How does the God of the Universe want His People to think about Protecting our Civil Society?

What is the morally righteous mindset for mature citizens to have about national border security and public treatment of aliens?

All of us today are aware and sensitive to the reality that Scripture is often misquoted, misapplied, or weaponized, in public discourse, to push political agendas. Millions of conscientious believers are trying to navigate the tension between compassion and the rule of law, between loving the stranger and protecting the vulnerable.

Everyone knows that we live in a climate of political correctness. With the left-leaning attitude of the main stream media, Christians often face moral dilemmas. The issue of immigration is a big concern.

In 2018 there was a large caravan of thousands of people moving north from Central America through Mexico. Another caravan was heading north at the Guatemala/Mexico border.  Yet another was in El Salvador heading our way. (https://www.foxnews.com/world/migrant-caravans-leaders-reportedly-demand-safe-and-dignified-transport-as-enthusiasm-erodes ) What should be the Christian’s response to people wanting a better life and trying to come to America?

To make matters worse, in the aftermath of enduring a demonstrably illegitimate national political administration, how should law-abiding citizens think, act and pray regarding the now present dangers of dealing with millions of acknowledged foreigners who have knowingly broken the constitutional laws of the land?

The God of the Bible loves the sojourner because He is the merciful Creator of everything on the planet. His Word commands his people to show compassion, mercy, and justice toward the foreigner. Citing these commands, some well-intentioned Christians contend that the Bible requires the church to oppose enforcing immigration law. But, when they do that, they fail to understand there’s a distinction between the roles of the church and the state. 

An Overview of Immigration in the Bible

While the church is called to love and serve the foreigner in their midst, governments are ordained by God to uphold justice, establish order, and restrain evil (Rom. 13:1-4). The Christian can and should support the enforcement of immigration laws—not in contradiction to our faith, but as a faithful expression of it.

The Bible commands God’s people to love the sojourner (Deut. 10:19). We’re not permitted to oppress the foreigner (Zech. 7:9-10). We must welcome the stranger (Lev. 19:33-34). We should keep a mind-set of compassion toward the destitute. 

The same Bible instructs that a nation is “defined by its borders” (Num. 34:2). The New Testament declares that God “determined…the boundaries” of nations (Acts 17:26). Borders are not human inventions; they’re God-ordained tools essential to have order in civil society. Even the heavenly city is described with impregnable border walls and an open gate that is accessible only to those whose names are found in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev. 21:12-27).

In ancient Israel, the same God, who demanded compassion for the foreigners, also required a rigorous process of assimilation for any foreigner seeking to become an Israelite. That required far more than just crossing a boundary. Did you know that new citizens were required to be circumcised (Gen. 17:27)? They were required to affirm and abide by the laws of Israel (Lev. 24:22). They were required to swear off any abominable customs of their homelands (Lev. 18:26). 

Foreigners were not permitted to permanently own land in Israel without being a citizen. In fact, God’s Law required land properties to be returned to Israelites – get this – every fifty years (Lev. 25:10). It’s called the law of the Jubilee year. That way, they could maintain control of their ancestral land allotments (Num. 36:7). The process of assimilating new citizens was careful and often multi-generational. Foreigners from hostile nations were not permitted full privileges of citizenship until the third generation (Deut. 23:3). 

See the Scriptural references for all these regulations in the transcript for today’s broadcast.

These commands, requiring both compassion and order, weren’t contradictory. But they do require clear distinctions between the responsibilities of individual believers and the responsibilities of the state. In God’s economy, the church is responsible for providing compassion to immigrants, widows, orphans, and the poor, just as the state is responsible for restraining evil and establishing an orderly society.

As Christians, we ought to desire the safety and welfare of all people. We should be compassionate (Col. 3:12), love our neighbor (Lev. 19:18), and relieve him of his burden (Exodus 23:5). We are not to oppress the stranger (Exodus 23:9). And finally, the Old Testament speaks of loving the aliens in our land (Deut. 10:19).

Okay, so this is all good. We then have to ask how do we do these things and also be wise without injuring ourselves and others without overburdening our nation? We should seek to find ways to help people make their lives better. But how far do we take this? Do we just open our borders and let anybody come in just because they want to? Or, do we require that immigrants obey our laws and enter our country legally?

