That Force is necessarily the result of interaction is made explicit with Newton's Third law.
The second law gives us an Operational (experimental) definition of Force, $\vec{F} \equiv m\vec{a}$. The experiment that I had come across while understanding the second law involved two masses being pulled equally (one at a time) on an air track. The experiment convinced me that the second law is not just a matter of definition because Force is the result of real physical interactions (pull on the masses by means of a band, for example). How does Newton's Third law make the concept of Force more evident?
Newton's Third law is essential if the second law is to be meaningful.
Can I get help getting started with thinking about this statement?