SERMON: “A Biblical Perspective on Immigration” (Various)
“A
Biblical Perspective on Immigration”
(Various)
Series: Current Events Text: Various Texts
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: January
18, 2026
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion: PM Service
I.
Introduction
Well, the news has certainly been active. Amid investigations of fraud in Minnesota,
there has been an increased presence of federal ICE agents in Minneapolis. Protesters mobilized, and that led to the
fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. Federal officials, including President Trump,
described the shooting as self-defense, claiming Good “weaponized her vehicle”
and attempted to run over the agent in an act of “domestic terrorism.” Indeed, it appears that she was a member of “ICE
Watch,” an activist group, and the video does show her there, blocking traffic and
agitating officers, and driving away when officers ordered her from the vehicle. However, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz disputed this, and the governor has made some
comments likening ICE to the Gestapo.
Thus, more protests have flared in Minneapolis, which have
continued for over a week. Some
protesters have used whistles, drums, sometimes throwing objects (e.g.,
snowballs, ice) and engaging in other activities. That includes becoming occasionally violent (resulting
in property damage and injuries). Federal
agents responding with tear gas, pepper balls, flash bangs, physical force, and
arrests, which the Democrats highlight as excessive. During a protest in Portland, a Venezuelan gang
member attacked an officer and was shot. In Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, and
elsewhere, over 1,000 anti-ICE demonstrations have occurred, even one in front
of the courthouse in Grand Junction.
Passions are high, and some people are worried about what
this might end. We know that we can
trust the Lord with the future, but it seems that debates and protests about immigration
are plaguing every nation. So, we also should
consider the topic underlying this issue.
As followers of Christ, our foundation must be Scripture — not
headlines or even party lines. The Bible
speaks clearly to this issue, calling us to love the foreigner while also
recognizing the realities of national boundaries, law, and even divine
judgment.
So, this evening, we’ll explore this, aiming for an approach
that honors theological truth and upholds the rule of law. We must balance compassion with wisdom,
avoiding naive empathy that ignores biblical principles of order and justice.
II.
God’s Command to Love the Sojourner
The Bible is unequivocal: God calls His people to show
kindness to the foreigner. This isn't optional; it's rooted in Israel's own
story. In Exodus 22:21, we read, “ You
shall not mistreat a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the
land of Egypt.” The term “sojourner” (ger
in Hebrew) refers to a foreigner living among the people, often traveling, or seeking
refuge or opportunity.
God reminds Israel of their slavery in Egypt to stir their
compassion for these individuals. Leviticus
19:33–34 expands this: “And when a sojourner sojourns with you in your land,
you shall not mistreat him. The
sojourner who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and
you shall love him as yourself, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt; I
am Yahweh your God.” Moreover, Deuteronomy
10:19 echoes, “So show love for the sojourner, for you were sojourners in the
land of Egypt.” Of course, that’s an
application of the golden rule, and it fits with the great commandment to love your
neighbor as yourself.
In the New Testament, Jesus embodies this. For instance, in Matthew 25:35–40, Jesus says
caring for the “stranger” (xenos, meaning foreigner or guest) is like
serving Him — “I was a stranger, and you invited Me in.” The early church practiced this, with
hospitality as a hallmark (Heb. 13:2).
There are some people on the right who completely ignore
these principles, making offensive comments about any other nationality. However, studies show that most people on the
right are not like this. Typically,
regardless of politically affiliation, Americans want to be the Good Samaritan
to the man hurt on the side of the road (an ironic parable in this context!).
As believers, we affirm this. Everyone in our communities deserve our love,
respect, and aid. Churches should lead
in integration, offering language classes, job help of all legal immigrants and
refugees, providing a gospel witness to everyone.
Yet, we must also understand that godly sympathy, while it can
be an important biblical drive, can become something else when it isn’t
tethered to biblical principles. There
are some pastors who look at the question of immigration, consider these
passages, and think nothing more about the issue. There are many non-profit ministries —
non-government organizations or NGOs — which try to take as many people as
possible into the United States.
We must recognize that personal hospitality isn’t necessary
national policy. While we want our
nation to be welcoming, the government also bears the sword against evil doers
and must protect its citizenry from threats.
It also must evaluate its limited resources against the needs of the
people already here. As such, it would
be wrong to demand that everyone and anyone who wants into the country should
be allowed.
God calls us to be sober minded and to operate with
wisdom. Notice, for instance, that these
verses also assume the sojourner is already “among you,” integrated into
society under the law. The command also
comes in the context of cities with walls and gates which locked at night. Nothing in Scripture mandates we have open
borders or ignore national sovereignty.
God’s word doesn’t say we should ignore the law when someone
“breaks in” to our national home, bringing us to the next point:
III.
The Biblical Role of Borders, Law, and Government
Scripture doesn’t pit compassion against order; it weaves
them together. When the people of Judah
returned from their Babylonian exile, they had a lot of work to do. The temple lay damaged. And the walls around Jerusalem were down. God led Ezra to rebuild the temple, and then,
He sent Nehemiah to rebuild the walls.
The heart of the people directed to God do care about security, which is
one reason it isn’t wrong for Christians to lock their doors at night. This was important for the safety of the
people.
God established nations with boundaries. In Genesis 11, at the Tower of Babel, He initially
divides the people in language groups and scatters them. Acts 17:26 declares, “He made from one man every nation of mankind to inhabit
all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.” Borders are part of God’s design.
Romans 13:1–4 reminds us that government is God's servant
for good, bearing the sword to punish wrongdoers. This includes enforcing laws on entry and
citizenship. As Joe Rigney has pointed
out, even imperfect immigration laws, when crafted by elected leaders, demand
respect — flouting them undermines the rule of law God ordains. Secure borders protect citizens, echoing
biblical wisdom that chaos invites harm.
