Acts 17:24, 26, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands…And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” Does one blood mean we are all related?
Gal 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Is God telling us we are all one people with a choice to make?
Eze 47:21-22, “So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.” When God told Israel to divide the land, which He had given them, did He not command them to make a place for the stranger who entered their land?
Ex 12:49, “One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.” Are we to have one set of laws governing everyone within our borders? Numb 15:15, “One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord.” Should our laws include treating the stranger who enters our land the same as we do our citizens? Lev 24:22, “Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God.” Are we supposed to enforce our laws fairly without respect to persons?
1 Pet 2:13-15, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:” These verses seem to bring together the issues involved, we are all to obey the laws so no one will be able to use our disobedience as a stumbling block to the seekers. Whenever a group disobeys the laws they begin to shine a very bright light on everyone within their group. So should we all obey every law, including immigration laws?
Lev 19:33-34, “And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” Should those responsible for creating our laws make sure they are fair for all who have entered our land? If we want to limit the number of strangers entering our land, should we secure the borders, instead of oppressing those that have already entered?
Zech 7:9-10, “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.” Is God warning us not to oppress the immigrant? Are we still supposed to execute true judgment to those who have chosen to break our laws, immigrant or citizen? Tit 3:1-2, “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.” If an immigrant chooses to disobey our laws, is that immigrant also choosing to disobey God?
Matt 25:35, “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:” When we help a stranger, are we not obeying God’s basic laws regarding our neighbors? Does God not personally feel all that we do, whether it is good or evil?
Phil 3:20, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:” Is God not telling us our home is heaven, not this world?
Could God be telling us the immigrant within our borders might one day be a fellow citizen of heaven and our future eternal neighbor?
Comments, opposing opinions and suggestions for future topics are all welcome at: bill@reasoningwithgod.com.