Being forced to do the 'right thing'

I read a posting recently on the blog site of a mentor of mine named John Stanko. In it, he was exploring the question of whether we can be forced, commanded or otherwise coerced into doing something when it is the right thing for us to do. The argument for this states that people who have authority over us, parents, pastors, bosses, have the right to make us to do the right thing because we are often too rebellious or ignorant or both, to appreciate that whatever they are asking us to do will be to our benefit in the long run. We are thus meant to just 'shut up and obey'. Today, I give my view on this topic.

Up front, I would like to say that I disagree with the point of view that it is ok to coerce us to do things, even when they are right. God gave Adam a choice in the Garden of Eden to either obey God or to follow Satan's obvious lies. Adam chose to eat the fruit, and the rest, as they say is history. God never relates to us on the basis of 'You Have To'. He always gives us choices. However, each choice we make has a consequence. What he also does is empower us to choose right. If we choose wrong, we reap the consequences and God disciplines us. Through this process, we learn that disobedience does not pay, and we then begin to choose right as a matter of our free will. If God does not force us to obey him, why must we force anyone to do what we want, even if it is the right thing?

Some have said that the reason why it is permissible to coerce children (for example) to do the right thing is that we do not live in an ideal world, where people will naturally do what is right. So, we must 'help them along', like benevolent dictators. My response to this is to glean from the example of Jesus. Jesus did not live in an ideal world either, but there is no evidence in Scripture that he forced anyone to do his will. When he
physically drove the dove-sellers from the temple, his actions provoked a chain of events, which eventually led to his crucifixion, which, I believe is exactly what he wanted to do. If we take that incidence as proof that we must force people to do the right thing, then we should go the whole hog and say that we must physically whip people into line. Isaiah says of Jesus "A bruised reed he will not break....." (Isaiah 42:3) - the perfect picture of gentleness. So I guess what I am saying is that we should separate the idea of discipline from that of coercion. Coercion is physically or verbally forcing others, especially subordinates, to do "the right thing". Discipline on the other hand is enforcing the negative consequences of wrong choices made by others, based on the rules, of which they knew in advance. Be blessed today.