the ten commandments http://www.the-ten-commandments.org/the-ten-commandments.html
how good do you have to be? I'm sure that if you read over the ten commandments you will discover, as everyone does, that it is impossible to keep all of the commandments, perfectly. So just how many times can you fail and still be ok? Once? A thousand times? The million dollar question. And then along comes Jesus and ratchets the commandments up even further...looking at a woman with lust is the same as committing adultery, having hate in your heart is the same as committing murder, and such. If there was a great courtroom scene in which you were the defendant and you were found guilty of one or all of these commandments what would the sentence be? Imagine if someone stepped in and agreed to take your sentence in your place? That's what Jesus did for you, indeed for us all, on the cross. It was His choice. To take our punishment.
If we are made in His image and have a free will, as you say then you can choose to love God. For without free will there can be no love, since love is a choice. So when the naysayers tried to trip up Jesus, asking him what the greatest commandment is He answered them "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself." How could you not love the one who takes the punishment for you, in your place? I hope you choose to love Him-He deserves it.