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Gods Word and Illegal Immigration

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
10/25/18
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"Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king." (1Peter 2:17)

Immigration is today on the minds of many people in the United States. Particularly now that there are an estimated 8,000 people coming to our southern border from Central America. Without going into the numbers, as numbers and charts can always be read in several ways, I am just going to say that immigration is responsible in part for the success of the American experiment. The diversity and ideas of different cultures melding into American culture have been a positive thing. The point is that this diversity has benefited the American culture over a period of time. The key to that has been assimilation into the community of America. The problem today is that different cultures come to America to bring their cultures as a rule of life. They become offended by the American traditions and want the ways of their culture. The obvious answer to that is for them to return to the culture they so miss.

The United States has an immigration policy that is very complex and is maintained by the Immigration and Naturalization Act. The bottom line of this law is that America can and does allow 675,000 to immigrate to the United States per year. This policy is broken down into several groups. Family-Based Immigration, Employment-Based Immigration, Per-Country Ceilings, Refugees and Asylees, the Diversity Visa Program, Other Forms of Humanitarian Relief, (Temporary Protected Status-Deferred Enforced Departure) and U.S. Citizenship. Consideration for immigration is based upon Immigration to the United States is based upon the following principles: the reunification of families, admitting immigrants with skills that are valuable to the U.S. economy, protecting refugees, and promoting diversity. This information was provided by the American Immigration Council.  I support immigration and believe it brings value to our national identity.

The problem of immigration is a troubling discussion in America and when I find myself unable to answer I first seek what the Word of God says. The Christian family is called to be compassionate and merciful towards the immigrant. We read in Exodus, "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 22:21) and Leviticus, "When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 19:33-34) In the Day of Judgment we will be held accountable for our attitude towards the foreign people in our lives. "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in." (Matthew 25:35) I cannot argue with the Word of God but in the two verses from the Old Testament written by Moses, the Jewish people were reminded that they were aliens in the land of Egypt. If we know the story of Jacob and Joseph we know that the Pharaoh of Egypt invited them there. The Israelites were immigrants and not illegal immigrants. There is a tremendous difference between the two. We are searching for God’s Word on illegal immigration.

In the book of Genesis 11:1-9 we read the story of the tower of Babel. There the people came together and built a tower with the hope of reaching the Heavens. God looked down on their activity and was not happy with their efforts. "The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them." (Genesis 11:6) God confused their language and therefore established a barrier between the peoples. The people scattered and formed the nations of the world. This is one of the walls God set up to keep people separated from each other. Since that day man has been working to break down those walls and language is one of those walls. As the wall of language and the other walls that God put between people, the world is moving towards a one world government. This will result in the prophecy of the coming of the Antichrist to power.

Where God accepts immigration and instructs us how we are to treat the alien with compassion and mercy, treating them in the context of the love God has shown towards us, this does not excuse the other side of love which is justice. The Word of God is clear in the thirteenth chapter of Romans that we are to be in submission to the law of the governing authorities. "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." (Romans 31:1) There is another verse in this chapter of Romans that sparks my attention. "For this, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Romans 13:9) Paul is reminding us that the Law of God does take precedence over the law of the governing bodies that He has established. (Acts 5:29)

There is a paradox here for the Christian. We are to obey the law of the government and obey the law of God’s Word above that law. The conflict is found here, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." To use the same tactic of President Clinton the answer is in what love is. There are three kinds of love in the Scriptures but as Christians, we are to reflect the love that God has towards us, agape love. A good definition of this love can be found in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verses 4 through 8. This is the kind of love that we should have as this is the love that abides with us. How does this work with illegal immigration, which by definition is criminal?

To find the just answer from the Word of God I first must look at the penalty of sin. It is clear that we often overlook God’s attitude towards sin. God finds sin detestable, God hates sin as sin is disobedience of God’s Word. This places the illegal immigrant in a bad position with God. "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear." (Isaiah 59:2) To violate the law of the government is not only unlawful, but it is also a rebellion against God’s Word. This changes the perspective we have towards the illegal immigrant who is now a criminal in the eyes of the government and God.

Some believe that the immigration laws of the United State are unfair and unjust. This is not the issue as the law is established. If they do not like the law, then speak to their representatives or vote new representative that agree with them. All nations of the world have the right to enforce immigration laws. Some of these nations laws are better, some are worse. All nations also have to deal with illegal immigration and the spectrum for how they deal with it is the same, some better and some worse. All these nations including the U. S. have the right to punish these lawbreakers.

Some come with good motivations to find a better life for themselves and their families, and to escape political oppression and poverty. We here who see these difficulties should have the heart to send them aid beyond what our nation has sent. We are always to have on our heart and in our prayers the poor who suffer these things. "They only asked us to remember the poor--the very thing I also was eager to do." (Galatians 2:10) And the eight thousand who are coming to our borders are certainly the least of these but we as Christians cannot violate our own laws, as we would be as sinful as they are. We cannot in good faith become encouragers and enablers to illegal immigration.

So I find the solution to be as simple as this, don’t break the law. Don’t allow Satan to pull you into the bondage of sin and separate your prayers from God. If you think the law is unjust, then seek to change it, if you believe in open borders then seek to change it. Pray and ask, seek, and knock to work out a solution that is best for you. Don’t break the law yourself and be drug down into sinful behavior. The Apostle Peter give a good answer to the question. "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God." (1 Peter 2:13-16)

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, October 24, 2018