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What the Bible says about Coercion
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Exodus 12:48

The Hebrew language lacks an exact equivalent to the Greek noun proselyte, which means a newcomer (Strong's #4339). However, in the Old Testament, God's law does allow the ger (Strong's #1616), usually rendered "stranger," to become a full-fledged citizen of Israel. To do this, he needed to become circumcised. Exodus 12:48 addresses this changing of belief system in reference to the Passover.

The stranger "wants to keep the Passover." There is no hint of God expecting Israel to seek converts among the heathen by actively preaching to—or, at—them. Here, there is no coercion, subtle or otherwise; the Gentile convert voluntarily gives himself to come under the Old Covenant. Deuteronomy 4:5-7 states the dynamics of this conversion.

Charles Whitaker
Proselytism Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Part One)

Luke 22:24-26

God does not want anybody in His Kingdom who is only good at following orders. He wants sons and daughters who have taken on His values and character and made them their own so that they will always choose the right way of their own volition. His purpose requires that we be able to choose between life and death, blessing and cursing (Deuteronomy 30:19). If our every word and deed are regimented—whether by God or by a human government—then we do not develop character. Thus, God is working with us to help us make the right choices without having to be controlled externally.

The carnal mind, though, really only understands external control. In Christ's teaching, He uses the Gentiles to exemplify those who do not know God, who govern by "exercising lordship" and "exercising authority." Matthew's account says that they "lord it over" the people.

Then Jesus declares that those who exercise authority in this way are called "benefactors." The basic meaning of the Greek word is "a worker of good." Lording authority over people could be considered "good" only in the sense that it enforces order and discipline rather than chaos. Yet, the real issue is how that order and discipline are brought about. If it is done in the Gentile way, it is achieved through force, coercion, oppressive legislation, threats, and fear. However, if God's way is followed, order and discipline may take longer to accomplish, but they will endure because they come from within the people rather than being imposed on them.

Another way that "benefactor" can be understood is as "one who provides for another." In collectivist political systems, the government is seen as the benefactor of the people because it "guarantees" things like jobs, food, healthcare, retirement, security, and so on, in return for allegiance. The Gentiles rule by causing the people to depend on them for everything, and they appear to be generous and benevolent by "giving" things back to the people.

In either application, Christ says, "but not so among you." Recall that His teaching began with the disciples arguing over who was the greatest. They were focused on their position and their status—like those who do not know God—and Jesus had to direct them back to their responsibility. His instruction to those who would have authority in His church was to serve, not to rule.

The service of the church is geared toward helping the members toward "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). He clearly does not mean "serving" by establishing iron-fisted control and ruling the members by fear, nor does He mean "benevolently" doing for them what they can and should do for themselves. Both of those extremes stunt character development, leaving the people unprepared to live eternally. Instead, He means serving by applying those gifts that have been given for the edification of the body (verse 16), and not taking more authority than He has given.

David C. Grabbe
The Nanny Church (Part One)

Romans 13:3

Notice "unafraid" because it has much to do with where the power of government resides. In the King James Version, it reads, "Will you not be afraid of the power?" Laws are stated and have penalties, but in most cases, that does not keep people from breaking them almost with impunity as long as nobody responsible for governing is looking. The government's power largely lies in coercion. Coercion means "forcible constraint or restraint, whether moral or physical." In other words, government functions largely through force—power. Paul is saying, "Will you not be afraid of the power of the government?”

Consider this simple illustration. Most people flagrantly disobey the speed limit on freeways and interstates, especially when they are not crowded. It is easy for the mind to say, "Hey! The way is open and clear. Why don't I go faster?"—until we spot a patrol car with a trooper or two in it. Suddenly, the speed limit becomes the norm—until the police care is out of sight. What are we afraid of? The power of the police! That government employee, the policeman, has the power to pull us over to the side of the road and fine us. Because of the fear that enters our mind—because suddenly we see the government's representative—we slow down and go the posted limit. Why do we not keep the speed limit whether the trooper is around and looking or not?

It is common knowledge that the power of the law, all by itself, is not enough to motivate us to keep it, even though we know the law well. We know a penalty is connected to that law. Yet we will still flagrantly disobey it until someone from the government is watching. Then, we are very conscious of the government's power to hurt us.

So, the law on the books is not of and by itself enough to make us obey it. But what Paul is getting at is that love toward God and man can motivate us to do what the law says. It can make us do what the law cannot do.

Paul claims that if we do this—that is, we are motivated by love—then we will automatically keep the commandments. A somewhat different, though weaker, conclusion is that Paul is saying that if we do not break the commandments, then we are acting out of love. This is why he lists the commandments shortly after this (Romans 13:8-10). So, within this context, the apostle is explaining that we cover every facet of our responsibility to God and man if we ensure love has its proper place as the motivation for all we do.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Love's Importance and Source


Find more Bible verses about Coercion:
Coercion {Nave's}
 




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