If we’re seriously concerned about following the Bible, then we’ve got several issues we’ve got to address. Let’s look at them.

Submit to the governing authorities and laws

Romans 13 in the Bible tells us…

 “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.  Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” Romans 13:1–2

As Christians, we are to submit to the rulership of our respective countries. We’re to abide by the laws within those nations – unless those laws are against Scripture. Nations pass laws for their own prosperity and security. Its inhabitants are obligated to submit to those laws. Therefore, it’s only right to require others who are not our citizens, to submit to our laws if they wish to live in our country. If you were to move to another country, how far do you think you’d get if you demand that they change their language to suit you or change their laws for your benefit, especially if you snuck in illegally?

Whether or not you’re a Christian, are you not obligated to follow the laws of the countries where you travel?  When we enter someone’s home, we don’t break in illegally and require that they live according to our standards, do we? When I’m in their home… I need to submit to their rules.

The enforcement of laws sends the right message. The United States, from its beginning, is a nation of laws. Our declaration of Independence was conceived out of exhausting deliberation over the breaking of natural laws by Britain’s crown. Our laws have been enacted by due process and are subject to change by additional due process. If we, as a nation, repeatedly ignore our own laws and allow illegal immigration, then…

1. It sends a bad message to other nations, as well as our own population
2. It encourages further lawbreaking by rewarding illegal immigration.
3. It raises the concern that if our government breaks its own laws in one area, then it also may do so in others.

The right of private property and self-protection

The Bible insists on the right of private property when it prohibits theft (Exodus 20:15) as well as warning against coveting your neighbor’s possessions (Deut. 5:21). We have the right to work and be paid for labor (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15). We have the right to do with what is ours as we see fit (Acts 5:4) as well as the right of self-protection (Luke 22:36).  These issues may not be directly related to all aspects of illegal immigration, but they are certainly indirectly related. We must consider the possibility that some of those illegal immigrants are people who are seeking to escape the consequences of their lawbreaking in their own countries. Do we want them here?

Now, there are those who desire to come here for good reasons. They want to have a better life; they may honestly be trying to escape persecution. But there are also corrupt people who smuggle many into America for horrible reasons like sex trafficking, child trafficking, and indentured servitude. Our immigration laws are there, in part, to prevent the spread of evil. Then there’s the issue of unintentionally allowing deliberate Sharia terrorists, to enter our country so they can lie in wait until it’s time to strike. There’s no guarantee we can prevent all undesirables from entering. But unregulated borders would significantly welcome that danger.

We’re insane if we think a policy of letting anybody into our country doesn’t inevitably lead to an increase in crime. The more people there are, the more crimes there will be. But it’s interesting that, statistically, crime among normal legal immigrants is lower than native-born people.  (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/10/15/crime-rises-among-second-generation-immigrants-as-they-assimilate/ )  So, even though illegal immigration can contribute to crime, statistically it’s not reason enough to stop all immigration.

The Bible and Border Security

It’s not very common knowledge that God sets up borders between nations.

• Acts 17:26, “and He [God] made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation.”
• Deut. 32:8, “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.”

God also tells us not to move the boundary markers that establish borders.

• Deut. 19:14, “You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.”
• Deut. 27:17, “Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”

And don’t forget that some people try escaping from due process of the laws in their own country because of something they’ve done wrong there.

It’s Compassionate to Restrain Evil & Promote Order

Sometimes godly people need to be reminded that merciful compassion also restrains evil to maintain order. God is a god of order.

Jesus commanded believers to turn the other cheek, but he wasn’t calling for police officers to turn a blind eye to home invasions and wife-beatings. If we genuinely love our neighbors, we’ll do all we can to require our government to restrain such evils. When Jesus commanded the disciples not to judge others, he was not calling for an abolition of civil magistrates. When he told his disciples to put their swords away, he didn’t expect believers to demand the dismantling of our nation’s military.  We need to be honest about living in a fallen world. Rather than invite evil to invade our neighborhoods, it’s up to responsible people to insist that our governments do everything possible to restrain evil.

Failing to Enforce Immigration Law Is a Failure to Love Immigrants & Citizens Alike 

In 2023, the United Nations reported that “the US-Mexico border is the world’s deadliest land route for migrants.” In 2019, a congressional committee found “credible reports that female parents of minor children have been raped, many migrants robbed, and that they and their children are held hostage and extorted for money.” Between 2019 and 2023, border agents apprehended more than 448,000 unaccompanied minors. ICE reported to Congress that it “was unable to account for the location of all unaccompanied children.” 

