Tim Barnett explains that divine judgment is not coercion but the just consequence of freely chosen rebellion against a good and just God.
Transcript
Original video: It’s not really free will if God says, “Worship me and obey all my commands, or else I’m going to kill you and then torture you for all of eternity.” That’s called extortion.
Tim: Ah, yes. The classic God-is-an-extortionist argument. Let’s break this one down because it’s a mess.
First, extortion is when someone forces another person to give them money, property, or services through threats, intimidation, or coercion. Is that what God is doing? No.
If someone freely chooses to reject God, the source of life and goodness, and break his commandments, that’s their choice. But choices have consequences. That’s how reality works. Just as breaking human laws has consequences, breaking God’s law has consequences, too. That’s not extortion. That’s justice. More on that in a second.
Original video: It’s like if a mafia boss threatens to burn down my store unless I make payments. Would I be committing arson on myself when I refuse to pay up? No, of course not.
Tim: The mafia boss analogy is a bad analogy. A mafia boss demands unjust payments and punishes innocent people to maintain power. But God isn’t some corrupt enforcer. He’s a just and loving judge who offers salvation as a free gift to sinners who have broken his laws.
Here’s a better analogy: Let’s say you rob a bank and you get caught. You stand before the judge, and he sentences you to prison. Now, is the judge at fault for your imprisonment? No. The criminal’s actions led to the imprisonment.
In the same way, rejecting God isn’t like refusing to pay a mobster. No. It’s guilty sinners rejecting the pardon God freely offers and accepting their just punishment instead.
Original video: So, it’s not my fault when God sends me to Hell for not obeying his made-up and arbitrary immoral rules.
Tim: Come on. That’s like a criminal saying, “It’s not my fault the judge sent me to prison for not obeying his made-up rules.” Yeah, it’s your fault for breaking the law. God’s laws aren’t arbitrary. They reflect his nature, and his nature is good. He judges sin because he’s just, but he also provides a pardon because he’s loving.
God doesn’t force anyone to love him. Rejecting the source of life, love, and goodness, though, has consequences. That’s not extortion. That’s reality. But here’s the good news: Anyone who turns to him finds mercy. This isn’t a cosmic shakedown. It’s a rescue mission, and you can take it or leave it.