The great thing about God is that He willed NOT to be the only will in the Universe. The geat thing is that He willed beings who could do as they will. That's what makes love possible.
If we were acting out predestined scripts such that our choices meant nothing, there would be no love (unless you think you could, for example, get love from a sexbot.)
If we had no choices, it would be nothing but gratuitous sadism for God to use any imperative verb.
"Repent and believe the Good News", "Love the Lord your God," "Choose Life"--- glory to God, He means exactly that.
>>”Repent and believe the Good News”, “Love the Lord your God,” “Choose Life”-— glory to God, He means exactly that.
“Choose life” is only found in Deuteronomy and it is irrelevant to this discussion.
But the other two are very Calvinist.
Repent and believe the Good News. Yes. You were chosen. Not just for salvation after death. You were chosen to KNOW and be DRAWN toward God. Not to some man-made church with priests who tell you want to think and act as intercessors. Not to be drawn to saints who can talk for you. YOU were called. That is Christianity (until about 500 AD and then after 1517).
Love the Lord your God. Absolutely. But, if you KNOW God, how could you NOT love? Do you believe that you are so powerful that you can ignore the love of the greatest being in the universe when he smiles down upon you? That is arrogant! You believe that your ways are God’s ways. That is not true.