Conservatively, this means supporting border security. That includes vetting processes for those who
wish to join our nation. That also means
deportation of lawbreakers, and those who sneak into our country have committed
a criminal act by our laws. It’s not
unloving — it’s just.
There’s a teaching in church history called ordo amoris
(Latin for “ordered love”). This comes
from Augustine, and it prioritizes responsibilities to family, community, and
nation before outsiders. Think of a man
who is a day laborer, earns enough money to feed his starving children, and
then gives that money to a friend instead.
While generosity is a virtue in Scripture, so is caring for one’s own
household, and there must be a proper ordering for these to work together. This means that it is not wrong to care for
the safety of our families, our neighborhoods, our state, and our nation.
Similarly, governments, as God’s ministers (Romans 13), must
prioritize citizens’ welfare. That means
favoring legal immigration which adds value to the whole — like skilled workers. This is good stewardship. As Andy Naselli demonstrated in his bold
prayer after the Minneapolis incident, we should bless those enforcing the law,
like ICE agents, against violent opposition.
As Jamie Bambrick says here:
While obviously occasional
exceptions can be made for extreme circumstances, generally speaking, these
should be rare. We should be moving
those people towards adding value, and the way to ensure that you get the real
need is not to say that whoever shows up claiming they need asylum gets a
luxury hotel room and free money from the taxpayer, but that they work to pay
their own way (2 Thessalonians 3:10), and if they form gangs and break the law
(Romans 13), they get removed immediately.[1]
Uncontrolled immigration can strain resources, foster crime,
and dilute cultural cohesion, as we've seen in recent unrest. But enforcement
must be humane, reflecting Christ's mercy.
IV.
Warnings: The Foreigner as Divine Judgment
The Bible cautions Israel that God will sometimes use foreigners
as an instrument of God’s judgment on a wayward nation. In Deuteronomy 28, He outlines blessings for
obedience and curses for rebellion. Verses
43-44 warn, “The sojourner who is among you shall rise above you higher and
higher, but you will go down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you will not lend to
him; he shall be the head, and you will be the tail.” This isn’t about all immigrants, of course — it’s
about a consequence of national sin, where outsiders dominate as punishment.
We see this in Judges, where God used foreign invaders like
the Philistines to humble Israel. Isaiah
10 depicts Assyria as God’s rod of anger. Charlie Kirk applies this today: the mass,
unchecked migration can signal our society’s moral decay, inviting dependency
and division. When we see people like
Zohran Mamdani being elected as mayor of New York City, a Muslim socialist, we
see someone who recently came to our country being elected mainly by people who
just came to New York, not by native-born Americans. And it is just one such case.
Both Naselli and Rigney in a recent podcast[2] caution against “unchecked
empathy” that blinds us to these risks, an unwise emotionalism that redefines
compassion as whatever feels good rather than what’s biblical. As a nation, America must examine her heart — abortion,
family breakdown, idolatry — lest we invite such judgments.
This is why the people who protest have seemed to be
revolutionary in their actions. Some block
traffic, creating dangerous situations. There
have been videos of protesters stopping cars, pulling people out, and demanding
them identify if they are ICE agents or support ICE. There was a crowd that savagely surrounded
and beat a conservative commentator who was there. A mob broke into a church in Minneapolis this
morning, interrupting worship, and heckling the church.
And many call for more immigration and the end of any immigration
enforcement. There have been headlines
in recent years celebrating the fact that the minority is becoming the
majority. There are people who say it is
time to replace the “white colonialism,” meaning they want a different system
of economics and government. If a person
is pushing a framework of immigration as the oppressed rising up against the oppressors,
then that person is pushing social Marxism.
Mass immigration can signal judgment, and we’re seeing that
here. It overwhelms resources, increases
crime, and transforms society. It also dilutes
godly values. This calls us to cultural
repentance, not naive openness.
V. Living Biblically in Turbulent
Times
So, how do we respond?
Personally, you should, of course, love the immigrants God
places in your path. Invite them to
church, share meals, advocate for the vulnerable. But discern.
Our aid doesn’t include enabling illegality, and we must urge everyone
to obey the law. We must also be careful
not to instantly believe any viral clips on social media, knowing that they
could inaccurately frame the situation or even be the product of AI
generation. Don’t get sucked into the
outrage mob!
Politically, we should vote according to what we see in Scripture. We need politicians who care for the people
who are here, who stand for secure borders while perhaps reforming legal
pathways. Support policies that honor
Romans 13 without violating Leviticus 19.
When we do this, we can prioritize those who add value, and that opens
the door to accepting the limited number of genuine refugees. Vote for policies that welcome genuine
refugees and skilled immigrants who enrich our nation, while firmly enforcing
borders against threats — honoring both mercy and justice.
As a church, we must continue to learn and pray. Beseech the Lord for our nation, for all who
are here legally and illegally, and for law enforcement. Pray that people are not bound to the latest
talking points, and that the violence level would come down a notch. Engage in mercy ministries that point to
Christ and use true discipleship. And,
of course, avoid extremes: neither callous rejection nor borderless naivety.
VI. Conclusion
We love the stranger because God loved us when we were
alienated from Him (Eph. 2:19). Yet, we
uphold order because He is a God of justice. Ultimately, we’re all sojourners here, for our
true citizenship is in heaven (Philip. 3:20).
May we walk in truth and grace.
[1]
Jamie Bambrick, Jan 18, 2026, “The Biblical Case Against Mass Immigration,” https://www.rodmartin.org/p/the-biblical-case-against-mass-immigration
[2]
“ ‘God Bless ICE’ — Minnesota Pastor's Bold Prayer After Minneapolis Shooting,”
Center for Baptist Leadership, January 18, 2026, https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1OwxWeVNXeDGQ