Why Free Choice? To Love

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

By created in God's image, this includes in meaning our ability to sub-create within His universe. As He can create, so we can sub-create. God is what is. From a human perspective, we can say He has the ability of free choice. He gave this to us.

So then we may ask "what is the purpose of free choice?" - that is, why did God not simply create us perfect in love of Him. The Christian answer is: there was a better time, but now we are fallen. Yet we can still ask - why was the ability to fall even part of our creation?

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.

So in this command we find the answer. Only beings capable of sub-creation, choice and thought are truly capable of love. To chose to wholly love - to wholly direct ones being towards good - needs a being created in the image of God, beings capable of free choice.

This is why then we see cold, indifferent people as soulless.