people to ignore all the stuff he have done throughout the bible of things that we consider immoral, is asking a lot I think, without as much as offering an explanation. I honestly think that would be the least he could do.
God is a rewarder. He does not expect us to go through all that the devil has done in this world with no reward for our efforts. It's not called a "cramped and narrow road" for nothing....and Jesus said that "few" will be traveling that road, with the majority preferring the easy road, which leads to death. (Matthew 7:13-14) We choose our own path, for our own reasons.
Again, Hebrews 11:6...
"Moreover, without faith it is impossible to please God well, for whoever approaches God must believe that he is and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him."
What God is offering, is not going to appeal to everyone....the devil will see to it that he is painted in the worse possible way. God owes them nothing you see, because they already have his most precious gift....life. It is we who need him...he does not need us at all. He tells us what his requirements are for everlasting life in paradise and it is up to us to prove ourselves worthy of the opportunity he offers to all....he does not need to prove anything to anyone.
And I don't really understand it, as a believer what do you think when you read some of the things God do, like ordering the killing of everyone in a city, so not even the animals are to be kept alive? Do people that believe just ignore it? or do you just find an excuse, that these people had it coming, children etc. could just behave, I really don't get it?
I trust that God knows more about everything than I do. His vantage point means that he sees all and knows even what people are thinking. His justice is perfect and he is the arbiter of life and death. No one has died at his hand who didn't deserve to.
The other thing to consider is that God also has the power to restore lives that have been lost. In the resurrection, he promises to resurrect 'both the righteous and the unrighteous' on the basis of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15)
It is better to stop judging God from our limited human perspective and just trust that the Creator knows what he's doing and wants to grant everlasting life to all......but not everyone wants what he is offering on his terms. They want life, but on their own terms.....that is not what is offered.
2 Peter 3:9...
"Jehovah is not slow concerning his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance."
So it is not God's desire that anyone perish, but unless they accept his terms they will not be offered anything else.