Most people are now at least aware that the failure to enforce immigration laws has resulted in the brutal deaths of many American citizens. Mexican cartels, exploiting this lawlessness, have flooded our nation with drugs. Of the more than 107,000 overdose deaths in 2023, the CDC reports that more than three-quarters of those deaths were attributed to fentanyl and opioids (81,083). The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration claims that “one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people.” The California National Guard seized more than 62,000 pounds of fentanyl at the border in 2023 alone—an increase of 1,066 percent in only two years. This is enough fentanyl to kill 14 billion people.

Immigration laws exist to protect Americans from criminals determined to exploit us.  That means YOU and me! When those laws are allowed to be ignored, Americans suffer. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency reported that criminal convictions inside the United States involving illegal immigrants skyrocketed between 2020 and 2023—with crimes like assault, battery, domestic violence, DUI, burglary, robbery, fraud – each climbing more than 500 percent. Convictions of illegal immigrants for homicide and manslaughter were up 867 percent. Allowing this is not compassionate.

According to a letter from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to Congress, there were 425,431 non-detained foreigners on their rolls who had been convicted of crimes in their countries of origin but were released into our country! And that included 25,272 illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes and another 13,099 convicted of homicide. 

Is it more loving for Christians to tolerate this chaos… or work to enable our government agencies to restrain it and restore order? We shouldn’t have to think about that.

Enforcing Immigration Law Is Not Ungodly

Lawful immigration is a major contributor to America’s prosperity. But to do that right requires wise and godly support to our government’s enforcement of righteous immigration laws. Without that you invite chaos.

John Graves, CEO of My Faith Votes, a ministry of MillionVoices.org, sent out an email message about this serious and dangerously divisive topic recently.  

Speaker Mike Johnson Sets the Record Straight on the Bible and Border Security

2026 had just begun when Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, addressed this heated debate head‑on. After being pressed by reporters to defend the biblical case for border security, he released a full explanation rooted in Scripture, context, and the historic Christian understanding of government’s God‑given role.

Because this conversation is shaping national policy and influencing the faith community, we believe it’s important for you to see exactly what he shared.

Listen to part of Speaker Johnson’s full message, just as he posted it – you can read the rest on today’s online transcript.

“In the press gaggle following today’s vote, I was asked to defend the Biblical case for border security and immigration enforcement. I did so, and then promised to post a longer explanation that I drafted during the Biden Administration. Here it is, and I hope it’s helpful:

“Despite the insistence of the progressive Left, people of all religious faiths should support a strong national border—and Christians CERTAINLY should. Critics are fond of citing particular Bible verses out of context to claim that Christians and Jews are being “unfaithful” if we oppose their radical open borders agenda. It has become increasingly important for us to set this record straight.

“Perhaps the verse most often cited by the Left is Leviticus 19:34. Whether they know it or not, that passage happens to be from the instructions Moses delivered to the Israelites when they were on their journey through the wilderness in Sinai, before they reached their own Promised Land. The verse reads as follows: “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.” (KJV)

CONTEXT IS CRITICAL

“It is, of course, a central premise of Judeo-Christian teaching that strangers should be treated with kindness and hospitality. We are each called to love God first and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Deut. 6:5, Lev. 19:18, Matt. 22:36-40, KJV). However, that “Greatest Commandment” was never directed to the government, but to INDIVIDUAL believers.

“The Bible teaches that God ordained and created four distinct spheres of authority— (1) the individual, (2) the family, (3) the church, and (4) civil government—and each of these spheres is given different responsibilities. For example, while each INDIVIDUAL is accountable for his or her own behavior (e.g., Exodus 20), the FAMILY is commanded to “bring up children in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4) and “provide for their relatives” (1 Tim. 5:8). The CHURCH is commanded to make disciples and equip people for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-13), and the CIVIL GOVERNMENT is established to faithfully uphold and enforce the law so that order can be maintained in this fallen world, crime can be kept at bay, and people can live peacefully (Rom. 13, 1 Tim. 2:1-2).

