BIBLICAL LOVE AT THE BORDER
HOW CAN AMERICAN CHRISTIANS SHOW THE LOVE OF JESUS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER?
Key Facts
1 in 5 Evangelicals say they have ever been encouraged by their local church to reach out to immigrants in their communities. [1]
53% of Evangelicals agree they are very familiar with what the Bible says about how immigrants should be treated. [2]
68% of Evangelicals would value hearing a sermon that taught how biblical principles and examples can be applied to immigration. [3]
Key Scriptures
Deuteronomy 10:17-18 –“ For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.”
Deuteronomy 14:21 –“You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the alien who is in your town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner.”
Deuteronomy 17:15 –“ you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.”
Matthew 25:35 –“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.”
Other relevant Scriptures include: Ephesians 2:19; Hebrews 11:13.
Want to Know More?
The Gospel Coalition: 3 Lessons Learned from Ministry to Immigrants
God and the Illegal Alien by Robert W. Heimburger is an academic book that gives two Christian perspectives on the American Border Crisis.
Is God A Moral Monster? by Paul Copan contains chapters addressing the ways in which Israelites were to love prisoners of war and foreigners in their land.
Debating Immigration by Carol M. Swain is a collection of essays from various contributors raising concerns and addressing criticisms about immigration and their worldview.
Samaritan's Purse: Hundreds of Migrants Receive Christ Along the U.S./Mexico Border
Application
There are many different questions that could be asked concerning immigration and the correct way to love immigrants. However, the purpose of this article is to discuss what the Bible says about loving “foreigners” or “aliens” and examine how this can be applied to immigration in America. Many of these verses do not apply to criminals and those who have fled their home country seeking to escape punishment, but rather addresses the life of those who are aliens residing peacefully in another culture and political system. Therefore, this article will not address each political and social situation, but rather give biblical principles in which to approach many of the immigrants in America.
What Does Scripture Say?
The Old Testament has two words for immigrants: nokriy and ger. The word nokriy is the most similar to modern immigrants of the two words, but it is most often translated as “foreigner” or “stranger.” Even though the foreigners were legally residing in the land, they did not accept the culture and religion of the Israelites as their own. [4]
Nokriy is often used in a neutral or negative context to mean a person with whom one is not familiar with (for example, “He took strange (nokriy) wives” is a reference to adultery). [5] By using a word with a negative connotation, the author of Deuteronomy highlights the countercultural nature of the teaching for the Israeliites to love the foreigner (Deut. 10:17-18). Foreigners were powerless in the culture, had no legal protection, and were restricted from many political positions. The cultural shift seen by the call to love the foreigner is clarified in Deuteronomy 10:17: God shows no partiality.
The New Testament reiterates the love for strangers and foreigners when Jesus teaches a parable about the end times and says “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matt. 25:35). The purpose of this is to show that how one treats those strangers and foreigners in their land is reflective of their treatment of Jesus.
Another common usage of nokriy is when God is revealing Himself to those in other nations (1 Kings 8:41-43; 2 Chronicles 6:32-33). God commands the people to reveal their God to the foreigners by their actions so that the foreigners may come to know Him as the one true God.
Yahweh’s own character establishes social justice throughout the book of Deuteronomy by showing that divine love and divine justice are not opposites. In chapter 10:17-18, we see this divine love and justice revealed together in teaching and in practice. Love and justice were expected to be carried out together in the Jewish life. In 14:21, the application of this love is shown through the meeting of practical needs, while the justice of God is shown in 17:5 when they were commanded to choose their king from the Israelites.
How Can We Apply This?
We can begin to apply these passages by recognizing the character of God revealed in these texts. God has been upsetting unjust social structures since the Old Testament. God’s character reveals what he expects from His people. His love for the foreigner means that His people should love the foreigner and meet their needs. This can be a basis for Christian interaction with immigrants today.
The Scriptures draw a stark distinction between Israelites and the foreigners of the surrounding nations. The contrasting of Israel from the foreigners (nokriy) ultimately works to reveal the God of Israel to the foreigners themselves (Ezr. 10:11) and highlights foreigners as the recipients of the Word of God. Likewise, Christians should adopt an evangelistic focus while interacting with foreigners and strangers. The way in which God reveals Himself to foreigners (nokriy) is an important parallel to how Christians should reveal the God of the Bible to the foreigners they encounter (1 Kings 8:41-43; 2 Chronicles 6:32-33).
On the flip side, the justice of God is revealed in His commands to choose a king from the Israelites (Deut. 17:15). This command protected Israel from undue foreign (or ungodly) influence and highlighted their role as a set-apart people to be a light to the nations. While this command did exclude foreigners from becoming king, it did not contradict God’s love for the foreigner or the command for the Israelites to love them. God had expected His people to meet the needs of the foreigner, but not necessarily each of their desires. Refusal to meet the desires of each individual is not a contradiction to the biblical call to love foreigners.
The application of these verses can vary in relation to policy. However, the love and justice shown in these verses should inform any practical application. Regardless of political policy or immigration status, the foreigner should experience love and be exposed to the God of the Bible.
Conclusion
The Bible has a lot to say about how Christians are to treat one another and even addresses how to interact with those residing in your land who reject your culture, traditions, and religion. God is clear that He loves the foreigner and that means that Christians should too, both in principle and in practice. God shows that love for the foreigner is not a rejection of justice. Christians are likewise called to reflect the love of God and the justice of God simultaneously.
[1] http://lifewayresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Evangelical-Views-on-Immigration-Report.pdf
[2] http://lifewayresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Evangelical-Views-on-Immigration-Report.pdf
[3] http://lifewayresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Evangelical-Views-on-Immigration-Report.pdf
[4] Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster?, 142-143.
[5] Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster?, 142-143.