He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8[1]
Old age comes with its rewards. One thing I like about being “youth-challenged” is remembering a time when few claimed their foolishness was righteousness. That has now changed. Even insane[2] views are founded on the argument of superior morality.
Romans 1:21-22 asserts that those who reject God slip into foolishness. This article is not about the outer edges of sanity, it is about evaluating claims of morality by those who are followers of Jesus, who are not insane, but instead foolish.
Front and center these days is the issue of illegal immigration. One of my professional friends, a very smart lawyer, argues that the difference between U.S. citizens and those here illegally is documentation. Citizens have better documents than those whose presence is unlawful.
If this were a solid legal argument, then the difference between me and the fellow who steals my Corvette is documentation. My title to the car is merely superior documentation. This is obvious legal foolishness.
The more contested issue is not the law, but Biblical morality.
The Humane Treatment of Sojourners
Consider Exodus 22:21: “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” Or Deuteronomy 10:18–19: “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”
Then there is Leviticus 19:33–34: “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”
The Exodus and Leviticus texts prohibit wronging the sojourner. But both the Deuteronomy and Leviticus texts go further and command love for the sojourner. Indeed, Leviticus defines the required love as the type you would expect for yourself. Finally, all three texts tie the required treatment for sojourners to the Hebrew experience in Egypt.
Let’s parse these requirements for God’s people and apply them to the illegal immigration problem facing the United States and other western countries. I’ll hereafter refer to sojourners and migrants who are violating the laws of their host nation as “migrants.”
The first requirement is to “do no wrong.” This prohibits taking advantage of the migrant but does not suggest that unlawful behavior by the migrant should be tolerated. The requirement to treat the migrant as a native also permits the application of immigration law to the migrant. Both these requirements allow the arrest and deportation of migrants when consistent with the law of the host country.
The requirement to love migrants “as yourself” requires additional thought. What is your personal standard regarding the law? Do you believe that you should be able to enter another country (or the home of another) illegally? If you do not, then loving a migrant as you love yourself means the law should be applied to the migrant, just as you would expect it to be applied to you.
Recently, I’ve been looking more deeply at what Jesus said about loving others. In Matthew 5:48 Jesus calls on us who follow Him to be “perfect.” This perfection regarding love is defined by the way God the Father loves “the evil and the good.” Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-45: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
This kind of love is called “common grace,” and it requires us to treat everyone equally. The requirement of equal treatment under the law is at the heart of the American legal system. That system requires migrants, just like anyone else who violates the law, to be held to account.
If you believe in the equal application of the law to everyone (including yourself) these texts in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy are no barrier to detaining and deporting migrants here illegally. The only affirmative action mentioned is “giving food and clothing.” In the videos I have seen of migrants either heading towards the United States, or who were already here, no one was obviously in need of food or clothing. Rather, they dress like the average American teen (or better). More to the point, I have heard only the argument that migrants come for an improved life, and to send money back to their home country. Never have I heard the argument that migrants come to be able to eat and have clothes.
Our final look at Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy turns to “why” the Hebrew reader should humanely treat immigrants. All three texts refer to the fact that the Hebrews “were sojourners [or strangers] in the land of Egypt.” Genesis 45:17-20 shows that the Hebrews were not only specifically invited to come to Egypt, but they were also promised “the best land of Egypt” by Pharaoh.
This suggests that the texts in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy have no application to those who illegally enter a country. If the standard for humane treatment is Hebrew history, the Hebrews were invited guests who were promised by the highest legal authority that they would be Egyptian landowners.
So far, we have considered the Biblical obligation that we individually have to others made in the image of God. What about our obligations as citizens of the Kingdom of God, and as citizens of the United States (or any other country with immigration laws)?
Obedience to the Law
Romans 13:1–2 instructs us: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” Similarly, 1 Peter 2:13–14 commands: “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”
Paul’s statement in Romans is not limited to citizens of the country, it refers to “every person.” The laws of the land, according to Paul, have been instituted by God. Thus, migrants are resisting what God has created and “will incur judgment.” Consider the application of this to Christians who claim moral authority for aiding migrants in avoiding arrest. Romans tells us this resistance is against God. And those who resist should expect punishment.
If you are like me, your heart is touched by reports of fellow church members who now live in “fear” because of the current enforcement of immigration laws. Romans specifically addresses this. Romans 13:3–4 tells us that fear is the appropriate response:
“For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”
The Bible says that those who violate the law should “be afraid.” Why? B ecause they are resisting God’s servant.
As a practical matter, violating immigration laws is likely only the first of a series of violations. If migrants come to work, they can only be hired if they have fraudulent credentials (or an employer willing to conspire to break the law). If a person has a job, they need a way to come to work. Except for states that give drivers’ licenses to migrants, driving to work without a license is the next violation, followed by driving without insurance.
Mercy
At this point you might say, “Bruce, I understand both the logic of the Biblical rules and the moral obligation to adhere to the rule of law. But what about mercy? Doesn’t Micah 6:8 remind us that God requires us to be kind?” What about the story of the Good Samaritan?
Those defending migrants seem blind to their obligation of mercy towards the most vulnerable American employees – those with low skills. These are often minorities and lawful immigrants. These vulnerable Americans are forced to compete with migrants for jobs and wages. The hiring of migrants promotes illegal cash arrangements by employers that, due to the illegal nature of the employment, weakens enforcement of wage, safety, and anti-discrimination laws. Vulnerable Americans find it more difficult to compete for jobs against migrants who are willing to work under unlawful conditions.
Localities pool their money to provide schools, hospitals, parks, training programs, and community food banks among other safety nets. Those here legally, who contribute to these local programs, find themselves deprived of services for which they paid when these services are now shared with migrants.
The rule of law by itself is a powerful tool for mercy and kindness.
Once again, those who claim moral authority for their political views are found, upon close examination of the Bible, to be able to claim only their political views and not moral authority.
Decades ago, I attended an after-church meeting presented by the wife of an important man in the Adventist Church. Her topic was homelessness. Her ideas were contrary to the teachings of the Bible, but in line with popular political views. When I pointed out what the Bible said on the subject, she suggested a name for me (I think it was “Nazi”) rather than discussing whether I properly understood the Bible. I assume some of those reading this article will reject it by calling me a name or by believing that their personal beliefs or emotions constitute higher moral authority. Is there any higher moral authority than the Bible? If your views are elevated above the Bible, you are caught in one of the oldest moral traps – idol worship. You worship the ideas you have made over the instructions God has given.
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Bruce N. Cameron is the Reed Larson Professor of Labor Law at Regent University School of Law. He is on the litigation staff of the National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation. He is the author of the GoBible studies on Substack where he has approximately 25,000 subscribers.
[1] Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.
[2] Careful word choice is important. Assume you had a friend who believed that he was Napolean Bonapart and had his legs surgically shortened to be the height of Napolean. Would it be fair to call your friend insane? What about the woman who had her face surgically altered to look like a cat. Is that insanity? Is this any less insane than accepting that minors are entitled to decide their “sex assigned at birth” was a misassignment, and that minors have a moral right to have adults surgically “alter” their sex, thus failing to change their DNA, but succeeding in sterilizing them for life?