“To be properly understood, anytime a command is given in Scripture, one must first determine to WHOM that command is directed. For example, when Jesus taught us as His followers to practice mercy and forgiveness and to “turn the other cheek” (Matt. 5:38-40, KJV), He was not giving that command to the government. To the contrary, when government officials ignore crime, they are directly VIOLATING their responsibilities before God.

“Indeed, the civil authorities are specifically charged to do justice, to “bear the sword,” and to serve as “the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil” (Rom. 13:1-4, KJV). As the Bible warns: “When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.” (Eccl. 8:11, TLB)

“Read in its context, the passage in Leviticus 19 makes perfect sense. Showing love and kindness to a stranger was not a command given to civil government, but instead to individual believers. That same principle is emphasized in the New Testament. When Jesus spoke of embracing, caring, and providing for “the least of these” (E.g., Matt. 25:31-40), His instruction was given to His disciples, and not the local authorities.

“The Bible is clear that Christians should practice personal charity—but also insist upon the enforcement of laws (like our federal immigration statutes) so that “every person is subject to the governing authorities” and “those who resist incur judgment” (Rom. 13:1-2).

BORDERS ARE BIBLICAL

“Many on the Left today, and even some at the highest levels of our government, consider themselves “globalists” who envision a utopian world order where there are no borders between countries at all. Their fantasy will simply never be realized, and their basic premise (that man is inherently good and perfectible on his own) is the opposite of the Biblical truth that man is fallen and in need of redemption that is available only through salvation in Jesus Christ.

“The Bible speaks favorably and consistently about distinct nations of people (see, e.g., Gen. 18:18, Num. 32:17, Psalm 67:2, Matt. 28:19, Rev. 5:9, 7:9, NIV), and about borders and walls that are built to guard and secure people, property, and jurisdictions (see, e.g., Deut. 19:14, 27:17, 32:8, Acts 17:26, NIV). When Nehemiah heroically led the Jewish remnant to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after their enemies had destroyed those walls, he was doing the noble work of God (Neh. 1-6, NIV).”

Speaker Johnson recited the current catastrophe with more detail and then ended with this… AN AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN RESPONSE (see below)

[Maintaining a secure border is not an offensive measure, but a wise, defensive one to prevent chaos and safeguard innocent life. As Rev. Franklin Graham once summarized, “Why do you lock your doors at night? Not because you hate the people on the outside, but because you love the people on the inside so much.”

THE CURRENT CATASTROPHE

Right now, because of 64 deliberate policy choices and executive orders of the Biden Administration, America is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and national security catastrophe at our open southern border. More than 10 million illegal aliens from around the world have entered the U.S. since Joe Biden became President, the majority of whom are single, military-aged men. Among them are countless violent criminals and more than 300 suspects on the terrorist watchlist. Cartels are making billions trafficking young women and unaccompanied minors, and many are suffering unspeakable abuses along the way. The Fentanyl that China and the cartels have pushed into the U.S. has become the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45.

As the peril increases and communities across our country become more and more overwhelmed with the crushing financial burdens of managing the influx of illegals, American citizens (and even a few Democratic governors and mayors) are finally demanding a return to sanity. America has always been a haven for people legitimately seeking asylum from danger in their home country, but we must insist they pursue a course of legal immigration and not simply ignore our laws.

Of course, the President of the United States must be the first to uphold our laws. Every citizen should insist that President Biden immediately use the eight broad statutory authorities he has right now to secure our borders and stop incentivizing illegal immigration. Among his most important executive authorities is 8 U.S.C. 1182(f), which empowers a President to “suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate” if he “finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.”]

AN AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN RESPONSE

“Due in large part to our Judeo-Christian foundations and the deep religious heritage we enjoy in this country, America is the most benevolent nation in the world—by far. However, we cannot maintain that strength and generosity if we surrender our own safety and sovereignty. Preserving law and order and securing our borders should not be partisan issues, but matters of common sense. These are certainly responsibilities fully authorized by the Bible—and expected of us by God.

Any time liberals attempt to bolster their “open borders” agenda by citing Scripture out of context, they should be kindly corrected with the facts (2 Tim. 2:24-25). Christians are called to love unconditionally, serve selflessly, and defend the defenseless. We are also called to stand for, and work to ensure, just government. Justice and mercy are not mutually exclusive pursuits. To the contrary, God specifically requires His people to practice both (Micah 6:8). Despite the unfounded claims of the Left, supporting a strong national border is a very Christian thing to do. The Bible tells us so.

