Over the past couple of weeks, you have surely seen the amount of protesting going on about president Trump’s stance on immigration. It seems even Christians are up in arms and calling Trump an un-American, inhumane, cold-hearted man...and with good reason (judging from his description of immigrants and treatment of children). But we want to shed some light as to how Bible-believing Christians should think about the issue of immigration. In other words, what is the true biblical teaching on immigration and on our attitudes towards it? Or at least, what principles can we glean from Scripture to help us have a God-centered perspective on the issue?
The Land of the Free, with its iconic Statue of Liberty proclaiming our cherished ideals, is a place where many people only wish they could set foot on. We have been blessed as a country, while other lands have been much less fortunate, and some are in utter despair even in the 21st Century. So, should we—as people who serve a God of love—advocate an "open borders" stance on immigration, or a "closed borders" one...or somewhere in between? Let's look at what the Bible says.
Immgration In The Old Testament...
In the Old Testament, God commanded Israel to treat sojourners with dignity and respect:
But, the word for sojourner in these and other verses means an alien/stranger who followed legal procedures to obtain recognized standing as a resident alien in Israel, according to James Hoffmeier in his book, "The Immigration Crisis: Immigrants, Aliens, and the Bible." In the Hebrew language there are two words used to differentiate between resident aliens and simply foreigners. In the verses above, the word for resident aliens (gēr) is used, while in other verses, the words for foreigners (nekhar and zar) are used. Foreigners did not have the same legal standing and privileges as the Israelites and recognized resident aliens did.
Moreover, "nowhere in the Old Testament is there any sense that a nation had to accept immigrants, nor was being received as an alien a right" (Hoffmeier). Nonetheless, now, even as then, strangers should be treated with dignity, respect, and love. They are people made in the image of God, whom God loves, and are to be treated fairly. Many immigrants risk their lives to make it to the "Land of the Free," seeking asylum from their corrupt and evil governments that deprive them of their basic rights. But, try as we might as a country, we simply cannot accommodate all the people living under tyranny that would like to make America their new home...this would not be feasible, nor wise.
In The New Testament...
When looking through the New Testament, we find no direct references to immigration, but we do find verses that talk about governments being established by God for the good of the people (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-14). It is important to note that these governments are established for the good of its very own people, which means that any laws and decrees ordered should be first and foremost for the benefit, security, and tranquility of the people governed.
Of course, that does not mean that we are to indifferently turn away from helping those outside who are truly in need, but not at the expense of causing the collapse of one’s own country (whether it be an economic, security, social, or any other collapse). In the U.S., our Constitution delineates these purposes: "...governments are established to ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, and promote the general welfare." Still, the people using the verses above to support stringently inhumane immigration laws, do so at the expense of the Gospel.
On the other hand, sometimes others post verses from the New Testament that Jesus said in order to try and justify their "all-are-welcome" attitude in terms of immigration, and to supposedly "call out" the Christians who are not following their beloved leader. One such verse is from Matthew 25:35, which says, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." At first glance, the verse seems to be a no brainer and defeater of any opposing position, but upon careful examination of the text, we find that Jesus is not talking about immigration or aliens at all. The verse in context is:
31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, 36 I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.'"
In these verses, Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of heaven, and who will be in it. The sheep are His followers (i.e., born-again believers), and the goats are everyone else. Jesus then says to His sheep that they will inherit the Kingdom because they fed Him, gave Him to drink, welcomed Him, clothed Him, and visited Him. Jesus makes it clear that those (the righteous, i.e., believers) who did this for Him will be blessed. But, how could anyone today do this...feed or clothe Jesus? Well, the answer is in the last verse, v. 40. Jesus says whoever did this "to one of the least of these My brothers," did it to/for Him.
So The question becomes, who are Jesus' brothers and sisters? Well, we are; weChristians. You see, what these verses are actually saying is that whoever (especially another believer) helps a Christian will be blessed because it would be as if they were helping Jesus Himself (after all, He does live in believers!). You see, God takes care of His children—and by extension, those who help Christians. So, these verses have absolutely nothing to do with immigration, aliens, or anything of the sort. The same goes for that famous verse about giving a cup of water to someone—that "someone" would be a Christian! Check out our article "The Cup of Cold Water...What It Truly Means."
Of course, the broader teaching in these verses is that it is good to help those in need; we must all be "good Samaritans." In fact, it is true that we may be helping out angels without even knowing it (Hebrews 13:2). We Christians should strive to be a helping hand to those in need, without regards to their ethnicity, color, country of origin, gender, religion, etc. But at the same time, the only way we can help others is if we ourselves are strong as a country and as a people, and that includes having our laws in place to preserve that end.
What About Illegal Immigration?
- Close the borders, at least until better policies and procedures are created.
- Enact comprehensive reform of the immigration system (and education of it in schools) by stopping chain migration and having a more controlled immigration.
- Expand the number of skilled workers who are admitted to the U.S.
- Enforce tighter regulations on employers regarding illegal immigrants.
- Deport all known criminals who are here illegally.
- Require immediate temporary registration of some kind for immigrants to receive any service from any facility in the U.S. (welfare, Medicaid, schooling, etc.).
- A difficult but possible path to full citizenship.
Having an "open borders" stance on immigration as a Christian is misguided and naïve. No country can bear the burden of millions and millions of immigrants flocking to it in search of help and asylum—this is impossible, even for the most prosperous nation on Earth. The Bible is filled with stories of nations or places being protected by walls, so using them is not morally wrong (2 Chronicles 14:7, 27:3; Psalm 51:18; Ezra 5:8; Isaiah 26:1; Nehemiah 12:2: 1 Kings 3:1). In fact, breached walls in a city is a sign of reproach and judgement from God (Proverbs 25:28; Deuteronomy 28:52; Nehemiah 2:13; Psalm 80:12, 89:38-40).
At the same time, having a "closed borders" stance on immigration—and we mean tightly closed, almost impossible to get in, even legally—is also misguided and naïve. People will always find a way into our country, and the harder it is to get in legally, the more people will try to get in illegally. Therefore, it is best to espouse a stance somewhere in between "open borders" and "closed borders" that will provide asylum to those truly needing it, while simultaneously protecting our country from dangerous individuals and groups of people.
Moreover, having in place laws, regulations, and procedures that better organize immigration does not mean that we as a country and a people have ceased to be compassionate, loving, and helpful. There is no reason why we can't have both strict immigration laws and show compassion towards those who truly need it, and as we can accommodate. Also, the best way we can show compassion is to help countries better the circumstances for the majority of its people so that most would be able to stay in their beloved homeland—that is one of the most beneficial steps we can take towards eliminating world poverty and immigration problems.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the priority of the people should be to protect their country from immediate threats to national security. The government’s primary job is to keep us safe, and if they deem it necessary to do some of the things listed above to ensure our security and prosperity, then that is what must be done. It is a fact that many immigrants crossing the borders illegally pose a burden and a danger to our society—which is why common sense immigration policies, regulations, and practices should be enforced.
Of course, as we acknowledged, there are times when good people who are persecuted and hurt are trying to flee their oppressive governmental systems (such as Cubans, Venezuelans, Syrians, and even Mexicans). They seek refuge and asylum in the U.S., but that does not mean they have the right to come in illegally without any attempts at doing it legally. Their illegal actions add to the depletion of our vanishing resources (and climbing debt) by taking advantage of the generous system being abused daily. As stated above, we need to help people where they are first...in their countries.
Recommended Resources
