Yes. God created man in His image, in that Adam was given the power of a (secondary) moral agency, and was able to cause and effect his duties, dominion, and surroundings. IOW's Adam was created with a consciousness and will that was responsible to function according to the word (commands) and revealed will of God. This responsibility came in the form of a forensic covenant promising life and or death, and so Adam was immediately accountable as to how he would function.
This Covenant of Works (Law) was predetermined by God, but Adam was truly given free agency to work in harmony with God. (Many theologians call this Adam's time of "probation.") As we know, Adam failed to so exercise his moral agency in obedience to God and broke this covenant that promised life; receiving the death sentence also promised therein.
So the Law works as the independent factor between God decrees and man's moral responsibilities before God.
I say "works" for the Law being eternal remains in effect to this present day. Just because Adam failed, and all his progeny failed after him, does not invalidate this Covenant of Works. All men are born into the world under this old Covenant, all are morally responsible to obey God's word and will, and because all men fail and fall short of the glory of God's word and will, death is universal. (The Man,Jesus, being the only exception.)
The only hope for receiving everlasting life comes by the grace of God and the new Covenant performed and ratified by Jesus Christ, who fulfilled all the Law and all human responsibility before God in His Incarnation life, death, and resurrection. This is the Gospel.
Mankind's moral agency has been corrupted thoroughly, and all men are imputed with the penalty of sin = death. So apart from God's grace, man now can only exercise his will according to his nature, which is totally sinful. Thus the denial that man's will is actually "free." Man chooses, but he only chooses to sin; remaining guilty in God's sight . . unless and until his heart, mind, and will are changed by the Holy Spirit, creating the sinner, anew, into a believing, obeying, sanctified, and justified (forgiven) sinner. Then, through faith in Jesus Christ and His work on his behalf, man is freed to again exercise his (secondary) moral agency rightly and choose to live in submission to God's word and will. Only through union with Christ, worked by His Holy Spirit regenerating new life and faith, is the death sentence pardoned, and the joy of receiving everlasting life is finally realized in any individual's lifetime.