Does Congressman Johnson speak Bible truth?

Aren’t Christians called to balance biblical obedience with biblical compassion?

God’s command to submit to governing authorities in Romans 13 (Romans 13:1–7), logically affirms immigration policies that are in line with God’s order and justice.  Breaking those laws violates civil authority, dishonoring God and potentially enabling harm to neighbors (1 Peter 4:15; John 13:15). 

Christians must champion compassion as well as justice toward immigrants, recognizing that all people are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26; James 2:15–16).  The Old Testament repeatedly commands care for the foreigner, the widow, and the fatherless (Exodus 22:21; Deuteronomy 10:18; Leviticus 19:33–34). The parents of Jesus  Himself had to be refugees for a time when they fled to Egypt to avoid Herod’s evil decree (Matthew 2:13–15).

Mature discernment means neither advocating open borders nor supporting policies that demean or exploit migrants.  That means…

• Respect national laws – seeking truth and justice in their application. 
• Advocate for humane treatment of undocumented persons, including fair legal processes and protection from exploitation. 
• Support legal pathways for measured immigration – helping immigrants integrate with language training, and voluntary charity from communities.
• Work to remedy root causes of migration—poverty, violence, and injustice— and that’s done through citizen-led global missions and development efforts.

Ultimately, Christians are citizens of heaven first (Philippians 3:20), called to live as exiles with love, integrity, and wisdom.  The righteous mindset honors both God’s sovereignty over nations and His command to love our neighbor as ourselves—regardless of their legal status.

This was never a debate over whether the country should welcome law-abiding immigrants. Our current controversy is whether law-abiding Christians should lawfully keep quiet about securing our nation’s borders, enforcing our lawful laws, and deporting those who enter the country unlawfully. 

It’s not ungodly for our nation to enforce immigration law. Christians can care for the stranger and affirm the state’s duty to uphold the law. Real love for our neighbors demands both.

What You Can Do Next

As this debate continues, believers must be equipped with truth, clarity, and confidence. Remember that for evil to prevail, good men just have to do nothing! The choice is yours.

All you have to do is two things.

Share this message with one other Christian… whether or not they ask you for it. They may be wrestling with what the Bible actually teaches about borders, government, and compassion.

Pray for wisdom for our leaders, that they would uphold justice, protect the vulnerable, and govern with integrity and courage.

“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” James 4:17

Bonus Segment

Matt Slick, founder of CARM – Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry – gave this great insight.

We Can’t Support the World

Unfortunately, in other countries, there is a lot of poverty, oppression, and corruption. Freedoms are often not as robust as they are here in the United States. Armed conflicts among different political groups spill over into the general population, and drug cartels are sometimes rampant. People naturally want to flee such dangers and go to places where they can prosper, raise families, and be safe. This is why so many are trying to get in the United States.

However, the simple fact is we cannot support all the people in the world. The more that people come into this country illegally and are rewarded for it, the more others will want to do the same. This will put a huge financial strain on our country and could lead to economic collapse in which far more suffering will occur. Now, if people say that we are morally obligated to help others, then they must also consider the fact that those people here in the United States also need to be helped. We cannot do that by increasing the number of illegals who come into the country, give them housing, put them on welfare, provide drivers licenses for them, and have the hard-working Americans support them. Again, if this is what we do, the influx of people in this country illegally will never stop. If anything, it will increase and contribute to economic collapse. Border security is a way to care for the welfare of people, including those immigrating legally.

Border Security and the Analogy of Home

An analogy that can help us see the bigger picture more clearly is to think of inviting people into your own home. Let’s say that you work hard and you have two spare bedrooms. Your refrigerator is full of food and though your budget is tight, you can pay your bills. Now let’s add a small family from another country to your household who lives in one of your spare rooms. They don’t speak your language. They eat your food, use your bathrooms, produce trash, and as they gradually learn English, they tell you that they want to bring more people into your home. What do you do? How long could you support them before your own economic resources are depleted and the stress and strain upon your home becomes unbearable? The truth is that we all practice border security at the home level.

