Bulletin Articles
PERSUASION VERSUS COERCION
PERSUASION VERSUS COERCION
One of the greatest gifts that God has given us is the gift of free will. Webster says free will is “freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention.” Synonyms of free will include words such as “autonomy, choice, self-determination, and volition.” Words that suggest the opposite of free will include “force, compulsion, or coercion.” Simply put, we are FREE to choose right or wrong!
God determined that we have free will. We have the God-given right to choose our path in life. “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Josh.24:15). “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rv.22:17).
Free will comes with great responsibility. Free will does NOT mean free from consequences! We must accept the consequences of our decisions in life. If we choose evil, we must bear the consequences of it: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezk.18:20). In fact, our bad choices can even affect others! (cf. 2Pt.2:1-2).
Free will comes with a lot of “baggage.” When we make bad choices, not only do we suffer for it, but many times, others suffer for it. If I choose to steal, you will lose your property. If I choose to commit adultery, you will lose your wife. If I choose to gossip, you will be hurt by it. If I choose to kill, you will lose your life. Such unpleasant things are the “baggage” that comes with free will!
Mankind has repeatedly chosen evil: “For ALL have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Rm.3:23).
But God has provided the antidote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rm.1:16).
Despite all the negative consequences of sin, God still let’s man choose his path! Sin is deadly: “For the wages of sin is death” (Rm.6:23). Sin is contagious: “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil” (Ex.23:2). Sin affects everyone: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1Jn.1:8). My personal sin can negatively affect others: “For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rm.13:9-10). Despite these negative consequences, God does not force anyone to be saved; instead, He allows us the choice to accept or reject the antidote to sin (Mk.16:16).
Now let me stop right here and ask some important questions. Was God wrong to allow free will? In view of all the negative consequences of sin to ourselves and others, should God force people to accept the gospel? Should we try to help God, and force others to obey the gospel? After all, it is for their own good, as well as the good of others! Are we wiser than God about such matters?
The answers to the above questions are obvious. Our all-wise and all-knowing God was NOT wrong to give us free will. God should NOT force us to be saved. Nor should we try to force others to be saved, because coerced compliance is not compliance at all. Instead, God has determined that we must be persuaded to act in our own best interest – or suffer the consequences of our actions (cf. 2Cor.5:11). Persuasion is the godly way to change behavior!
--Lanny Smith