Liberals are great at inviting illegals into other peoples’ homes and rewarding them with citizenship, catering to their language and culture, and granting them voting privileges – which are used to keep the leftists in power. They don’t really feel the effects of their decisions that impact others. After all, they’re in political control and can vote themselves raises, medical benefits, protection, and other such amenities. Liberals don’t feel the financial burden that a sudden onslaught of illegal immigrants brings to our economy and local regions, and how it takes away jobs from those who are legal citizens as well as puts a financial burden on infrastructure and services within our country.

Conclusion on Scripture and Border Security

Though we encourage people to come into our country from other nations, as Christians we ought to require that they do it legally. We should consider immigration as an opportunity to spread the gospel and show the love of Christ to those who are less fortunate. But on the other hand, we must be wise and recognize that, like a typical household, we can only absorb so much before collapse is imminent. Love and charity must be balanced against wisdom and common sense. Finding the balance is not so easy, but such a balance must be in place. Otherwise, eventually, everything will be lost.

Basically, borders help keep order and they presuppose the division of properties, the right of private property as well as security, and are a passive rebuke against coveting someone else’s land and resources. This latter point about coveting is important because America is an exceedingly prosperous country. Many people in the world covet our prosperity and want to have it. Some, even want to destroy it. Nevertheless, biblically speaking borders are established by God and therefore they ought to be respected. This means, along with Romans thirteen’s requirement to submit to governmental authorities, that immigrants must respect borders and not cross them illegally.

What about the sojourner?

What does the Bible say about the sojourner? And how does this impact our view of border security? Scripture mentions those who sojourn in the land and that they are to be cared for. Let’s look at some of the Scriptures.

• Exodus 2:22, “Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, ‘I have been a sojourner  [גֵּר, ger,  Strong’s 1616, 92 occurrences] in a foreign land.’”
• Leviticus 25:23, “The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners [תּוֹשָׁב  Strong’s 8453, 14 occurrences] with Me.”
• Leviticus 25:35, “Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner [תּוֹשָׁב  Strong’s 8453, 14 occurrences], that he may live with you.”
• Deuteronomy 5:14, “but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner [גֵּר, ger,  Strong’s 1616, 92 occurrences] who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.”
• 1 Chronicles 29:15, “For we are sojourners [גֵּר, ger,  Strong’s 1616, 92 occurrences] before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.”

There are two main Hebrew words for a sojourner:  גֵּר, ger,  Strong’s 1616, which occurs 92 times and תּוֹשָׁב, toshab, Strong’s 8453 which occurs 14.  Basically, a sojourner is a traveler through a nation. Sometimes he stays for a long time and other times he does not. Let’s consider basic dictionaries on the definition of “Sojourner.”

• “a temporary stay” (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sojourner)
• “to stay as a temporary resident” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sojourner)
• “A”A temporary stay.” (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sojourn)

So, the issue of saying that illegal immigrants are equal to sojourners does not work. Though some sojourners stayed for long periods of time in the Bible, others did not. But the overall emphasis was that they were not naturally born there and that they were, generally speaking, passing through.

Nevertheless, even if the sojourner Scriptures are used in support of immigration, there still the issues mentioned above about coming into our country legally, and not being a burden upon our economy. These are still serious considerations and we cannot ignore them.

 Our nation’s immigration laws are designed to restrain evil and promote order. The United States is not an enemy of immigrants. According to the United Nations, “The USA remained by far the largest country of destination of international migrants with 51 million migrants in 2020.” We’ve welcomed more than three times as many migrants as the world’s second most popular destination (Germany). This has been growing, not slowing. In 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that foreign-born residents accounted for 13.8 percent of the U.S. population—a threefold increase since 1970. 

This is not a debate over whether the country should welcome immigrants who follow the law. The current controversy involves whether Christians should support securing our nation’s borders, enforcing our laws, and deporting those who enter the country unlawfully. 

To answer these questions, we should examine how the recent incentivized acceleration of illegal immigration has produced extremely dangerous and destabilizing effects on our nation. This failure of our government to maintain order has yielded deadly results that are the antithesis of love for both immigrants and citizens.

Source: Can Christians support border security or open borders? by Matt Slick 10/31/2018  https://carm.org/can-christians-support-border-security-or-open-borders

Source: How Should Christians Think About Immigration Policies?    By Sam Kastensmidt 9/4/2025 https://institutefc.org/how-should-christians-think-about-immigration-policies/